Witching Hour Studios currently has a couple more days to go on their Kickstarter campaign, although they are fully funded, for the visually stunning Masquerada: Songs and Shadows. Published by Ysbryd Games, Masquerada takes place in a dark Venetian-inspired World and follows the exiled detective Cicero Gavar as he returns to Citte della Ombre to solve the kidnapping of the diplomat Razitof Azrus.
In Masquerada, all the characters wear masks, or Mascherines, but they aren’t just for hiding one’s face when going to a masquerade ball. Oh no, they are so much more. Mascherines hold power and elemental magic.
From the first glimpse at the gameplay, one might think that it is a bit like Diablo. You can charge in unplanned and button mash your way through the mobs, but if you just pause that thought (seriously, pause the game), you can plan how the next few seconds of the fight unfolds by deciding where your characters will go and what you want them to do.
The artwork and animation in Masquerada are certainly what makes the game stand out. On the Kickstarter page, they explain that the artwork draws inspiration from old French comics and the works of artists such as Moebius and the creator of The Adventures of Tintin, Hergé. Part 3D cartoon and part illustration, the artwork makes the characters pop out rather than blend in with the background.
Masquerada currently has a free demo available on Steam and is expected to be released sometime during the summer this year. It will be available on PC, Mac and PlayStation 4.
