MysteryPuzzles

Maskmaker

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The XR School › Puzzles › Mystery › Maskmaker
~$20 Vertigo Games Meta Quest 2/Pro + SteamVR
InnerspaceVR • From the creators of A Fisherman's Tale

Maskmaker

Learn to craft magical masks in a mysterious workshop, then wear each one to explore the fantastical realm it reveals. From the award-winning creators of A Fisherman's Tale — 6-8 hours of beautifully realised VR puzzle-adventure.

Developer: InnerspaceVR (France)
Publisher: Vertigo Games
Released: April 2021 (SteamVR) • December 2022 (Quest)
Duration: 6-8 hours
8.0
/10
XR School Score
Recommended
93% Steam positive • NME calls it "a beautiful puzzle game that exploits VR to its fullest potential" • 6-8 hours of enchanting crafting and exploration
93% Steam Positive 249 reviews • Very Positive
Quest + Steam • ~$20
Overview

Maskmaker is a VR puzzle-adventure developed by InnerspaceVR, a French studio, and published by Vertigo Games. It is the follow-up to InnerspaceVR's debut title A Fisherman's Tale (2019), which was widely praised for its inventive use of VR scale mechanics. Maskmaker arrived on SteamVR in April 2021 and on Meta Quest 2 and Pro in December 2022.

The game is set in a mysterious workshop belonging to Prospero, a being who rules the mask realm. You play as an apprentice who discovers that Prospero has gone missing, and must learn the craft of mask-making to explore the realms Prospero has created and uncover the truth. The mask-crafting mechanic is the game's central experience: using a hammer, chisel, and various collected ingredients, you physically shape wooden blocks into masks, apply colours, and then wear the finished mask to be transported to a new area of the game world.

The Central Loop: Craft a Mask, Enter Its World Each mask transports you to a different biome within the mask realm — a forest of living wood, a volcanic landscape, a crystalline underwater domain. In each biome you search for the ingredients needed to craft the next mask, which opens the next realm. The crafting itself is a physical, tactile VR experience: hammering and chiselling a block of wood, mixing pigments to achieve the right colour, assembling the mask component by component. NME described it as "mastery of interaction, location, light, and sound." The VR Grid called it "an absolute gem" with "a wonderfully in-depth narrative."
The Mask-Crafting Loop
1
Find a Mask Blueprint
Discover a blueprint for a new mask in your current realm. The blueprint reveals the shape, colours, and materials required.
2
Gather Ingredients
Explore the current biome to collect the physical ingredients required: specific woods, pigments, crystals, organic materials.
3
Return to the Workshop and Craft
Back in Prospero's workshop, use hammer and chisel to shape the mask from a wooden block, mix and apply colours, assemble the completed mask.
4
Wear the Mask: Enter a New World
Place the finished mask on your face. You are instantly transported to the realm that mask contains — a completely new visual environment with new puzzles and new story revelations.
Curriculum and Educational Value
Art / Craft / DT
8.2
Creative problem solving
7.8
Narrative / storytelling
8.0
Immersion / VR quality
8.4
All ages suitability
8.5
Value for money
8.0
What Critics Say
NMEVery Positive
"A beautiful puzzle game that exploits VR to its fullest potential. With a mastery of interaction, location, light, and sound, it is truly an experience to enrapture you."
The VR Grid (Quest version)Absolute Gem
"With a 6-to-8-hour campaign, a wonderfully in-depth narrative, pleasant visuals and clever puzzles, I recommend this to anyone on whatever they play VR on. It's an absolute gem!"
GAMERGEN17/20
"Entertained me from beginning to end, wonderful art style, instantly fell in love with Maskmaker, can't deny how much fun I had with this!"
OpenCritic reviewerRecommended
"Maskmaker is a thoroughly inventive VR puzzler that walks the line very well between challenge and accessibility. It's a tad short, but doesn't outstay its welcome or overuse any mechanics."
Strengths and Limitations
Strengths
  • 93% Steam positive from 249 reviews
  • 6-8 hours of content — substantial for the price
  • Mask-crafting mechanic is genuinely tactile and satisfying in VR
  • From creators of the award-winning A Fisherman's Tale
  • Beautiful, varied biome visuals
  • Published by Vertigo Games (strong quality bar)
  • Available on Meta Quest 2/Pro and SteamVR
  • All ages; family-friendly
Considerations
  • Some reviewers found it more on-rails than expected
  • Story described as convoluted by some critics
  • Occasional bugs reported in original SteamVR release
  • Slower pacing than action-focused VR titles
  • Biome environments can feel sparse in places
~$20
Meta Quest 2/Pro • SteamVR • Check current price
Get on Meta Quest → Get on Steam →
Quick Facts
Developer
InnerspaceVR (France)
Publisher
Vertigo Games
Price
~$20 (check current — often on sale)
Platforms
Meta Quest 2/Pro • SteamVR • PSVR
SteamVR released
April 2021
Quest released
December 2022
Duration
6-8 hours
Steam
93% positive (249 reviews)
Pedigree
Successor to A Fisherman's Tale
Age
Everyone / Family Friendly
Verdict
A visually enchanting and tactilely satisfying VR puzzle-adventure from one of the most inventive small studios in VR development. The mask-crafting and mask-wearing loop is an elegant core mechanic that justifies the VR format completely: you are physically shaping tools that transport you to new worlds. 93% positive on Steam from nearly 250 reviews. NME called it "a shining example of what VR can be." Six to eight hours makes it one of the longer mystery adventures in this batch at its price point. The slower pace and somewhat on-rails structure limit the score, but for any teacher or student interested in creative VR puzzle-adventure, Maskmaker is a genuine joy.
Platform: Meta Quest 2/Pro • SteamVR • PSVR
Subject: Creative Problem Solving, Art/Craft, Narrative
Key Stage: KS2 – KS5 (all ages)
Price: ~$20 (check current)
Review: The XR School — 2026