Originally released on PC back in 2016, Glass Masquerade from Onyx Lute has now made its way to Xbox One, PS4 and Switch.
It’s essentially a game made up of jigsaw puzzles – but instead of placing the usual shape of interlocking pieces, Glass Masquerade tasks you with arranging pieces of glass to create art deco-style stained glass decorations. Each finished piece of art is simply beautiful.
The game has 25 puzzles in total, each one themed after a different country. The British one, for example, features the Palace of Westminster, while the Greek-themed glass features the Cretan Bull. Each puzzle has a difficulty rating out of five; higher rated puzzles tend to have more pieces and feature more intricate, complex designs.
Even with its most complex puzzles though, Glass Masquerade is never a stressful challenge. You can enable hints to help you out with placing the first few pieces, and after that you’re on your own. But with no time limits to work towards, you’re free to pick up pieces and attempt to place them as many times as you like. After completing a puzzle, you’re given the time it has taken you to complete, so if you do want to add a bit of a challenge for yourself, you can always try to beat that time.
The main draw, however, just has to be how stunning Glass Masquerade‘s puzzles actually are. Each finished stained glass is a true piece of artwork in its own right. The varied colours and designs used for each one make them a true pleasure to piece together and see the final image come together.
Each puzzle, depending on its difficulty (and your skill level), takes somewhere between 10-30 minutes to complete, making Glass Masquerade the ideal game to pick up for a short break from something a little more demanding. It’s the perfect tonic to a stressful day. And at less than £10, it’s great value for the amount of content included.
Glass Masquerade is available on PC, PS4, Xbox One and Switch. Its sequel, Glass Masquerade 2: Illusions, is set to release on PC later this month.
