Glass Masquerade 2: Illusions
Gameplay 8
Graphics 9
Sound 8

Glass Masquerade 2: Illusions follows in the footsteps of its predecessor with more of the same soothing jigsaw-style puzzles. The gameplay remains unchanged, but the new theme features slightly more sinister-looking stained glass art to assemble from broken pieces. It’s still a very enjoyable experience, but overall, it’s more of the same, so like the original, it will be a love-it or hate-it experience for most players.

Gameplay: The goal is to assemble stained glass images by piecing together the broken pieces.

Graphics: The art style is unique, and some of the images are pretty sinister.

Sound: The soundtrack for the game is very soothing and relaxing

Summary 8.3 Outstanding
Gameplay 0
Graphics 0
Sound 0
Summary rating from user's marks. You can set own marks for this article - just click on stars above and press "Accept".
Accept
Summary 0.0 Terrible

Glass Masquerade 2: Illusions

Developer: Onyx Lute | Publisher: Onyx Lute | Release Date: 2019 | Genre: Casual / Puzzle / Indie | Website: Official Website | Purchase: Steam

The original Glass Masquerade was a pleasant surprise and offered a tranquil gaming experience. By combining the tried-and-tested jigsaw formula with stained glass-style artwork, the game was not only fun to play but also very eye-catching. Glass Masquerade 2: Illusions follows the same path as its predecessor, but this time with an Alice In Wonderland twist.

Glass Masquerade used a straightforward formula, which, while very addictive, also means there isn’t much for this sequel to improve upon. It’s still an artistic puzzle game where you aim to piece together a stained glass picture using the different shards. It felt like this game was slightly more challenging than the first one due to the abstract artwork used. The images are a perfect match for the dreamlike atmosphere of the game but can make it very tricky to determine where pieces will fit. This isn’t too much of an issue, though, as the focus of Glass Masquerade 2 is on the unique shapes of the pieces and not the images on them.

Anyone who has played the original game will feel instantly at home with Glass Masquerade 2. The interface feels more polished, and the art style is a lot busier, but other than that, it is business as usual as you select your puzzle and then try to assemble the pieces. The irregularly shaped pieces and the fact that you don’t have a complete picture to work from, like with traditional jigsaw puzzles, do make the game a bit more challenging, but overall, it is still a very relaxing experience. We did notice that all of the puzzle boards in this game are round, which is a bit strange as the original had ones in different shapes.

With more than 30 puzzles to solve, the game will keep most players busy for quite a while, especially as later puzzles feature more pieces. Not all of the puzzles are accessible from the start, so you have to complete what is available to earn keys that unlock new puzzles. In the process, you also unlock special shards, which are then used to complete the final puzzle in the game. The game also has an optional “Hard” mode, which does not automatically rotate the pieces to their correct orientation when you pick them up. Instead, players must use the mouse scroll wheel or A & D keyboard keys to rotate the pieces.

It ups the challenge, and boards that can be finished in about 20 minutes on the “Normal” mode can take upwards of an hour to complete on “Hard.” On the other side of the spectrum, the game can also be set to show the anchor points for a few of the edge pieces to get you started. This is great for players who simply want a relaxing experience instead of the frustration of sifting through random pieces just to get started.

Visually, Glass Masquerade 2 looks great, even though the art style is much more sinister than the original game. Once again, only the silhouettes of pieces are shown, so you have to pick each one up individually to see their picture and orientation. Pieces that you place in the correct position snap together with a satisfying click or fly back to their spots, rotating the board if you are wrong. The game keeps track of how long it takes you to solve each puzzle, but there are no time limits to worry about. It’s simply about beating your own best times if you are so inclined. The soundtrack by composer Nikita Sevalnev is very soothing and all the tunes are a great match for the game. However, because it is such a relaxing experience, Glass Masquerade 2 is also a great game to play while listening to something else.

Everything in the game is mouse-controlled, which works well, but you can also enable the option to rotate pieces using the “A” and “D” keys on your keyboard instead of your mouse. Other options include the ability to invert scrolling and rotation and adjust the dials’ sensitivity.

Overall, we had fun with Glass Masquerade 2: Illusions, and it provided a nice distraction from more intense games. It doesn’t do anything radically different from the original game, so if you liked the original, you will enjoy this one. As with traditional jigsaw puzzles, it’s not a game that will appeal to everyone, but if you are in the mood for some mindless puzzle-solving, you can do far worse than Glass Masquerade 2.

System Requirements

  • OS: Windows 7 (or higher)
  • Processor: 1.6GHz CPU
  • Memory: 1 GB RAM
  • Graphics: Intel HD4000, AMD HD 6550D (or higier), 256Mb video memory
  • Storage: 1 GB available space
  • Additional Notes: Only 16:9 monitors are supported properly. Other aspect ratios will be rendered using black sidebars.
  • OS: Windows 7 (or higher)
  • Processor: 2.0GHz CPU or higher
  • Memory: 2 GB RAM
  • Graphics: Nvidia GTX 650, AMD HD7850 (or higher), 1GB video memory
  • Storage: 1 GB available space
  • Additional Notes: Only 16:9 monitors are supported properly. Other aspect ratios will be rendered using black sidebars.
  • OS: Mac OS X 10.8 (or higher)
  • Processor: 1.6GHz CPU
  • Memory: 1 GB RAM
  • Graphics: 256Mb video memory
  • Storage: 1 GB available space
  • Additional Notes: Only 16:9 monitors are supported properly. Other aspect ratios will be rendered using black sidebars.
  • OS: Mac OS X 10.8 (or higher)
  • Processor: 2.2GHz CPU or higher
  • Memory: 2 GB RAM
  • Graphics: 1GB video memory
  • Storage: 1 GB available space
  • Additional Notes: Only 16:9 monitors are supported properly. Other aspect ratios will be rendered using black sidebars.

Related posts

Creature Romances: Kokonoe Kokoro

Creature Romances: Kokonoe Kokoro

Creature Romances: Kokonoe Kokoro is a typical slice of life visual novel, with one exception, the love interest is a grotesque humanoid grasshopper. Unfortunately, the game simply ignores this fact, so the story progresses just like a typical, bland high school romance. The game can also be completed in less than an hour and features one choice that leads to one good or two bad endings. Overall, this game can be skipped as it has very little to offer. Gameplay: Short, simple, and extremely bland despite the monstrous characters. Graphics: The CGs are rather disturbing, but that's probably the point. Sound: The music is unremarkable, but the game does feature full Japanese voice acting.

Starlight: Eye of the Storm

Starlight: Eye of the Storm

Starlight: Eye of the Storm is a polished and enjoyable 2D bullet-hell shooter with arcade, campaign, and PVP modes. The ability to create your own custom ships and the wide range of weapons gives the game a lot of replay value along with multiple difficulty settings that also make it very accessible. The story is perhaps not the game's strong suit, but the all-out action is hard to fault. Gameplay: Very addictive and has multiple modes to keep players coming back for more. Graphics: A nice combination of 2D and 3D, along with plenty of bullets and explosions. Sound: The soundtrack isn't too over the top, but the sound effects pack a lot of punch.

Steamworld Dig 2

Steamworld Dig 2

SteamWorld Dig 2 takes everything that made the original such an addictively entertaining game and polishes them up even more. Digging around for treasure to sell in town to upgrade your gear is a lot of fun, but there's also plenty of puzzle platforming to do. Throw in some great visuals and a funky soundtrack, and you have a game that definitely should not be missed. Gameplay: SteamWorld Dig 2 starts very simple but becomes very addictive very quickly. Graphics: The game features detailed visuals and great character designs. Sound: The audio consists of a varied soundtrack and nice sound effects.

F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin

F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin

As a first person shooter this game is great but as a follow up to the excellent F.E.A.R its hard not to be slightly disappointed. The emphasis is on all out action with only a few spooky bits thrown in here and there. As long as you don't expect the same experience as the original game you will have fun, but there are definitely less thrills and chills. Gameplay: The scares have been replaced by action which is somewhat disappointing. Graphics: Nice but maybe a bit too cartoony for its own good at times. Sound: Very good but could have benefited from a bit more oomph from the weapons.

Nelly Cootalot: The Fowl Fleet

Nelly Cootalot: The Fowl Fleet

With its quirky sense of humor, interesting cast of characters, and plucky protagonist, it is hard not to be charmed by Nelly Cootalot: The Fowl Fleet. While the puzzles are somewhat easy, the game always had us smiling and even had a few laugh-out-loud moments. The Monkey Island series has obviously influenced it, but the game has enough unique charm of its own. If you are a genre fan, The Fowl Fleet should definitely be on your wishlist. Gameplay: Easy enough for newcomers, but even experienced players will enjoy the quirky setting and characters. Graphics: The blend of 3D characters and 2D backgrounds works well, and the overall art style is very good. Sound: The soundtrack is nice, but the voice acting steals the show thanks to some great performances

Mortal Kombat X

Mortal Kombat X

As long as you get your hands on the XL version of Mortal Kombat X you are in for a great time. The game features plenty of characters and enough content to keep solo players or online multi-player fans busy for a long time. The story mode was not quite as compelling this time round and the roster lacked a couple of fan favorites, but the visuals look great and the fighting is as brutal as ever. The gore is also a bit more realistic now compared to the previous game, especially in regards to character injuries during fights, although the occasional goofy fatalities still crop up. All in all, this is a great game for fans of the series and a solid title for all fans of the genre. Gameplay: Fast, bloody and filled with plenty of challenges. Graphics: Plenty of character as well as background detail. Sound: Decent voice acting and some nice tunes.

Leave a comment

13 + eighteen =