Masquerada: Songs and Shadows is a thing you can buy now

We've been following Masquerada: Songs and Shadows for a while now, and now it's finally out (here it is on Humble and GOG); the People's Republic of Steam seems "mostly positive" about the result. Perhaps they're mostly positive about the isometric viewpoint, the real-time-with-pause battle system, the French comic book-esque art or the Venetian-style world; or maybe they're generally happy that FemShep's Jennifer Hale has supplied her voice.

You can download a demo to see what Steam is somewhat elated about, while the main event will set you back around £19 (depending on which store you grab it from). Here's a new 'cinematic' trailer to set the scene:

The premise is certainly intriguing:

"In the turmoil-ridden Citte della Ombre, religion holds no sway. Only the songs sung of one’s deeds will carry an Ombrian’s legacy beyond death. Those who hold even the smallest morsel of power will make every effort to ensure their songs live on. Enter the Mascherines - masks that grant their wielders the power to channel the elements and cast destructive magic."

[Note: Cassandra Khaw, who is an occasional contributor to PC Gamer, also works for Masquerada's publisher Ysbryd Games.]

Tom Sykes

Tom loves exploring in games, whether it’s going the wrong way in a platformer or burgling an apartment in Deus Ex. His favourite game worlds—Stalker, Dark Souls, Thief—have an atmosphere you could wallop with a blackjack. He enjoys horror, adventure, puzzle games and RPGs, and played the Japanese version of Final Fantasy VIII with a translated script he printed off from the internet. Tom has been writing about free games for PC Gamer since 2012. If he were packing for a desert island, he’d take his giant Columbo boxset and a laptop stuffed with PuzzleScript games.