Glass Masquerade
- February 8, 2019
- Onyx Lute
- 5h median play time
Onyx Lute's Glass Masquerade is a good puzzler on Steam, proving that a simple pleasure is perhaps the best way to go sometimes.
Get on Steam
Get on itch.io Store"Glass Masquerade" is a relaxing, puzzle-based game that challenges players to assemble beautifully illustrated glass masks by matching intricate puzzle pieces. With over 25 stained-glass mosaics to complete, players will discover various historical and cultural references within each design. The game features a soothing soundtrack and an immersive atmosphere, making it an excellent choice for those seeking a peaceful, engaging experience.
Mac OS
Nintendo Switch
PC
Playstation 4
Windows
Xbox One
Xbox Series X|S
PlayStation
Xbox
Reviews
- Beautiful graphics and art style that enhances the puzzle experience.
- Relaxing music and sound effects create a calming atmosphere.
- Unique gameplay mechanics with stained glass pieces that auto-rotate when picked up.
- Puzzles can be too short, with only 25 base puzzles and additional content locked behind DLC.
- Some pieces do not visually match their corresponding slots, leading to confusion.
- The interface can be clunky, making it difficult to navigate the piece selection wheels.
- music1,188 mentions
- 59 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its calming and soothing qualities, enhancing the overall relaxing experience of solving puzzles. However, many players note that the limited variety of tracks can lead to repetitiveness over extended play sessions, with some suggesting that additional music would improve the experience. Overall, the soundtrack complements the beautiful visuals and thematic elements of the game, making it a pleasant backdrop for puzzle-solving.
“The soothing new age music accompanies your artistic endeavor, creating a calming atmosphere.”
“Beautiful artwork and music sets this somewhat tricky jigsaw puzzle game apart from the crowd.”
“The music is absolutely beautiful, my girlfriend was watching me play the other day and now we will most likely head to the composer's official website and buy the soundtrack.”
“The music composed for this game fits it like a glove, but over time, can become somewhat grating to listen to while trying to solve the puzzles.”
“Music gets grating after listening to it for more than an hour or so.”
“The only thing I can say is kind of a downer is the music which I feel repeats and if they added more it would make this so amazing but it's still good.”
- graphics748 mentions
- 69 % positive mentions
- 31 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The graphics of "Glass Masquerade" are widely praised for their stunning stained glass aesthetic, vibrant artwork, and soothing animations, creating a visually captivating experience. Many reviewers highlight the game's unique art style and relaxing soundtrack, which enhance the overall gameplay, although some note that the design can occasionally make it difficult to discern how pieces fit together. Overall, the visuals are considered a major strength of the game, appealing to those who appreciate beautiful graphics in a casual puzzle format.
“The stained glass aesthetic makes for some interesting puzzle shapes, and both the music and art are top notch.”
“Absolutely stunning visuals, with the light effects that shine on the glass as you place the pieces.”
“The combination of its unique art style and a soothing soundtrack make this the perfect game to just sit back and relax with.”
“While being aesthetically pleasing, the gameplay is a dealbreaker with tiny images and blank pieces you have to rotate and fit while they are bigger than the gap you are supposed to put them into.”
“This in itself is bad enough, but considering everything has a brass/copper sheen to it, the art style of the puzzles themselves typically have a very close color palette, the outlines tend to blend in and give the overall impression that matching shapes don't at all match despite the game accepting the placement as correct.”
“First of all, the art style can sometimes be detrimental to the game.”
- gameplay292 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 67 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game is characterized by its simple mechanics, primarily revolving around solving jigsaw puzzles with visually appealing stained glass designs. While many players appreciate the relaxing and casual nature of the gameplay, some criticize its lack of depth and variety, noting that the puzzles can be completed relatively quickly and that the mechanics occasionally suffer from minor issues. Overall, the game is praised for its aesthetic presentation and soothing soundtrack, making it a pleasant experience despite its mechanical shortcomings.
“The aesthetic, music, and gameplay combine seamlessly to create an experience that's both enchanting and relaxing.”
“Beautiful graphics, smooth controls, fun puzzles, great gameplay... I couldn't stop playing until I finished it.”
“The gameplay, paired with a relaxing and beautiful soundtrack, was easy enough, with some puzzles offering greater difficulty.”
“However, the gameplay is actually not very good; except for the puzzles, there is no other content in the game, and overall its artistry is much greater than its gameplay.”
“I know other people have pointed this out, but considering that 'solve a jigsaw puzzle' is effectively the only actual gameplay it has going for it, and they clearly bungled that... I'm not sure I can even really call it a proper jigsaw game, quite frankly.”
“The puzzling mechanics never change or develop, so there's no real 'leveling up' or layering of puzzle logic - some are just more intricate than others.”
- atmosphere82 mentions
- 54 % positive mentions
- 43 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of "Glass Masquerade" is widely praised for its calming and relaxing qualities, enhanced by a beautiful art style and soothing soundtrack. Players appreciate the game's ability to create a serene environment that complements the puzzle-solving experience, making it a joy to engage with. Overall, the combination of stunning visuals and tranquil music contributes to a uniquely atmospheric and enjoyable gameplay experience.
“Here's my advice to you, grab a coffee or some tea, dim the lights, put on your headphones and just relax.. this game is beautifully crafted, the sound and the visuals all play a significant role in creating an atmosphere of mystifying calmness.”
“The atmosphere the developers create is very calming with soothing audio and breathtaking visuals.”
“It's a simple game with intuitive controls, a relaxing atmosphere, and with nothing to get in the way of the colourful stained glass pictures that come to life as you piece them together.”
“Mechanics-wise it's a very simple puzzle game, but it's so finely crafted that it emanates a magical, inspiring and calming atmosphere that is a joy to experience.”
- replayability76 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 79 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is considered low, primarily due to its short length and limited number of puzzles, with many players expressing a desire for more content. Some users find value in replaying puzzles to improve their times or enjoy the relaxing ambiance, especially with the addition of DLCs that offer more challenges. However, without significant gameplay variations or a randomization feature, the incentive to revisit the game remains minimal for most players.
“Cozy, gorgeous, relaxing, and replayable.”
“Just finished the game so it's not super long, but I got 4-5 good length sessions out of it and in a few months when I forget all the puzzles, I'm sure it'll be replayable.”
“The DLCs make the game feel much more replayable and some of the puzzles are more complex than those in the base game.”
“As such, replayability is quite low, a problem most puzzle games seem incapable of overcoming.”
“Unfortunately, there really is no replayability (unless you have a very short memory).”
“However, replayability is quite low and personally I think there could have been more puzzles, which is why I only bought it during a sale.”
- story48 mentions
- 8 % positive mentions
- 71 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The game's story is largely considered minimal or non-existent, with many reviewers noting that it serves primarily to establish a theme rather than drive the gameplay. While some appreciate the charming art style and the moral lessons implied, the consensus is that the focus is predominantly on puzzles, leaving little room for a meaningful narrative. Overall, players looking for a rich story may be disappointed, as the game prioritizes puzzle-solving over storytelling.
“The art style is amazing and the small storyline behind why you're doing what you're doing is really cute.”
“The controls are simple and the art tells a story within itself, and it's very charming.”
“Customers can know his story of traveling the world by playing the game.”
“There is no story, background, or setup to the game.”
“There isn’t any real story or context to this game (at least no context which really matters).”
“The storyline is so pointless, that even being just two title cards it is still distracting and pointless.”
- grinding16 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 13 % neutral mentions
- 88 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game is often described as tedious, especially at higher difficulty levels, where players may find themselves engaged in repetitive trial-and-error routines. While some appreciate the challenge and beautiful art, others feel that the game can become more frustrating than enjoyable, particularly for those who dislike tedious puzzle-solving. Overall, the experience can vary significantly based on individual preferences for puzzle complexity and repetition.
“I wish the game was a little bit easier as it is more tedious than relaxing at the highest difficulty.”
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“This leads to a tedious trial-and-error routine of picking up each available piece in succession, reacquainting yourself with its size, and trying to see if there's anywhere it obviously fits.”
- stability10 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 80 % negative mentions
Overall, stability in the game is mixed; while many users report no significant bugs or glitches, some have experienced issues with the DLC and mouse functionality, leading to unresponsive elements. The visuals are praised, but the occasional instability can detract from the experience.
“The visuals are quite beautiful, I found no glitches, and some of the stages did give me a small bit of challenge.”
“Good game, beautiful clocks, but the DLC seems a bit buggy.”
“I also found it to be a bit buggy; it really, really didn't like my mouse, and often elements would become unclickable until I alt-tabbed out, clicked on something else, then came back in.”
“I haven't run into any buggy issues.”
- emotional6 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players find the game to be a wholesome and emotionally uplifting experience, enhanced by immersive music that varies by continent and soothing sound effects. However, some elements, like the corrida in Spain, evoke mixed feelings. Overall, the game is praised for its relaxing and positive ambiance.
“The puzzling experience is very wholesome and relaxing thanks to the glass sounds when picking up shards and all the wonderful motives.”
“Very wholesome, minus the corrida one from Spain. The music that slightly changes for every continent makes for a very immersive ambiance.”
“It made me feel better :)”
- humor6 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is described as a mix of funny and cute moments, particularly highlighted by the enjoyable matching of country pictures. Players find certain elements, like the "funny glass game," to be particularly hilarious, especially from the perspective of those with cultural ties to the content, such as an Irish player appreciating Icelandic themes.
“I thought that the matching of country pictures was sometimes funny, sometimes cute, but always enjoyable.”
“Funny glass game.”
“[Pretty hilarious, as an Irish person who loves Iceland.]”
- optimization2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its excellent optimization, featuring smooth performance, intuitive interfaces, and appealing music and sound effects, contributing to an overall enjoyable experience.
“Beautiful, runs smoothly, good interfaces, nice music and sound effects.”
