Maskmaker

A fantastic(al) VR puzzle game that feels a bit like being part of a more mature pantomime or a Cirque Du Soleil performance.

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Maskmaker is a single-player VR adventure game set in a mysterious universe with stunning graphics and intriguing story. As a Maskmaker's apprentice, you'll learn the magic of crafting masks to explore unique biomes, unravel secrets and become the Maskmaker. The game offers extensive use of VR with puzzles and mask-crafting using rare resources, paints, and shapes.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Reviews

80%

Audience ScoreBased on 332 reviews

story87 positive mentions

grinding10 negative mentions

The game features a creative and well-executed concept, with unique puzzles and a satisfying mask-making mechanic.
The visuals and environments are beautifully designed, providing an immersive experience that feels magical.
The story is engaging and well-voiced, making for a captivating narrative that enhances the overall gameplay.

The game suffers from technical issues, including bugs that can lead to getting stuck in certain areas, which can disrupt the experience.
Puzzles are often too easy and lack challenge, leading to a sense of repetitiveness throughout the gameplay.
The dialogue can be overly verbose and intrusive, detracting from the exploration and puzzle-solving aspects of the game.

story
178 mentions
49 % positive mentions
48 % neutral mentions
3 % negative mentions
The game's story is generally described as simple yet engaging, with a mix of interesting themes and philosophical elements, though some players found it meandering or lacking cohesion. While many appreciated the immersive storytelling and unique art style, others felt the narrative was occasionally confusing or clichéd, with some puzzles being too easy. Overall, it offers a relaxing experience with a decent narrative, appealing to those who enjoy story-driven gameplay in a VR setting.
- “Amazing game, nice storytelling, the realms all feel unique, an overall great VR experience.”
- “The story is pretty interesting, is superbly voice-acted and accompanied by a beautiful soundtrack.”
- “I absolutely loved the story and the wonderful narration throughout the game.”
- “The story was meandering and not engaging.”
- “I feel like the story wasn't as cohesive as I would have liked - even though it really wanted to tell a meaningful story, I'm not entirely sure what it was about.”
- “Where this game falls short is in its story for me, not that it's not well made, it just didn't interest me; I played this game for the gameplay, not the story.”
gameplay
106 mentions
49 % positive mentions
48 % neutral mentions
3 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by its innovative mask-making mechanic, which serves as both a key and a central element of exploration and puzzle-solving. Players engage in a simple yet satisfying loop of crafting and discovering, with a focus on immersive VR mechanics and beautiful environments, though some puzzles may feel too easy. Overall, the game offers around 4-6 hours of enjoyable content, blending storytelling with engaging mechanics that enhance the VR experience.
- “The gameplay revolves around finding 'puppets' in a level, taking note on what mask it has on, then finding the necessary crafting components to recreate it.”
- “The actual crafting mechanics are realized pretty well - from carving to painting and decorating - and are very satisfying.”
- “Where this game shines is in its fantastic implementation of VR mechanics.”
- “This is especially noticeable in how it fails to do anything particularly clever with its perspective-swapping gameplay.”
- “The gameplay loop is very simple, consisting basically of finding items to put on a mask (after half of the game they introduce some puzzle elements to the exploration part, but this is far from a challenging puzzle game).”
- “A very fun game with interesting mechanics like any game though it is not flawless and this game is more story and the puzzles are not really that challenging.”
graphics
66 mentions
58 % positive mentions
38 % neutral mentions
5 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are described as stylized and picturesque, with a unique art style that enhances the storytelling and overall experience. While some users noted the visuals as simplistic or reminiscent of N64 graphics, they appreciated the smooth performance and well-designed environments that contribute to an engaging gameplay experience. Overall, the graphics are considered good for the game's genre, balancing aesthetic appeal with accessibility for lower-spec machines.
- “The environments and art style were also really beautiful, and I had no issues with controls or getting stuck anywhere.”
- “Visuals are beautiful and interactive.”
- “The art style and storytelling in the game are wonderful and help make this game feel bigger than it is.”
- “N64 graphics.”
- “The graphics look very simple in the previews.”
- “The puzzles are perhaps on the easy side, and some of the environments were lacking in detail beyond what the simple art style demanded, but otherwise this was a fantastic game.”
optimization
13 mentions
62 % positive mentions
23 % neutral mentions
15 % negative mentions
The game is well-optimized, running smoothly even on mid-range hardware like a 1080, with impressive graphics and audio quality. Players praise the excellent voice acting and motion capture, contributing to a polished and immersive experience. Overall, it is recommended for its original design and strong performance across various aspects.
- “Recommended because it is a very original puzzle game that feels polished and well thought of, great audio, nice graphics, and excellent performance.”
- “Graphics look nice, performance was great with a 1080, audio, voice acting, and sound effects were all great.”
- “Great voice acting, the tools and masks felt good to manipulate and use, and the physical performances were really beautiful.”
atmosphere
12 mentions
83 % positive mentions
8 % neutral mentions
8 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its immersive environments and engaging interactions with NPCs, contributing to a captivating story-driven experience. While many players appreciate the light puzzles and overall ambiance, some found the narration to be overly intrusive, detracting from the atmospheric enjoyment. Overall, the atmosphere is considered one of the standout features, particularly in the context of VR gaming.
- “Lots of very atmospheric environments to explore and interesting interactions with NPCs.”
- “The gameplay is amazing, the puzzles are fun, the atmosphere is incredible; overall, probably one of the best VR games.”
- “Enjoyable story and great atmosphere.”
- “My attempts to soak up the atmosphere were not helped by the narration, which was too intrusive and not entertaining.”
grinding
12 mentions
17 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
83 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and boring, particularly due to the repetitive collection of ingredients for crafting masks and the cumbersome item transfer mechanics. Many express frustration with the lack of clarity in objectives and the overall grindiness of certain tasks, which detracts from the enjoyment of achieving 100%.
- “I enjoy aiming for 100% achievement when the grind isn't too tedious, as I have no intention of going through this again.”
- “The game is boring and tedious.”
- “At parts it seems a bit 'grindy' in the sense that you need to collect ingredients to build a more complex mask, which gives you access to a different area that gives you access to more ingredients to make more masks and so on...”
- “One puzzle requires you to carry and transfer a spray pump between various sections and it's a bit tedious due to the limited options to carry items.”
music
8 mentions
38 % positive mentions
25 % neutral mentions
38 % negative mentions
The music in the game is praised for its beautiful soundtrack and effective voice acting, contributing positively to the overall storytelling experience. However, despite these strengths, it received a low rating of 4/10, indicating that it may not fully meet players' expectations.
- “The story is pretty interesting, is superbly voice-acted and accompanied by a beautiful soundtrack.”
- “The music, the voices, the story, the art behind it, the sense of accomplishment.”
- “I love the storytelling and the music.”
- “The music is lackluster and fails to enhance the overall experience.”
- “The soundtrack feels repetitive and uninspired, making it hard to stay engaged.”
- “While the game has potential, the music does not contribute positively to the atmosphere.”
emotional
8 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
Players report a strong emotional connection to the game, feeling immersed in its story and world despite the graphics not being realistic. The experience evokes excitement and engagement, with some puzzles adding a sense of challenge that enhances the overall emotional journey.
- “Even though the graphics are not 'realistic', the story and how it was told made me feel like I was a part of the game.”
- “Getting to go through such an amazing world and experience so much made me feel excited.”
- “Really liked that mechanic; it made me feel like I was actually chipping away at a block of wood and I wish I could've done it a little more.”
stability
6 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The stability of the game has received mixed reviews, with some users reporting significant bugs and technical glitches that detract from the overall experience. However, others have noted minimal lag and a generally smooth performance, indicating that experiences may vary widely among players.
- “Buggy piece of crap, not a game, think twice before buying.”
- “Some tech glitches took away from the punch of the ending, unfortunately.”
- “The graphics also look very good and I have had little to no lag or glitches.”
humor
2 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is highlighted by a witty female background voice that playfully warns players against progressing too far if they have unfinished tasks, adding a lighthearted touch to the gameplay experience.
- “The female background voice humorously warns you not to proceed any further if you have unfinished business in the realms.”
replayability
2 mentions
50 % positive mentions
-50 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
While some players find the game's replayability lacking, others express a strong desire to revisit it multiple times, indicating a divide in player experience regarding this aspect.
- “The only downfall I see is replay value (for everyone else, not me; I'll definitely be playing this over and over).”
- “The only downfall I see is the replay value.”
- “The only downfall I see is the replay value.”