ABOUT THIS PROJECT
A game I never forgot.
I played Masquerade back in the Apple II days. I never managed to finish it. It frustrated me, and it fascinated me. That feeling stayed with me.
Why come back to it?
I lived through that era and played this game on the computers of the time. Even though I never solved it, Masquerade remained one of those games I wanted to return to.
Today I have children, and I have often found it difficult to share the games I played with them. The graphical limitations of an Apple II can be a real barrier for someone used to modern consoles, 4K games and the quality of games on a phone. It can be hard to see past those limitations and discover what drew me in.
That was the reason for revisiting Masquerade: to try to shorten that distance. I wanted updated graphics to give younger players a reason to look closer, and perhaps discover the fascination I felt all those years ago.
What AI made possible for me
I have neither the drawing skills nor the budget to commission a complete set of new illustrations. I wish I could afford to hire an illustrator to reinterpret the game with the care and character of Rick Incrocci’s work. Generative AI was the way I found to make this personal project possible with the resources I had.
That is what using AI has meant to me here: being able to attempt something I had wanted to do, but could not otherwise carry out. Choosing references, comparing the results with the original screens and asking for revisions became my way of working on it. I have a great deal of respect for the artists whose work made this game memorable to me.
Keeping the original within reach
Rick’s illustrations are central to that memory. I wanted the new images to respect their characters, situations and humour. I also wanted the originals to remain available, so players can switch between the two versions, compare them and appreciate the work that came first.
Language was another barrier I wanted to reduce. Translating the game into Portuguese was a way to make it accessible to people who might struggle with the English. The hope behind both choices is the same: to give more people a chance to enjoy this adventure.
