Glass Masquerade 2: Illusions
Are there still fans of jigsaw puzzles out there? I see them in stores and those mall kiosks (are there still fans of malls?), but I don’t know anyone who buys them or puts them together. I was always more of a modeling guy myself, and actually have a Space Battleship Yamato kit I’d have to start before digging into a new puzzle.
Glass Masquerade 2: Illusions is a jigsaw style puzzle game developed and published by Onyx Lute for PC and Mac. Description This bundle contains Glass Masquerade and Glass Masquerade 2: Illusions – beautifully artistic and calmly challenging puzzle games from developer Onyx Lute. Enjoy these two highly acclaimed games as you piece together over 50 intricately designed jigsaws at your own relaxed pace. Continue your adventure in the Glass Masquerade 2: Illusions with 9 new puzzles where fantasy arts meets pin-up motives in stained glass - FREE demo puzzle included! Continue your adventure in the Glass Masquerade 2: Illusions with 9 new puzzles where fantasy arts meets pin-up motives in stained glass - FREE demo puzzle included!
Masquerade 2
But that doesn’t apply to videogames, where Digerati’s Glass Masquerade 2: Illusions has taken up considerably more of my TV time than I would’ve expected when accepting the review code.
There are numerous reasons why I find this puzzle game so captivating, not the least of which is the artwork. Each of the 30+ puzzles is presented in a circular, stained-glass style with baroque-at-Mardi-Gras leanings. Stained-glass art is usually depicted with bright, bold colors as if properly illuminated from behind, but Glass Masquerade 2 instead uses sharp contrasts between light and dark to create a more…well, the developers call it “dreamlike” vibe, but I think it’s just kind of creepy.
Each puzzle starts you off with all of the pieces floating around the center in a circular pattern. You can set the skill level to indicate which edge pieces to use at the start, but you’re then left with nothing but random, often complicated shapes. Unlike normal puzzles which require you to identify which portion of the picture is in the repeating fragment patterns, Glass Masquerade forces you to consider the shape. Each piece is completely black on the board, revealing its colors/pattern only when you select it. Even then, the colors aren’t much help because there’s no telling how two side-by-side pieces will relate to each other within the frame. This is stained-glass, remember, so the colors can (and most often do) change at any breaking point.
Thankfully, the pieces differ in shape quite drastically—as if the stained glass artwork actually has shattered. The erratic patterns provide strong visual clues as to where they go once you start moving along, but that doesn’t mean putting them together is easy. The number of starting pieces grows quite large as you move along, meaning fewer and fewer of those pieces are on screen at a time. As such, you have to cycle through them in hopes of detecting the outline quirk you seek. This is also complicated by the fact that the piece is rarely oriented properly when off to the side. Select it and the proper orientation is revealed along with the colors. Put it back down and these clues once again fade away.
Various settings affect the overall difficulty and urgency of the game, but I found it most fun to just relax and take as much time as I needed. You may feel differently. Either way, my approach to Glass Masquerade 2 shifted as I dug deeper into it. The early puzzles were quickly solved, making it a fun game to play before or after longer sessions with other games. By the time I reached about 10 puzzles, however, I was now taking closer to 45 minutes to solve them. Glass Masquerade 2 had become the longer gaming session.
Glass Masquerade 2 Illusions Achievements
Perhaps the most impressive aspect, however, is the game’s longevity. You’re guided down the 30+ puzzles in a set path to gradually increase the difficulty. Upon being solved, each presents a quote that I think may be pulled from the rejected lyrics of Twenty One Pilots songs.
Because the artwork and the comprising pieces are so unique, there’s plenty of opportunity to solve them more than once. You can replay them to best your previous time or to try them at a higher degree of difficulty. That may not appeal to everyone, but should please puzzle purists.
My one caution with the game is that you really don’t want to try it in handheld mode, especially on the Switch Lite. I was able to get through a couple puzzles that way, but the variations in the fragments were often much harder to detect on the small screen.
Glass Masquerade 2 Illusions
Welcome to Glass Masquerade sequel – an artistic puzzle game inspired by stained glass artisans and Wonderland depictions of the 20th century. You need to combine hidden glass pieces to open misty portals of illusions across a tangled mind.
Title: Glass Masquerade 2 – Illusions | Developer: Onyx Lute | Publisher: Onyx Lute/Digerati Distribution | Release Date: February 28th, 2019 | Genre: Jigsaw Puzzle | Platform: Steam | Source: Self-Purchased | Starred Review
Glass Masquerade 2: Illusions Review
Glass Masquerade is a jigsaw puzzle game that is a very fun, very relaxing game. The stained glass is super pretty and the music is very relaxing. I chose Illusions to do a review on, though, because it’s designs are more in the spooky genre than the first game. The first game’s puzzles are more themed with designs from different countries. It does, however, have an expansion pack that is Halloween-themed.
Illusions is very much more themed around fairy tales and classic horror novels. I was pleasantly surprised to see a certain tentacled favourite show up, along with a puzzle of the King in Yellow.
I like the way the puzzles are shaped differently. The edges can be strange but, to me, that makes the individual pieces more beautiful to look at on their own. I did like the simpler style of the first game slightly better in that the pictures weren’t quite as busy so the ultimate design stood out more.
My only issue with it is that the puzzles aren’t very hard, even the difficult ones. The edge pieces are marked for you so you know where to hook them and then you can just go from there. But, honestly, it’s not that big of a deal. It’s supposed to be a relaxing experience with pretty pictures at the end. And it definitely succeeds in that.
This summer I would take the laptop out in the yard and do some puzzles while just hanging out or do them while watching movies. It’s an excellent distraction that doesn’t require much brainpower. It’s also reasonably cheap. Including the expansions (Temptations and Revelations) it’s under ten dollars. Highly recommended.
GracieKat was the first co-host of Sci-Fi & Scary, Lilyn’s partner-in-crime, and sub-head of the Kali Krew. She reviews horror books, movies, and games for the site. She also does a weekly Focus on the Frightful feature, and is the site list-maker. She is also in control of the Sci-Fi & Scary podcast which will relaunch soon.