Dark Angels: Masquerade of Shadows

Even in modern times, forces of evil are a universal fact, unleashing darkness upon mankind. However, there are those who fight against demonic forces and save the world from losing its grip on humanity.

Dark Angels: Masquerade of Shadows brings one of those legends where the good must fight the evil and deliver the world a savior. With its puzzle theme and very thorough hidden object gameplay, Dark Angels is yet another adventure game by Alawar that sparkles with great promise.

Dark Angels: Masquerade of Shadows stars Kate Evans, a fashion designer who’s suffering from horrible nightmares. She keeps seeing her mother’s death and horrifying demon faces. Being confused while those nightmares seem awfully real, she consults with a psychologist.

But things start to get worse from there. Faces that used to appear only in her dreams now show up everywhere she looks. Soon, she realizes that it’s no longer an illusion and she must escape from this reality.

Her escape, however, drags her to a strange group of people who call themselves the Keepers, of which she’s meant to be one. Kate sets out to travel to the past to rescue her mother and defeat the forces of evil. Her journey is poised with numerous puzzles and dangerous situations ahead.

The Gameplay of Dark Angels: Masquerade of Shadows combines different types of puzzles aided by finding hidden objects. The story progresses when a puzzle is solved, and almost every one requires Kate to find particular objects.

Unlike most games of this genre, hidden objects here are found by conducting certain interactions. If Kate wants to find a key to unlock something, she must go through a series of sequences that lead her to that key; opening whatever needs to be unlocked is another story. These sequences are pleasant mostly at the beginning but soon grow annoying.

Luckily, there is a hint option for those who are impatient, which grants directions or instantly solves a puzzle. The use of Chakram, a weapon to kill demons, is an interesting addition to the game. With frustratingly precise control with the mouse, Chakram can hit enemies. Controlling gets easier, however, when Kate douses herself with magic potions.

In Dark Angels, players have to choose dialog options during conversations, but the answers are always predictable. While the conversation feature doesn’t go in its favor, the game does a decent job with its appearance.

Scenarios are lively, and so is the voice-over. Even in its most frustrating moments, looking at the visuals never gets dreary as they’re superbly crafted. Maybe not all scenarios are precise in detail, but in most cases, they are. Background music feels ordinary but fits the gameplay well.

There are meant to be elements of frustration in every HOG game, and Dark Angels: Masquerade of Shadows doesn’t walk any different path. But overall, it’s a decent game for the puzzle fans to spend some time with.

The story will keep fans engaged until the end, with two different sets of environments—present and medieval—to explore. The demo provides enough to let players decide if they are going to like it or not. And since it’s free, I recommend any puzzle fan try it out. Even at its most frustrating moments, players will seek more in Dark Angels: Masquerade of Shadows.