There is a debate that had been going on in the realm of gaming for years. Can “drama” survive as an effective gaming genre? Can something so heavy on story, but so low on outright action make for a fun game? The Adventure genre has provided several fine examples of how this can work. Javier Maldonado has taken this one step further with his indie masterpiece, Masq.

Masq is a stunning experiment in storytelling in games. You are the head of a fashion company, which is preparing to unveil their Masq line of clothing in five days. You need money, and you need it now. You have two options open to you, neither overwhelmingly pleasant. From there, every single step of the journey will be determined by your choices and how you interact with the other characters.

Despite fitting with a genre often attacked for being overwhelming linear, Masq is the very definition of nonlinearity. Each and every playthrough will be different. The game itself is pretty short. You’ll finish in less than an hour. However, you’ll want to immediately jump back in and see how you could have done something differently. Masq places a huge amount of importance on every thing you say, every choice you make. It will define the rest of the game.

The gameplay is pretty simple. You are presented with a list of possible actions or dialogue options. You choose one and the game takes over from there. Masq sets itself apart from other “visual novels” by only allowing you a small amount of time to make a choice. Indecision is also a choice, sometimes an important one to make. The artwork is clean and attractive. It really helps to effectively set the mood and make sure that the emotion comes through in a conversation.

An interactive novel fails without good writing. Luckily, Masq excels in that category. The characters carry the entire story. Each one has an important role to play, realistic dialogue, and an interesting personality. Masq also tells a mature story, and isn’t afraid of potentially controversial content. The game deals seriously in topics such as sex, murder, adultery, extortion, and kidnapping. It doesn’t revel in these issues for controversy’s sake, nor does it shy away from any of these issues. It is a breath of fresh air in an industry afraid of another “hot coffee” incident.

Masq is a beautiful experiment in changing the way that stories are told in games. It is just what we need to prove that drama can make for a good game. I can’t recommend it enough, go download it. The game is free for fifteen full playthroughs, more “lives” can be purchased from there.

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