Scheduled for release in early 2016 on PlayStation 4 and PC/Mac, Masquerada: Songs and Shadows is a 2.5D isometric RPG, similar to Baldur’s Gate and Dragon Age in that you can pause combat to plan your tactics.
Developed by Witching Hour Studios, Masquerada: Songs and Shadows is set in the Venetian-inspired fantasy city of Ombre where rare masks are the key to casting magic. Playing as the Inspettore, Cicero Gavar, you return from exile to solve a kidnapping.
Masquerada features five customizable skills per character across a party of three, and to keep things even more simplified and enjoyable, they removed the inventory system and XP system, Creative Director Ian Gregory revealed:
I think the biggest flak I’ve gotten so far stems from the decision to completely remove the inventory system and a traditional experience point system. I understand why people feel like these things are necessary to qualify the game as an RPG… but what if they really don’t add to the enjoyment of the experience? After some extensive tinkering, we decided to take out anything that doesn’t support the two main pillars of what we’re trying to achieve — good story, good combat.
Gregory adds that songs are important as they are written for fallen Masquerada. You’ll also find voice work from Matthew Mercer (Fire Emblem: Awakening), Jennifer Hale (Mass Effect series), Dave Fennoy (The Walking Dead), and more.
[Source: PS Blog, Witching Hour]
