Review for Masquerada: Songs and Shadows. Game for PlayStation Network, PC, Mac, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch, the video game was released on 30/09/2016 The version for Nintendo Switch came out on 09/05/2019 The version for PlayStation 4 came out on 08/08/2017 The version for Xbox One came out on 23/08/2017
Over the last few years, the fundraising system of indie titles has caused many disappointments in the hearts of those who truly believed in unsuccessful projects; fortunately there was no lack of positive surprises and Masquerada: Songs and Shadows is one of them.
Kickstarter project with moderate success, Masquerada: Songs and Shadows is a tactical role-playing game, founded on a linear narrative and constantly in the foreground; Witching Hour Studios has in fact aimed at "Little but good", making a title capable of immersing the player in a living, original and well-written world, without leaving "room for maneuver" with optional missions or situations in which it is possible to make incisive decisions about events.
The final result still manages to convince, thanks to theexcellent English dubbing of the dialogues. These, together with the full-bodied codex, provide meticulous details both on the events and on the characters, setting and culture in which they find themselves acting. Too bad, therefore, for the lack of Spanish subtitles, which could make it difficult or tiring to use these “text walls”.
Cicero Gavar is the protagonist of Masquerada: Songs and Shadows, an "Inspector" of Citte of Ombre recalled from exile to investigate the disappearance of Razitof, a man of culture engaged in a secret and dangerous search. The situation will obviously turn out to be darker than expected and the story of Cicero will intertwine with that of his three companions in (un) fortune and with the fate of Ombre and its inhabitants.
In fantasy titles the use of Latinisms is quite widespread and Masquerada: Songs and Shadows is no exception; however, the Singaporean software house has contextualized the use of similar terms in a setting largely inspired by Carnival Venice in clothes, masks and urban architecture, although obviously there is no lack of original settings and a consistent brushstroke of pure and simple magic.
La isometric visual allows you to enjoy the best of what is shown on the screen, with the key scenes presented to the player in the form of "cartoons" in which their shape, size and positioning matter more than the few and sparse animations. The aesthetic choices of the developers are effective and clearly convey both the events and the emotions, with only a couple of scenes that are slightly too “rustic”, but always and in any case understandable.
When played on standard difficulty, Masquerada: Songs and Shadows results flowing, almost too simple for the tactical potential offered. The party, composed of a maximum of 3 units, can be left to act under the control of artificial intelligence (widely customizable in the use and priorities that the characters will give to each action) or controlled directly by the player, who has the right to alternate the individual members both in real time and with the help of "Tactical break".
The combat system of Masquerada: Songs and Shadows includes both physical and magical attacks and in most cases also the positioning of the units during the fight will have an effect on the damage inflicted and suffered; to this classic mechanics are added the Elemental Tags, of the “statuses” inflicted by arcane attacks, which can activate any secondary effects of abilities performed after their activation, or simply increase their effectiveness.
Each companion has a different role in combat and their own fixed elemental affinity; only the protagonist, as Inspector Master, will have the faculty both to choose the magic branch in which to specialize, and to change their battle stance, alternating between the classics tank, healer and damage dealer according to the situation. It is therefore a very flexible type of combat, suitable both for a frenetic approach and for a slower and more calculated one.
Just like the aforementioned good writing and dubbing workmanship, the music sector of Masquerada: Songs and Shadows also stands well above the average of independent titles: the tracks always convey the right mood for the situation and manage not to tire, despite the OST is composed of a few songs. Unfortunately, there is no quid able to make them memorable and, with the exception of the main theme, this good work will hardly be remembered once the game is over.
The only concrete limit of Masquerada: Songs and Shadows is there lack of variety in gameplay over the long term: the combat system is valid and customizable, but in addition to sinning some frame drops too many during the most heated clashes, the opponents tend to look a bit alike and this, together with the lack of narrative crossroads and optional quests, could discourage the player to continue in case the plot had not intrigued him enough.
Fortunately, the average campaign duration hardly exceeds 12 - 15 hours, longevity adequate to keep both attention and patience high. And also present a New Game + complete with optional additional boss-fights but, excluding the goal of completeness, Masquerada: Songs and Shadows it is not a particularly replayable title.
Masquerada: Songs and Shadows is an indie full of excellent technical and aesthetic ideas, with an interesting plot and an unexpectedly thick lore: once concluded, it makes you want a sequel able to continue the narrative development of Citte of Ombre and its heroes, that the deepening of the already good, but little exploited combat system.
► Masquerada: Songs and Shadows is an RPG-Tactical game developed by Witching Hour Studios and published by Ysbryd Games for PlayStation Network, PC, Mac, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch, the game was released on 30/09/2016 The version for Nintendo Switch came out on 09/05/2019 The version for PlayStation 4 came out on 08/08/2017 The version for Xbox One came out on 23/08/2017
