One of the greatest things about Role-playing games of any caliber is seeing the intriguing stories and imaginative worlds that a team of developers can muster, and how that team decides to put it all together. Some of the timeless adventures gamers have been on throughout the years have stemmed from the inspirations and determination of a dedicated team of like-minded individuals. With Masquerada: Songs and Shadows, the developers at Witching Hour Studios have flexed their imaginative muscles and formulated a fantastical world that is simultaneously somewhat believable and intriguing; encouraging players to continue coming back for more.
The first thing to draw the player’s attention within the world of Masquerada is the distinct art style: a mixture of cel-shaded animations for the models of the playable and non-playable characters sit upon a backdrop reminiscent of an oil painting, adding immersion that fully realizes the Renaissance-inspired world of Ombre. Even as players return to the game after long breaks, they will easily be awed at how beautiful the game looks on a full High Definition screen. This unique art style is sure to add to the game’s timelessness, which is saying a lot given that this is an independently-developed title with humble beginnings as a Kickstarter project.
Masquerada’s story follows Cicero Gavar, an investigator for the White Spire who returns to the Citte of Ombre upon invitation from its leader after a five-year exile. Driven by the promise of money, Cicero is tasked with finding the whereabouts of the kidnapped diplomat Razitof Azrus, with whom Cicero had quite a friendly bond when he was working for the government. Cicero’s search for Razitof sees him uncover one mystery on top of the next and foil one conspiracy after another, leading to an interesting journey through the political intrigue that plagues the Citte.
One of Masquerada’s driving forces lies within the masks called Mascherines, which bond with their wearer and grant them elemental powers. Mapped to one of the four face buttons, these abilities range from damage dealing to healing party members in a specific radius. One of the more interesting mechanics of Masquerada’s combat is the “elemental tags” that occasionally stick to an enemy after an attack; players can deal serious damage to a tagged enemy simply by hitting them with an attack that matches the tag’s element. These tags are incredibly strong but they’re also extremely rare, especially in the early game since most abilities don’t gain the tagging effect until they have been levelled up a few times.
Unlike some RPGs of the same type, Masquerada doesn’t have a simple leveling system. Instead of gaining experience after every combat situation, Masquerada rewards players with skill points after certain encounters, which they can then spend to learn and upgrade abilities and attacks of their choosing. With these skill points come certain perks: players can unlock the ability to apply elemental tags, or to ignore particular abilities’ cooldown period for a few seconds and deal some extra damage. As someone who usually enjoys the typical experience-based progression system, the skill point pathways were novel and enjoyable enough to invite a certain level of strategy, making each character unique in their own fighting capabilities.
Considering that Masquerada is an independent title, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the voice acting is well and truly on par with a triple-A title. Every emotion, battle cry and even comedic sequence is phenomenally-executed, which definitely aids in building the immersion that Witching Hour Studios wants players to experience. In a rather exposition-heavy game, professional and emotional voice acting is welcomed and enjoyed to its fullest.
Unfortunately, despite the game’s many strengths, its music is rather hit-and-miss, which is exemplified within the battle theme. Although it does become more and more comfortable to listen to, the theme is a lot softer than those in other role-playing titles, failing to incite the same passion and urgency one might feel during combat. However, for each of the average pieces of music, there are fantastic, atmospheric ones to make up for it, including that of the game’s main antagonist; the use of a Renaissance-inspired chorus works so well in creating a harsh and menacing atmosphere. It’s tracks like these that make the soundtrack an interesting listen, despite its flaws.
With an immersive world and a story that is as interesting as it is enjoyable, Masquerada: Songs and Shadows is a fantastic foray into the wonderful imaginations of the Witching Hour team. Combat is simple and fun for multiple playthroughs, and the characters, as well as their motivations and interests, feel relatable and — to some extent — realistic. With much of the fantastical world to be discovered, Masquerada: Songs and Shadows is an RPG worth playing repeatedly.
Our Verdict:
Looking as beautiful as a Renaissance painting, Masquerada: Songs and Shadows is a game filled with all the makings of a great RPG — a must play for those who look for a great piece of world building.
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