Glass Masquerade 2: Illusions Rapid Review
Fast Facts
Title: Glass Masquerade 2: Illusions
Developer: Onyx Lute
Publisher: Digerati
Website: https://www.onyxlute.com
Genre: Jigsaw Puzzle
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Audience: PEGI 7
Release Date: 14/02/2020
Price: £10.79 – Rapid Reviews UK were very kindly provided with a review code for this title.
You know how Picross fans will buy Picross that is Picross with some added Picross? Use that energy if you enjoyed the first Glass Masquerade. Glass Masquerade is Glass Masquerade. Don’t think too hard about it, like I said, same energy.
Puzzled Luck
Ignore all that. Allow me to blow your socks off with an in-depth analysis of Glass Masquerade 2’s gameplay. It’s a jigsaw puzzle. You slide the pieces; you slot them in. All done.
Silhouetted glass shards are presented in layered wheels surrounding the central canvas. You rebuild the circular stained-glass window by slotting the pieces together using a smooth and simple drag and drop method. Fitting each piece into position gives just the right amount of tolerance versus precision, so you can put your tweezers and magnifying glass away. Not sure why you brought them in the first place. Lunatic.
Alternatively, you can use touch controls. Don’t do that because you can’t see where you’re actually putting the pieces (on account of your finger covering them).
Like any jigsaw, the difficulty lies in the number of pieces but, for those less patient, there are small quality-of-life options such as starting points (markers for where to slot the edge pieces) and hints.
Gripped? Good, then let’s talk style.
Bae Window
Like I may or may not have said about the original game in a previous life (different site), Glass Masquerade 2 takes its cues from Art Deco and 20th-century stained-glass artistry; abstract and profound in visual appeal.
However, the game not only offers gradually constructed, beautifully realised images but also a curiously rewarding loop; snapping a couple of curvy acute and obtuse segments together often reveals art within the art. Granted, seeing part of the grander image as you progress comes as standard with a jigsaw puzzle, but the way in which the image is separated is very deliberate and the slow pacing gives you time to take it all in.
This visual dynamic is complemented by a stunningly dark, mechanical UI theme that provides atomic clock level synchronicity with the delicate chimes, waves and strings of the musical score. That and a hint of that mildly unnerving atmosphere that makes you feel like you’re alone in a dark theatre, or a long, unlit corridor with a music box playing on a chair at the other end of the room. I’m exaggerating. I think. I mean there’s a PEGI 7 rating for a reason, guys.
Pane in the Glass
There are some random philosophical remarks tucked in-between levels for… well, I’m not sure why they’re in, but they’re in. Enjoy them. Or don’t, I’m not your dad.
With tonnes of levels packed in and a very fair price tag, Glass Masquerade 2 has enough to cover the largest of non-slip mats. While you’re unlikely to play this one for hours straight, it’s an excellent source of tranquillity when you need to just put your feet up and take it easy.
If you like jigsaw puzzles and like the sound of an ocular embrace… actually, no, that sounds painful… If you like jigsaw puzzles and well, relaxing your eyes, look no further!
Rapid Reviews UK Rating
You can buy Glass Masquerade 2: Illusions from the following stores:
eShop Steam PlayStation Store
