| Masq | AlterAction,Inc. | 2002 | |
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Masq is an interactive comic with typical soap opera elements such as love, betrayal and murder, and the portrayal of characters in a pulp fiction fashion. It consists of five seamless episodes, which can be finished in an hour, but depending on the choices different storylines and plot twists can be explored. Notable developer Noah Falstein, of LucasArts adventure game, is involved with the project as an advisor. The protagonist owns a fashion firm and is about to launch a new collection called MASQ. He is married to Susan, an elementary school teacher. Other major characters are Thelma, an employee married to your friend Carlos, Peter, designer of the new collection, Williams, the superintendent of Susan's school, and Rogers who works at the bank. An investment is needed to launch the collection and there are different options to consider; there is a loan request at the bank but Mr Williams is prepared to make an offer as well. At the beginning of the game, Carlos needs your help and at the same time, the sexy, yet familiar, Nikki starts to work at the office. As a work of interactive fiction, the game cannot be lost. Instead, there are different outcomes based on the player's actions, offering a high replayability factor. The gameplay is shown as a series of still and animated comic-style sequences and images. The game is entire in black and white, with scarce spots of colour and no sound at all. At certain moments, the player can choose one of the available options or responses at the bottom of the screen. Before starting the game, the player's reading speed is determined. Not taking an action or late actions are interpreted by the game as well. It can still be adjusted manually while playing. Players can engage in relationships with other characters, and explore both violent and non-violent ways to solve conflicts. The game starts with 15 lives. Every time episode 5 is entered, a life is used up and when out of lives, the game cannot longer be played from the account. Sudden endings before the start of the fifth episode do not influence the number of lives. An active internet connection used to be required to play the game. The game exchanged messages, surveys and ads, and gathered playing behaviour for future games. The game can also be played inside a browser. Due to the explicit content, such as swearing, nudity, sex and violence, players should be over 17 years. | ||
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