Glass Masquerade 2: Illusions

Review

Stained Glass can be found everywhere these days: public places, houses, restaurants, universities and even in the Federal Palace in Switzerland! But let’s be honest, the most spectacular ones are found in churches and Cathedrals. Well, that was until I discovered the amazing game of Glass Masquerade 2: Illusions!

Glass Masquerade 2: Illusions is a casual puzzles game developed and published by Onyx Lute, and was released on Steam on the 28 February 2019.

I must say that I didn’t have the pleasure of experiencing the previous game, but I had been very intrigued by it. So, when the opportunity arose to try the sequel, I was excited about it!

As you start the game, you’ll arrive on the main screen, which is a beautiful imaginary map made of purple shades.  In the middle is displayed an unusual rose compass, with 30 smaller circles containing a lock icon scattered all over the chart. Look for the circle with a key icon in it to start your first puzzle. As you move through the game, some of the levels will require more than one key to gain access. The good news is that you will receive a key each time you successfully finish a level.

After selecting your level, a new screen will appear with a large circle in the middle, where you’ll have to place the glass fragments (shards) which are located on two other rings around the main circle. It’s very simple to select them; all you have to do is left click on the shard you want, and it will be up to you to place it within the main circle. But here lies a slight problem . . . the shards are all sorts unusual and convoluted shapes. Yes, you will be given a few fragments to place at the start of each level and but you can miss them as they have a swirl on them. Then it will take you from 20 minutes on the normal difficulty to 60 minutes on the hard one to finish the splendid stained glass. The first puzzle has 33 shards while the last has 88 to place.    

You can also decide if you want to play on the normal or the hard difficulty. The beauty is that you can swap from one to the other at any given time during each of the levels, which is pretty cool. The main difference between the two difficulties is that on the highest difficulty, you’ll have to rotate each shard yourself to try to fit it within the circle.

The illustrations are absolutely stunning, to say the least, and it’s a surprisingly addictive game. It truly becomes exciting each time you correctly place a shard in the right spot and see the magnificent stained glass design developing.   Personally, I have been on it for a minimum of 10 hours and I really like it. As soon as you finish one stage, you’ll want to start another!  

The soundtrack is well suited for the game; it’s mellow and mystical and doesn’t interfere with your concentration.