This Book Is A Dungeon
This Book Is A Dungeon
Game
Game2016
Masquerada: Songs and Shadows
Developer Witching Hour Studios
Masquerada is a single-player tactical RPG set in a Renaissance-inspired city of magic, where real-time combat can be paused to set up elemental combos powered by Venetian-styled masks. Come for gorgeous hand-drawn art; stay for the rich lore & a thoughtful, fully-voiced tale of intrigue & tragedy. From the Steam store page
209 reactions from 4 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Mastodon, Lemmy) · newest Nov 5, 2026 · last updated Nov 5, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
85
LovedLoved
164 positive · 28 negative
95% range 80–90%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 164 | 28 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 4 | 0 | 7 |
| Mastodon * | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| Lemmy * | 0 | 0 | 1 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Very Positive
367 of 412 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
85% recommend · 163 yes, 29 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 192 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Very Positive (484 of 547 positive).
Players praise the game's story, characters, and worldbuilding. [1][2][3] Many note the game is very linear with limited player choice. [4][5][6] Some reviewers find the combat simplistic or tedious. [7][8][9]
Liked
Representative posts
- [14]
Story is predictable and gameplay is not engaging. It doesn't feel like the upgrades you buy actually make much of an impact. AI will control your players. The art is cool though.
- [1]
If you're looking for a game with a great story, characters, world and lore, then look no further because you've found one. The writing is sharp, the voice acting excellent (and nearly everything ecept the codex entries is voiced!) and all of that is presented with a charming and colorful artstyle. The game does not shy away from presenting you its fantastic world and its history with numerous codex entries you get …
- [4]
Disclaimers out of the way first: this is not an RPG. It's a straight line that mostly involves a lot of melodrama interspersed with a fairly simplistic battle system. If you're expecting to make choices, there aren't any. I will say that I found it excessively heavy on loredumps that didn't contribute anything, and the exploration is rather annoying - there is no backtracking, so if you miss out on something, then …
- [15]
Fun but not for everybody I had a pretty good time with Masquerada for the most part, but it's REALLY important to understand what you're getting into before you decide to buy this game. First, if you're looking for some tactical Pillars of Eternity/Baldurs Gate type of experience this is NOT what you are getting here. Combat in Masquerada is a side dish, not the main treat, and if you go into this expecting a …
- [3]
Phenomenally written. Masquerada is a very linear story-driven game set in a late-Renaissance-themed Italian world. With a unique setting, suspenseful story, and character development in spades, this is a game you enjoy like a novella. Its plot is simple and the lore is decent, but what it lacks in raw breadth it makes up for in its spectacular execution and gorgeous presentation. The story, though simple, is …
Summarised from 34 of the 209 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 13, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
85% of the 192 Steam reviewers we collected recommend Masquerada: Songs and Shadows. The complaint that keeps coming up: very linear with no meaningful choices. Deal-breaker or nitpick?
Reactions
60 of 209 · most liked first💲 Steam Winter Sale Deals and Recommendation! 💲. - Old and hidden games that deserve more love [Ring Runner: Flight of the Sages](https://store.steampowered.com/app/258010/Ring_Runner_Flight_of_the_Sages/), story that get better as you play, insane amount of ship/play style customization. [Masquerada: Songs and Shadows](https://store.steampowered.com/app/459090/Masquerada_Songs_and_Shadows/), good lore and excellent world building, "easy" and forgiving crpg.…
neutral · AI labelView post →The first impression was not positive. Maybe because the game looks like a classic isometric RPG, with stilised but cute graphics, and pleasant locations and colourful-looking characters, so I was expecting that kind of interaction with the environment. Instead, the only way of interacting outside combat is go to the centre of some circles that pop up occasionally, which give lore entries, equipment upgrades (later in the game) and ways to progress with the story. By restricting the interaction…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →If you're looking for a game with a great story, characters, world and lore, then look no further because you've found one. The writing is sharp, the voice acting excellent (and nearly everything ecept the codex entries is voiced!) and all of that is presented with a charming and colorful artstyle. The game does not shy away from presenting you its fantastic world and its history with numerous codex entries you get during story progression and find as collectibles in the various locations.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game surprised me. I got this game in a Fanatical pick & mix bundle quite a while ago. I simply added it cause I had 6 games I wanted and the next bundle level was at 7 picks. It look interesting enough, but it wasn't on my radar. I read some quick reviews back then and the major consensus seemed to be that it's good for story, characters and world building, but that the combat was tedious and boring. Many reviews stated that the best way to play it was on "story mode". I fully agree…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Disclaimers out of the way first: this is not an RPG. It's a straight line that mostly involves a lot of melodrama interspersed with a fairly simplistic battle system. If you're expecting to make choices, there aren't any. I will say that I found it excessively heavy on loredumps that didn't contribute anything, and the exploration is rather annoying - there is no backtracking, so if you miss out on something, then that's it, it's not coming back. With that aside, I enjoyed the art, setting,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →6/10 I recommend you buy this game at a sale Game is good there are a lot of text you can find and read throughout the game that helps with the background of characters their motivations and personalities and parts of the world that you will be visiting in the game. You can of course just ignore all the text and just play the game, but with a game like this i think it's better if you invest a bit more time and read the stuff you find, it helps you understand and care more, there are also a…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's basicaly a visual novel with combat inspired by oldschool RPG's like Baldur's Gate. Tells a really compelling, interesting story and keeps the player interested from start to finish. Most of the time you'll spend just listening to the dialogue, but honestly? I don't mind it, considering that every character is fully, and expertly voiced, especialy the main character who's voiced by none other than Matt Mercer. The only problem I have is that this game is painfuly linear, and there are…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Fun but not for everybody I had a pretty good time with Masquerada for the most part, but it's REALLY important to understand what you're getting into before you decide to buy this game. First, if you're looking for some tactical Pillars of Eternity/Baldurs Gate type of experience this is NOT what you are getting here. Combat in Masquerada is a side dish, not the main treat, and if you go into this expecting a really in depth CRPG you are going to be massively disappointed. This game is…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Very good plot, with slightly fresh setting, nice characters, with some work done to make them complex (at least there not always a lot of time for that), very good visual style and excellent voice-work for a indie game. Absolutely linear, yes, but memorable, finishing game leaves hunger to read some books about this world, fights are lightly tactical, fast and fun, visuals are very colorful and vibrant. I want more like this.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is absolutely amazing. I'm really taken back how high production this game has. It was kickstarted with and got 60k and I felt they used every penny to make this game as good as possible. So what's so great about it? PROS 1) The Story. The story is awesome and is a fresh breath of air. There is everything from politics, loss, human rights etc. 2) Voice acting is superb and all of the more important characters are voiced. It has a lot of known actors, like Matthew Mercer and Felicia…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is hands down a masterpiece. Captivating story, characters you care for with outstanding voice acting, amazing worldbuilding and fun combat. What more could you ask for? Buy and play now!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →10-15 hours of game play Pretty simple but cool combat system with just engouh depth to have fun. A little bit on the easy side (even in hard difficulty). I look forward to the developpers next game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Story is predictable and gameplay is not engaging. It doesn't feel like the upgrades you buy actually make much of an impact. AI will control your players. The art is cool though.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Great RPG with a lot of skills to choose from based on elements and ability to customize them to your taste. Despite how it seems to be on screenshots that kinda reminds you to Banner Saga gameplay is totally different and quite dynamic when you move your team in real-time with pauses. Story is also intriguing and there is a lot of lore to read (if you love to get deeper in world). Quite underrated game is general and I would like to see more indies like this and see them perform better.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game is good from the audiovisual perspective, but fails when it comes to player engagement and gameplay, which is walking from quest marker to quest marker and listening to dialogue.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The beginning of the game is quite interesting, but then it becomes more and more stuffy and in the end you have to force yourself to finish the game, fortunately it’s not particularly long
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Phenomenally written. Masquerada is a very linear story-driven game set in a late-Renaissance-themed Italian world. With a unique setting, suspenseful story, and character development in spades, this is a game you enjoy like a novella. Its plot is simple and the lore is decent, but what it lacks in raw breadth it makes up for in its spectacular execution and gorgeous presentation. The story, though simple, is well-paced, rich with detail, and downright captivating. The characters - my god, the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →ONLY reason i'm giving this a thumbs down is becasue there is no "Star rating" for steam games. Anyway; after 3 or so hrs i decided to drop this. Game was just not for me; did not care for the combat, pace was too slow and game was linear. It does look nice, has a lot voiced dialoge and some nice tunes. if it it for you; go for it, I got this for a dollar or so in a bundle
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Investigating mystery in enormously interesting setting amongst cutthroat political schemes was thrilling. With brilliant, masterfully voice acted dialogues, fun combat and outstanding music.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Heya folks, here's a 5th Short featuring Masquerada: Songs and Shadows by Witching Hour Studios and Ysbryd Games. So, I'm like... 14h into the game now, and it's gotten super dark. People dying left and right, and it's quite bleak. #masqueradasongsandshadows #videogames #indiegames #rpg #shorts
neutral · AI labelView post →I accidentally had my volume turned off until I was halfway through this game. Don't make my mistake. The voice acting is PERFECT and changed the experience entirely
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is surprisingly nice. Pros: - story - art style - sound Cons: - short - linear - clumsy combat (but you can get used to it - so this is more of an personal opinion)
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Surface level on every aspect - story, gameplay, characters, world. Even the music - which is one of the stronger points - starts to grate towards the end. If you decide to play this, choose story mode difficulty and just breeze through it.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Really was enjoying the game. Voice acting was superb. Why am I down voting the game? Spoiler: Gay agenda plopped right in middle of the game. No warning. Wasn't listed anywhere in context of game description. I realize that this is a popular viewpoint these days, but it gets a little annoying to have this constantly shoved in your face. It completely ruined the experience for me personally. So as a result, thumbs down.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Wow, this game is terrible. It's a roleplaying game with zero roleplaying. All you've got to manage is a skill tree and a mask that changes your ultimate. That's it. No stats, no gear, no weapons, no leveling. The skill tree you do get is very simplistic, and since you can only equip 4 skills at a time, you'll max out your build at around the 5 hour mark, less than half way through the game. Worse still, the entire game is on rails. You don't even get to pick dialog. About 2/3 of the game is…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Masquerada: Songs and Shadows is an isometric, story-heavy hidden gem that I wish more people knew about! You play as Cicero Gavar, once an inspector of the Citte del Ombre, now in exile. You are called back to the city to investigate the disappearance of a diplomat you were once close with. As you do so, you uncover dark secrets, old friends, and a big political mess. You also gain a colorful set of allies, each with their own agenda. What happened to the diplomat might also tie into the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Heya folks, hee's a 3rd short featuring Masquerada: Songs & Shadows by Witching Hour Studios and Ysbryd Games. This part features a boss battle against one of the more evil people in the game, a woman named Beniva. #masqueradasongsandshadows #videogames #indiegames #rpg #shorts
neutral · AI labelView post →Masquerada: Songs and Shadows is a hard to recommend, because on the one hand the world building, art and music is done very well, but the gameplay and story feel undercooked. The creators certainly put a lot of love in it, but it seems too ambitous for what they were capable of.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →An interesting story about the Masquarada world supported with full English audio and nicely done comic style, is pretty much I love. Sometimes the ambient gives me chill, which I personally don't like but it's a neutral. The gameplay has some odd walkpath. It is when I can't get pass the roof of building (by game view) eventhough I'm on the road, but something similar don't happens in other places. It's also connect to another aspect: game view. Sometimes I can see myself behind a wall, but…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →gorgeous art, incredible music, and what seems like a decently intriguing world, but so rarely have i encountered a protagonist so unbelievably generic and boring that i could barely drag myself through the tutorial. this is probably too hasty but honestly i don't remember the last time i was this determined to put down a game this early. character design really is so very important, and if the protagonist was going to be this ultimate evolutionary form of boring and generic (seriously, i could…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Believe me or not but in this game you won't find hero's inventory...you can get few masks, but there is no inventory like in most rpgs. Also skills/spells are so much limited, there is only few to play, simply NO to this game, AND NO TO LOW QUALITY GAMES!
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This has to be the most boring and worst attempt at world building I've ever seen. You are innudated with pages upon pages of irrelevant and cryptic lore translated from Italian, with no connection whatsoever to gameplay. Almost Every screen you go to has nothing to do except trigger some more pages of useless and boring lore. I cannot believe this game script got approved for funding. It's almost like watching senate proceedings in star wars bad. The voice actors did an admirable job with the…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Dragon Age Origins without the all the RPG bits. A great little indie adventure. On one end this game is very clearly indie. It touts the voicework of industry veterans such as Matt Mercer and Jennifer Hale at the cost of being a rather linear game. So linear in fact that I wouldn't even call this game an RPG. There not only 0 actual choices, but not even any real hidden nooks to explore. This is due to the expertly hand drawn levels which unfortunately could not be too large in scope.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →There are too many fights bearing in mind that the combat mechanics are very shallow.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Great voice action and stylish graphics. Very elaborate world building with lots of codex entries to read, though for me personally it went a little bit overboard. The gameplay itself - real time pause tactical battles - are fine, but could be more involved and strategic. As it is, they are mostly things happening between the linear, but well told story.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A railroaded but otherwise fantastic story with plenty of political intrique and lore. Plays alot like transistor. Wish there was more to do but it is really linear by all accounts.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is not just a game. This is art.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Disco Elysium is a game that was so good, so good that sadly it won't get a sequel and I'm heartbroken by this. Also: "Masquerada: Songs and Shadows". More people should know about it.
positive · AI labelView post →Pro's: Good story, good visuals, engaging characters. Con's: Basically no choice, it's the ultimate railroad. Almost more of a visual novel with some combat than an RPG.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'm gonna be honest, the gameplay itself is kinda _enh_ -- But the story here is so good and the presentation so pretty (in spite of some technical ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥--) that I cannot fault Masquerada: Songs and Shadows at all. It is a damn fine game. And I love all the characters and genuinely felt my heart squeeze when some of them passed. Short, too! As someone with ADHD so intense that I drop most video games before the second act is out, this is a _good thing_ for me. It does not overstay its…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A truly ASTONISHING game and even tho it's short, it stands, for me, as one of the best RPG's ever made. This game has it all: -amazing story with phenomenal voice acting. The amount of lore in this small game is mind-blowing, it's truly a world built from scratch, they have an entire encyclopedia in the game to help you because they made up terms/words for many of the things/people/classes/magic you find. I can't express how impressive it is, just be aware that it does require a lot of…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →In short: while not a perfect game, Masquerada is an excellent game: something refreshing for strategy RPG fans who want an innovative take on the genre, and something lovingly crafted for fans of caring, attentive design. A tragically overlooked game that deserves much more attention than it's received. PRO: -Visually a delight - extensive use of color and themes which are very rarely used in gaming. -Excellent voice acting - there are some pretty big names for the size of this game, and…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It can be slow to start, but those with a tiny bit of patience are rewarded with flawed but likeable characters, top notch voice acting, and a musical score on par with AAA titles. The way the story is structured reminds me of a game like Final Fantasy Tactics. It's linear, there are no decisions for you to make and the combat is fairly weak, but sometimes you just want to sit back and be told a story and Masquerada does that well. Every line of dialogue is voice acted and I didn't really feel…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →More of an interactive novel, but beutifully written and drawn, and very engaging. Definitely worth a playthrough, if you're into good fantasy stories.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Pro: They have Cats Con: You can't pet the Cats
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Masquerada: Songs and Shadows has been a pleasant suprise for me. The story telling is incredible, with charming characters, a rich lore and a great story that never gets boring. I've enjoyed the combat as well. It's not as deep as it could have been, but there are plenty of different special attacks and the game is rather easy, even on "hard" difficulty. All by all a very good game, that I recommend to anyone interested in playing a story-driven RPG.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This was just such a good game, and I would even go so far as to say criminally underrated. It's not often that I find myself actually finishing a game, lately, but I had to finish this one. This is my list of the good and bad of the game: Good: -Story. The tag "story rich" isn't just for show. The story IS the game. I do like some political intrigue and this delivered. IT's also not often that a game brings me to tears multiple times, although that's because it struck some personal…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I had a lot of fun with this game, greatly enjoyed the aesthetics, both in character design, and background music. The story is also engaging and while I sometimes guessed what was coming, that did not detract in any way. The story also resolves most storylines while leaving a couple of hooks for a possible sequel. (If there is ever one in the works). There is some replay value due to the Game Plus mode having some additional bosses and a deeper understanding of some of the story elements. I…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A hidden gem. Absolutely worth a purchase. There hasn't been a game lately I just wanted to play start to finish, with little interruptions, because I was way too curious on what would happen next. Even some AAA games fail in that regard. This indie gem however succeeded quite nicely. ++ Well thought story ++ World filled with lore ++ Great music score -- Combat system isn't the best. It works, but I'd see this rather as a turn-based game. This is realtime, and due to pathing and the way some…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →probably the best story you'll never hear beautiful graphics, relaxing sound and a lot of notes you should pick up and read! many different abilities you can combine with your teammates yes, sometimes the fights are a bit chaotic but never unfair two times i had to reload cause of a bug (wasted ~10 minutes) bought cause i liked the graphicstyle...stayed for the story hopefully they will release a sequel
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →While the game is linear and does not give you any options of exploring or choices in character or dialogue, it allows you to immerse yourself in the lushness of the scenery and lose yourself in the absolutely gorgeous soundtrack. If you take the time to collect and read the codex entries, I think the world building and history of the game is so dense and rich that it really elevates the story and the game to be a must play for people who enjoy political fantasy. The voice acting is also really…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I cannot recommend this game enough! The gameplay was simple but solid, and all of the little options to customize the characters' abilities made for fun opportunities to experiment in combat. The world in which you play feels unique and interesting, and learning so much lore begs for a well-informed replay (maybe I'll pick another element to play with too). The narrative pulls no punches and tells a story that became surprisingly dark, propelled by the actions of characters who feel…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Get ready for the masked intrigue of Masquerada: Songs and Shadows! SomeAwesome author DFrnK gives us a detailed assessment of this tactical RPG, highlighting its compelling lore, rich world-building, and the impactful choices you'll make 🎭 🔥 #Masquerada #GameReview #IndieGames
neutral · AI labelView post →Sadly, the game is not good enough to be worth playing, the developers were simply too ambitious for what they could reasonably deliver. There are no interactions with the world, everything is just following the path and story, fighting and building the character's skills. On the plus side, the hand drawn graphics are beautiful, the world is interestingly imagined and voice acting is excellent. It's a valiant effort.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I thought I would love this game, but instead it turned out to be the game that made me realize that real-time-with-pause combat is and always was a terrible idea. The art is lovely, and the story seems to be well-written (I didn't get very far), so if you actually like this type of combat, you might enjoy Masquerada. In fact, I would love to see a fully turn-based remake.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Alright, so, just cleared the game and I must say I'm truly impressed with the story. The story makes sense, the characters all have their own personalities and problems, everyone feels unique in their own way and to some you can even relate if you give it some thought. I'm not saying it's perfect, the game could've given the player a choice here and there (or maybe unlocked such choices after playing though the normal game so you could see what'd happen if you had chosen differently, which in…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is a brilliant story-driven game whose only real sore point with me was the ending fatigue, but I'll get to that later. The game takes place in the Citte del Ombre (pronounced "Ahm-ber"), where the prologue tutorial, which you must play before you can start the game proper, introduces us to the combat mechanics and sets up the plot of the game. The Citte is split into two social strata, the Masquerada, bearing magic Venetian-style masks that give them superpowers, and the Contadani, who…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Not terrible, just feels a bit amateurish and underdeveloped. I probably would have enjoyed this if I'd played this 20 years ago. But with the current amount of free time I have and the great games that that are filling my backlog, I couldn't be bothered to finish this one.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Masquerada deserved more of a chance. First off, this game is a 10/10. Yea, it's got some issues, but so does every other game, so do you and I; which of course doesn't stop us from being 10/10's either. ;) The biggest disclaimer I can offer you is this: If you don't like reading, if you don't like listening, then this game isn't for you. At the time of writing this review, my run time is around 17 hours. A very big portion of that was just me reading the lore and codex entries, the case…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Amazing and beautiful game. It made me think, it made me cry, laugh, feel, sympathize... The plot is fascinating, the characters are well written, charismatic and interesting. I fell in love with them all (especially the protagonist. It's amazing how often I felt that i can relate). Voice acting in this game is top notch and worth mentioning as well. And don't forget to read all codex entries, they are exceptionally well written too! Combat has its pros and cons. It's like simple version of…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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