Welcome to Glass Masquerade 2: Illusions. This sequel to the original is a dreamlike collection of artistic jigsaw puzzles to piece together at your own relaxed pace. Dive into the rabbit hole of the abstract and the fantastical, putting together stained-glass fragments to solve dreams and riddles. Enjoy baroque depictions of 20th-century imagination, in puzzles more intricate and complex than the original.
Glass Masquerade 2: Illusions
For those unfamiliar with the first game in the series, I’ll quote myself (you can read the full review above, I linked it).
Glass Masquerade is one of those games you never thought you needed in your life. Everyone has probably broken something in their life. Let it be a glass, a vase or a window. We all tried puzzling it back together somehow (thanks superglue), but it never looked as good as before. Anyone who has been to a church in general (mostly the Catholic churches) has seen the glass stained windows that tell the story of Jesus Christ and the saints. Or other biblical passages for that matter. They already look ‘broken’, in a way. But this is the way the stained glass is ‘puzzled’ together and it makes for one heck of a puzzle game.
Glass Deco:
The publisher chose again for the art style of the Art Deco. Like I explained in the review for the first game, Art Deco is a particular art style, which first appeared in France just before World War I. It was influenced by designs of buildings, furniture, jewelry, fashion, etc. to even some household objects. It took its name from the Exposition Internationale des art décoratifs et industriels moderns (compare it with the World Exhibition but for art). Glass Masquerade 2 goes deeper than the original concept. In the first game, you would visit the competing countries of the World Exhibition. In part Deux (French for two), you will visit fairytales and inspired paintings by folktales. It helps if you were brought up with some of the fairytales since it’s not all Alice in Wonderland stuff.
Gameplay:
Glass Masquerade still does what it does best. It gives the player thrilling glass puzzles to solve (jigsaw style) with a nice soundtrack that compliments the game, thanks to Nikita Sevalnev. Still, there was not added any details about how Art Deco was important for the revival of stained glass. Or why the game is centered around illusions this time (not that I complain). Such a shame, since it could give the game that extra layer I was looking for in the original, and again in this one.
Nevertheless, they gave Glass Masquerade 2 a controller update, which makes it easy to control with the control sticks and a button, so no learning curve there. The game does not punish you for being ‘late’ at solving a puzzle, so take your time. You can always retake a puzzle and try to beat your previous record. And since some of the puzzles can take up to half an hour (or I’m just slow)… make yourself at home. The best improvement over part Uno is the graphics. The artwork looks stunning and really created a new dimension of depth and awe.
Conclusion:
So if you are in the market for yet another great installment of an exciting puzzle game about art. Then really try your hand at Glass Masquerade 2: Illusions. You won’t be disappointed, but it will be sure to fly under the radar.
