In the Venetian inspired city of Ombre, the citizens live in a constant state of civil war between the power-hungry ruling class and the impoverished populace. The oligarchy has kept its reins on its citizens for much too long, but what they wield with the power of the ancients, ensure that no one will pose a threat.

Ancient magics trapped in the guise of a mask is what wielders can use to channel elements into destruction. The poor having no other option begin to steal these masks igniting a tumultuous era of deception and turmoil in the land. So begins Masquerada: Songs and Shadows.

Our protagonist Cicero Gavar is one of Ombre’s finest sleuths with a deeply haunted past. He’s tasked with solving a kidnapping of a diplomat but with the culture of deception running rampant in the city who is he to trust? As your party fills you’ll start to uncover more of the darker conspiracies that colour Ombre.

The rich and intricate world of Masquerada is the embellishment to an already beautiful and rich game. But more than just a story arch, the game has an intrinsic battle and unique tactics battle system. While the combat is played in real-time you’re able to pause the game and swap in or out members of your party to line-up attacks. You can also do this function in real-time but the pause function allows you to truly strategize your moves through the fast-action gameplay.

Each of Cicero‘s companions are equipped with their own unique combat styles and magic, and you can control one character at any given time. The characters that you’re not controlling will auto-attack. Each of your party’s mask is tied into a specific ability dependent on their class.

Storytelling in Masquerada is an audio-visual treat with voice actors narrating or continuing with audible dialogue between its characters, even during battle. Making sound an important requirement for the series, which Masquerada has nailed with an amazing voice acting cast. Including Jennifer Hale, Dave Fennoy, Matthew Mercer and many more. Most recently the studio has brought in Felicia Day and Ashly Burch to this star studded cast.

Masquerada:: Songs and Shadows is being developed by Singapore based game studio Witching Hour and will be available to play on PC, Mac and PlayStation 4. If you’d like to check it out before its August release you can download the demo here.