History VideoGame / Masque

The narrative premise is that a woman named Renata has been murdered and her lover Enzo seeks revenge. The manual relays the full backstory in the form of a mini-comic. During the Carnival of Venice, the secret societies operating in the area call an armistice so their members can safely enjoy the festival. Renata, a member of one herself, travels from the island of San Giorgio to Venice to meet up with her lover and colleague Enzo and join the festivities with him. He refuses because his mask hasn't arrived yet and he worries that the armistice is a ruse. Renata is more trusting and goes out alone, becoming only more stubborn about enjoying herself when another colleague tells her already four of their society are missing. Trust is a virtue, but predictably, Renata's decision to go out alone gets her murdered. The police prove useless in finding the killer, so Enzo takes it upon himself to get a name and a loaded gun.

* TimedMission: There are two kinds of time limit: one for the early part of the game that exists in both versions and one for the entire game that is only in the original version. Enzo is on a rival secret society's hitlist and so has an assassin stalking him as indicated by the danger meter. The meter fills up gradually and the only way to reset it is to don a mask. Therefore, the player timely has to steal a mask. In the original version, there is also a memory meter which effectively represents Enzo's indignation. It starts at 99% and dwindles down to 0%, at which point time has taken the edge off his anger and he no longer seeks revenge. This ends the game.
* TooDumbToLive: Enzo and two others of their group warn Renata that just because the secret societies have agreed to an armistice for the duration of the Carnival of Venice, that doesn't mean their rivals will hold themselves to it. It is dangerous to walk around without mask, even amidst crowds, and already four of their colleagues are missing. Renata ignores all warnings, firm in her belief that their rivals wouldn't dare strike. She gets stabbed to death at most an hour later.

''Masque'', also subtitled as ''Masque: (Et) Que la fête commence...''[[note]]''Mask: (And) May the festival begin...''[[/note]], is a [[InvisibleGrid grid-based]] DetectiveDrama AdventureGame developed by Creator/{{Ubisoft}} for release in the winter of 1986, but which was delayed until March of 1987. It was originally released on the UsefulNotes/AmstradCPC, but that version contains a bug that makes the game unfinishable. Taking a cue from ''Sorcery+'', Ubisoft released ''Masque+'' in February of 1988 for UsefulNotes/AtariST, [[UsefulNotes/DOSBox DOS]], and again the Amstrad CPC. The Atari ST version is a [[VideoGameRemake remake]] while the DOS and the Amstrad CPC versions of ''Masque+'' simply fix the bug. Towards or in 1989, an Amstrad CPC-based port for the Thomson [=TO8=] followed. All releases of ''Masque'' [[NoExportForYou are exclusive to the French market]].

* Cephalothorax: ''Masque'' has mascot creatures in the form of vaguely humanoid frogs whose heads double as their torsos. They're present when the game boots up with instructions how to proceed and one is permanently settled next to Enzo's stats. Its countenances changes based on Enzo's actions. If he enters a screen where a character is located, the frog's face becomes startled. If he punches someone, the frog breaks out into a grin. If he tries to go in a direction that's not available, the frog looks angry. And if Enzo perishes, the frog looks sad.

The narrative premise is that a woman named Renata has been murdered and her lover Enzo seeks revenge. The manual relays the backstory in the form of a mini-comic. During the Carnival of Venice, the secret societies operating in the area call an armistice so their members can safely enjoy the festival. Renata, a member of one herself, travels from the island of San Giorgio to Venice to meet up with her lover and colleague Enzo and join the festivities with him. He refuses because his mask hasn't arrived yet and he worries that the armistice is a ruse. Renata is more trusting and goes out alone, becoming only more stubborn about enjoying herself when another colleague tells her already four of their society are missing. Trust is a virtue, but predictably, Renata's decision to go out alone gets her murdered. The police prove useless in finding the killer, so Enzo takes it upon himself to get a name and a loaded gun.

The remake of ''Masque+'' was Ubisoft's first game for the Atari ST because the ''VideoGame/{{Zombi}}'' remake dealt with multiple delays. Because of its earliness, its improvements are modest. The title screen is simplified but plays music, characters and icons are depicted in 16-bit color but the rest sticks to the 8-bit palette, the memory meter is retired, and the icon count is lowered from twelve to seven with [[PointAndClickGame point-and-click mechanics]] taking over from the expelled icons. In addition to color and animation being added to the remaining icons, they're also revised to a more intuitive order with clearer imagery. For instance, the original Hail to start a conversation is the palm of a hand and is the third icon from the left after Threaten and Punch. In the remake, Hail is displayed as a mouth and it's the row's first icon.

The remake of ''Masque+'' was Ubisoft's first game for the Atari ST as the ''VideoGame/{{Zombi}}'' remake suffered multiple delays. Because of its earliness, little about is stands out from the original. The title screen is simplified but plays music, characters and icons are depicted in color, the memory meter is retired, and the icon count is lowered from twelve to seven with [[PointAndClickGame point-and-click mechanics]] taking over from the expelled icons. Furthermore not only are the remaining icons in color and animated, they're also revised to a more intuitive order with clearer imagery. For instance, the original Hail to start a conversation is the palm of a hand and is the third icon from the left after Threaten and Punch. In the remake, Hail is displayed as a mouth and it's the row's first icon.

Upon release, reviews compared ''Masque'' to ''VideoGame/{{Zombi}}'', Ubisoft's earlier first-person adventure game with a graphical interface. For the Amstrad CPC version, this comparison was positive. For the Atari ST remake, however, the comparison was not in ''Masque+''[='=]s favor. The ''Zombi'' remake was the first game Ubisoft brought out on the Atari ST and thereby set a standard. It added music, enemy animation, color, and reduced the icon count from eighteen to four by converting the rest to [[PointAndClickGame point-and-click mechanics]]. ''Masque+'' came out second on the Atari ST. There's only music during the simplified title screen, there is no character animation, only sparsely more color than the original version, and the icon count is lowered only from twelve to seven. The ''Masque+'' remake therefore looks like a poor effort. On the positive side, the remake removes the memory meter and not only are the icons animated, they're also revised to a more intuitive order with clearer imagery. For instance, the original Hail to start a conversation is the palm of a hand and from left to right is the third icon after Threaten and Punch. In the remake, Hail is displayed as a mouth and it's the row's first icon.

''Masque'', also subtitled as ''Masque: (Et) Que la fête commence...''[[note]]''(And) Let the festivities commence...''[[/note]], is a [[InvisibleGrid grid-based]] DetectiveDrama AdventureGame developed by Creator/{{Ubisoft}} for release in the winter of 1986, but which was delayed until March of 1987. It was originally released on the UsefulNotes/AmstradCPC, but that version contains a bug that makes the game unfinishable. Taking a cue from ''Sorcery+'', Ubisoft released ''Masque+'' in February of 1988 for UsefulNotes/AtariST, [[UsefulNotes/DOSBox DOS]], and again the Amstrad CPC. The Atari ST version is a remake while the DOS and the Amstrad CPC versions of ''Masque+'' simply fix the bug. Towards or in 1989, an Amstrad CPC-based port for the Thomson [=TO8=] followed. All releases of ''Masque'' [[NoExportForYou are exclusive to the French market]].

The manual relays the events of Renata's murder in the form of a mini-comic. During the Carnival of Venice, the secret societies operating in the area call an armistice so their members can safely enjoy the festivities. Renata, a member of one herself, travels from the island of San Giorgio to Venice to meet up with her lover and fellow member Enzo and join the festivities with him. He refuses because his mask hasn't arrived yet and he worries that the armistice is a ruse. Renata is more trusting and goes out alone, becoming only more stubborn about enjoying herself when another colleague tells her already four of their society are missing. Trust is a virtue, but predictably, Renata's decision to go out alone gets her murdered. The police prove useless in finding the killer, so Enzo takes it upon himself to get a name and a gun.

The controls consist of a graphical verb interface for all actions except for interrogating the [[NonPlayerCharacter NPCs]]. That particular gameplay element is presented as a TextParser that allows the player to talk their way to the identity of the murderer. The verb interface offers twelve options, half of which are inaccessible until the proper tools have been obtained. The default options are Punch, Hail, Bribe, Move, Frisk, Load, and Save. The options that require a tool are Threaten, Kill, Drug, Remove Mask, and Choose Mask. These options are displayed in a row in the center of the screen. Above are the play window, the danger meter, and the direction cube. Below it is the text parser box and below that Enzo's stats. On the right of the screen a column is reserved for the four obtainable masks.

''Masque''[='=]s gameplay centers on interaction. Items aren't found lying around, but are in the possession of characters. With rare exception, the way to them is to punch the rightful owner out and to frisk them before they recover. Characters also are a source of information if asked the right questions, but if more is needed threats, bribes, and drugs go a long way to loosen up tongues. These actions are balanced against Enzo's stats. At the start, he has 50% credibility, 25% nervousness, 0% mistrust, 99% energy, and 99% memory. Credibility affects the willingness of characters to talk and goes up with bribes. Nervousness affects aim and goes up with bribing and murdering, but goes down with throwing a punch, even if it doesn't land. Mistrust goes up with punching and killing and makes characters less sensitive to bribes and threats, thereby also increasing the chance for jailtime or a hospital stay that further increase mistrust. Energy is needed to throw a punch at all and memory is ''Masque''[='=]s take on a time limit. There are also a life meter and a danger meter. The latter reflects how close Enzo himself is to getting assassinated and is to be reset by donning a mask. There are four obtainable masks that each affect the credibility, nervousness, and mistrust percentages one way or another.

Upon release, reviews compared ''Masque'' to ''VideoGame/{{Zombi}}'', Ubisoft's earlier first-person adventure game with a graphical interface. For the Amstrad CPC version, this comparison was positive. For the Atari ST remake, however, the comparison was not in ''Masque+''[='=]s favor.

* AmbiguousTimePeriod: The manual's comic and much of the game's aesthetic suggest that ''Masque'' takes place some time during the Renaissance, before the Carnival of Venice was outlawed in 1797. But several characters without their mask dress as if they're from the 1960s at the earliest. For instance, Alexis wears modern sunglasses and Jeff is outright punk. The icon to threaten characters also depicts a modern handgun.
* DespairEventHorizon: Renata's death more or less ends Enzo's life. The manual explains the life meter with the telling words: "Ou plutôt ce qu'il en reste! Tâchez de maintenir Enzo entre la vie et la mort."[[note]]"Or rather, what's left of it! Do try to keep Enzo between life and death."[[/note]] The overall vibe of Enzo's reckless behavior and the no-nonsense execution of Renata's murderer that he enacts at the end is that nothing matters to him anymore except avenging his beloved. In the original version, there's also a timer in the form of the souvenir meter that represents Enzo's emotional high. If it runs out, the game ends because that desire for revenge is all he has left. The souvenir meter is absent in the remake, but the remake does highlight in case of death that the problem isn't so much that Enzo has perished but that he has failed to avenge Renata.
%%* GameplayRandomization: The game keeps itself fresh by randomizing where in Venice Enzo finds himself when the game commences, by randomizing the location and movement of the non-playable characters, by randomizing the items and money they have on them, and by randomizing the witness and the murderer.
%%* KarmaMeter:
* LifeMeter: The life meter sits between Enzo's face, either uncovered or masked, on the left and a skull on the right. The more the life meter drains, the more bandaged up Enzo's face becomes. If dead, his face turns into the same skull as on the right. The only way to recover health is to go to the hospital, which requires money and makes characters mistrust Enzo.

* ProductionThrowback: The skull at the end of the life meter is similar to the skull depicted on the cover of ''VideoGame/{{Zombi}}''. It is not identical, having different eye sockets and cheek angles, but it evokes the other.
* RedHerring: Rajaeh wears the same mask as Renata's murderer as depicted in the comic and in the title screen of the original version. It's also the same mask as worn by Enzo's stalker as depicted on the right of the play window. She can be the murderer in a given play session, but she doesn't have to be. Her mask means nothing.
* ResourcesManagementGameplay: There are only five bullets to acquire in the game and only ten shots of serum. It is possible to inject the same character with serum more than once, which leaves even less to find the witness. Similarly, Enzo can go around murdering up to five people, but
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: Enzo is more of a thinker than Renata and prefers to stay cautious of their rival secret society's intentions even when an armistice is called for the sake of the Carnival of Venice. But when Renata is murdered, absolutely nothing matters anymore except payback. He takes zero precautions when he leaves his hiding place to go after the murderer, acquiring money, a weapon, and disguises as he investigates. In the original version, there's even a timer in the form of the memory meter that represents Enzo's rage energy. If it runs out, the game ends because his rage is all he has left.
* RobbingTheDead: It is possible to kill someone and still frisk them for whatever items of interest they have on them.
* SecondPersonAttack: The title screen image of the original version takes Renata's perspective at the moment of her murder. She has her bloodied hand raised in self-defense while the murderer stands over her holding up a blood-covered dagger as if they're readying another strike.

* StalkerWithoutACrush: Renata and Enzo and presumably the other members of their secret society are all being kept tabs on by a rival secret society for a chance to strike and do away with them. Renata perishes at their hands and possibly up to four colleagues are also killed. Enzo throws caution in the wind to avenge Renata, but has to change his mask every so often to confuse his hunters in their pursuit of him. Whether or not he continues to elude them after he has killed Renata's murderer is left unanswered.
* TimedMission: There are two kinds of time limit: one for the early part of the game that exists in both versions and one for the entire game that is only in the original version. Enzo himself is also on the rival secret society's hitlist and so has an assassin stalking him as indicated by the danger meter. The meter fills up gradually and the only way to reset it is to wear a mask. Therefore, the player timely has to steal a mask. In the original version, there is also a memory meter which effectively represents Enzo's indignation. It starts at 99% and dwindles down to 0%, at which point time has taken the edge off his anger and he no longer seeks revenge. This ends the game.
* TooDumbToLive: Enzo and two fellow members of their group warn Renata that just because the secret societies have agreed to an armistice for the duration of the Carnival of Venice, that doesn't mean their rivals will hold themselves to it. It is dangerous to walk around without mask, even amidst crowds, and already four members of their group are missing. Renata ignores all warnings, firm in her belief that their rivals wouldn't dare strike. She gets stabbed to death at most an hour later.
* TruthSerums: One of Enzo's objectives is to acquire a syringe and a lasting supply of truth serum. Once he has both, he can forcibly inject others to get truthful statements that can't be obtained otherwise. Most of them are about which characters carry a gun, but one character will reveal themself to be the witness and rat out the murderer. The only limit to the truth serum is that it won't make the murderer reveal themself.

''Masque'', also subtitled as ''Masque: (Et) Que la fête commence...''[[note]]''(And) Let the festivities commence...''[[/note]], is an [[InvisibleGrid grid-based]] DetectiveDrama AdventureGame developed by Creator/{{Ubisoft}} for release in the winter of 1986, but which was delayed until March of 1987. It was originally released on the UsefulNotes/AmstradCPC, but that version contains a bug that makes the game unfinishable. Taking a cue from ''Sorcery+'', Ubisoft released ''Masque+'' in February of 1988 for UsefulNotes/AtariST, [[UsefulNotes/DOSBox DOS]], and again the Amstrad CPC. The Atari ST version is a remake while the DOS and the Amstrad CPC versions of ''Masque+'' simply fix the bug. Towards or in 1989, an Amstrad CPC-based port for the Thomson [=TO8=] followed. All releases of ''Masque'' [[NoExportForYou are exclusive to the French market]].

The controls consist of a graphical verb interface for all actions except for interrogating the [[NonPlayerCharacter NPCs]]. That particular gameplay element is presented as a TextParser that allows the player to talk their way to the identity of the murderer. The verb interface offers twelve options, half of which are inaccessible until the proper tools have been obtained. The default options are Punch, Hail, Bribe, Move, Frisk, Load, and Save. The options that require a tool are Threaten, Kill, Drug, Remove Mask, and Choose Mask.

''Masque''[='=]s gameplay centers on interaction. Items aren't found lying around, but are in the possession of characters. With rare exception, the way to go is to punch the other out and to frisk them before they recover. Information becomes available sometimes by asking the right questions, but threats, bribes, and drugs go a long way to loosen up tongues. These actions are balanced against Enzo's stats. At the start, he has 50% credibility, 25% nervousness, 0% mistrust, 99% energy, and 99% memory. Credibility affects the willingness of characters to talk and goes up with bribes. Nervousness affects aim and goes up with bribing and murdering, but goes down with throwing a punch, even if it doesn't land. Mistrust goes up with punching and killing and makes characters less sensitive to bribes and threats, thereby also increasing the chance for jailtime or a hospital stay that also increase mistrust. Energy is needed to throw a punch at all and memory is ''Masque''[='=]s take on a time limit. There are also a life meter and a danger meter. The latter reflects how close Enzo is to getting assassinated and is to be reset by donning a mask. There are four obtainable masks that each affect the credibility, nervousness, and mistrust percentages one way or another.

%%%* AllThereInTheManual:

The manual relays the events of Renata's murder in the form of a mini-comic. During the Carnival of Venice, the secret societies operating in the area call an armistice so their members can safely enjoy the festivities. Renata, a member of one herself, travels from the island of San Giorgio to Venice to meet up with her lover and fellow member Enzo and join the festivities with him. He refuses because his mask hasn't arrived yet and he worries that the armistice is a ruse. Renata is more trusting and goes out alone, becoming only more stubborn about enjoying herself when another colleague tells her already four of their society are missing. Trust is a virtue, but predictably, Renata's decision to go out alone gets her murdered. The police prove useless in finding the killer, so Enzo takes it upon himself to get a name and a gun and avenge Renata.

The controls consist of a graphical verb interface for all actions except for holding a plain conversation with [[NonPlayerCharacter NPCs]]. That particular gameplay element is presented as a TextParser that allows the player to interrogate their way to the identity of the murderer. The verb interface offers twelve options, half of which are inaccessible until the proper items have been obtained. The default options are Punch, Hail, Move, Frisk, Load, and Save. The options that are to be unlocked are Threaten, Kill, Bribe, Drug, Remove Mask, and Choose Mask. The first two both require possession of a handgun and for any killing Enzo also needs ammunition. Bribe can't be used without money and no drugging will happen without a syringe loaded with serum. Anything involving the masks isn't going to happen without actual masks.

Suffice to say that ''Masque'''s gameplay centers on interaction. Items aren't found lying around, but are in the possession of characters and need to be obtained from them. With rare exception, the way to go is to punch the other down and to frisk them before they recover. Information becomes available sometimes by asking the right questions, but threats, bribes, and drugs go a long way to loosen up tongues.

* DespairEventHorizon: Renata's death more or less ends Enzo's life. The manual explains the vie meter with the telling words: "Ou plutôt ce qu'il en reste! Tâchez de maintenir Enzo entre la vie et la mort."[[note]]"Or rather, what's left of it! Do try to keep Enzo between life and death."[[/note]] The overall vibe of Enzo's reckless behavior and the no-nonsense execution of Renata's murderer that he enacts at the end is that nothing matters to him anymore except avenging his beloved. In the original version, there's also a timer in the form of the souvenir meter that represents Enzo's emotional high. If it runs out, the game ends because that desire for revenge is all he has left. The souvenir meter is absent in the remake, but the remake does highlight in case of death that the problem isn't so much that Enzo has perished but that he has failed to avenge Renata.

* LifeMeter: The vie meter sits between Enzo's face, either uncovered or masked, on the left and a skull on the right. The more the vie meter drains, the more bandaged up Enzo's face becomes. If dead, his face turns into the same skull as on the right. The only way to recover health is to go to the hospital, which requires money and makes characters mistrust Enzo.

* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: Enzo is more of a thinker than Renata and prefers to stay cautious of their rival secret society's intentions even when an armistice is called for the sake of the Carnival of Venice. But when Renata is murdered, absolutely nothing matters anymore except payback. He takes zero precautions when he leaves his hiding place to go after the murderer, acquiring money, a weapon, and disguises as he investigates. In the original version, there's even a timer in the form of the souvenir meter that represents Enzo's rage energy. If it runs out, the game ends because his rage is all he has left.

* TimedMission: There are two kinds of time limit: one for the early part of the game that exists in both versions and one for the entire game that is only in the original version. Enzo himself is also on the rival secret society's hitlist and so has an assassin stalking him as indicated by the danger meter. The meter fills up gradually and the only way to reset it is to wear a mask. Therefore, the player timely has to steal a mask. In the original version, there is also a souvenir meter which effectively represents Enzo's indignation. It starts at 99% and dwindles down to 0%, at which point time has taken the edge off his anger and he no longer seeks revenge. This ends the game.

The controls consist of a graphical verb interface for all actions except for holding a plain conversation with [[NonPlayerCharacter NPCs]]. That particular gameplay element is presented as a TextParser that allows the player to interrogate their way to the identity of the murderer. The verb interface offers twelve options, four of which effectively need to be unlocked. The default options are Punch, Hail, Move, Frisk, Remove Mask, Choose Mask, Load, and Save. The options that are to be unlocked are Threaten, Kill, Bribe, and Drug. The first two both require a handgun to be obtained and the second one also needs ammunition. Bribe can't be used without money and no drugging will happen without a syringe loaded with serum.

''Masque'', also subtitled as ''Masque: (Et) Que la fête commence...''[[note]]''(And) Let the festivities commence...''[[/note]], is an [[InvisibleGrid grid-based]] DetectiveDrama AdventureGame developed by Creator/{{Ubisoft}} for release in the winter of 1986, but which was delayed until March of 1987. It was originally released on the UsefulNotes/AmstradCPC, but that version contains a bug that makes the game unfinishable. Taking a cue from ''Sorcery+'', Ubisoft released ''Masque+'' in February of 1988 for [[UsefulNotes/DOSBox DOS]], UsefulNotes/AtariST, and again the Amstrad CPC. The DOS and the Atari ST versions are remakes while the Amstrad CPC version of ''Masque+'' simply fixes the bug. Towards or in 1989, an Amstrad CPC-based port for the Thomson [=TO8=] followed. All releases of ''Masque'' [[NoExportForYou are exclusive to the French market]].

The controls consist of a graphical verb interface for all actions except for holding a conversation with [[NonPlayerCharacter NPCs]]. That particular gameplay element is presented as a TextParser that allows the player to interrogate their way to the identity of the murderer. The verb interface offers twelve options, four of which effectively need to be unlocked. The default options are Punch, Hail, Move, Frisk, Take Mask Off, Put Mask On (also Exchange Mask), Load, and Save. The options that are to be unlocked are Threaten, Kill, Bribe, and Drug. The first two both require a handgun to be obtained and the second one also needs ammunition. Bribe can't be used without money and no drugging will happen without a syringe loaded with serum.

* DespairEventHorizon: Renata's death more or less ends Enzo's life. The manual explains the vie meter with the telling words: "Ou plutôt ce qu'il en reste! Tâchez de maintenir Enzo entre la vie et la mort."[[note]]"Or rather, what's left of it! Do try to keep Enzo between life and death."[[/note]] The overall vibe of Enzo's reckless behavior and the no-nonsense execution of Renata's murderer that he enacts at the end is that nothing matters to him anymore except avenging his beloved. In the original version, there's also a timer in the form of the souvenir meter that represents Enzo's emotional high. If it runs out, the game ends because that desire for revenge is all he has left.
%%* GameplayRandomization:
%%* LifeMeter:

''Masque'' is an [[InvisibleGrid grid-based]] DetectiveDrama AdventureGame developed by Creator/{{Ubisoft}} for release in the winter of 1986, but which was delayed until March of 1987. It was originally released on the UsefulNotes/AmstradCPC, but that version contains a bug that makes the game unfinishable. Taking a cue from ''Sorcery+'', Ubisoft released ''Masque+'' in February of 1988 for [[UsefulNotes/DOSBox DOS]], UsefulNotes/AtariST, and again the Amstrad CPC. The DOS and the Atari ST versions are remakes and subtitled with ''Que la fête commence...''[[note]]''Let the festivities commence...''[[/note]] in the title screen, while the Amstrad CPC version of ''Masque+'' simply fixes the bug. Towards or in 1989, an Amstrad CPC-based port for the Thomson [=TO8=] followed. All releases of ''Masque'' have [[NoExportForYou are exclusive to the French market]].

The controls consist of a graphic verb interface for all actions except for holding a conversation with [[NonPlayerCharacter NPCs]]. That particular gameplay element is presented as a TextParser that allows the player to interrogate their way to the identity of the murderer.

%%* AllThereInTheManual:
* AmbiguousTimePeriod: The manual's comic and much of the game's aesthetic suggest that ''Masque'' takes place some time during the Renaissance, before the Carnival of Venice was outlawed in 1797. But several characters without their mask dress as if they're from the 1960s at the earliest. For instance, Alexis wears modern sunglasses and Jeff is outright punk.

%%* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: