The Infernal Masquerade is just as addictive as 2D Minesweeper, and it offers a nice spooky twist on the idea.
First spotted by Alpha Beta Gamer, independent developer Sebastian "aare" Laitila stumbled on a novel idea during the 2022 Haunted PS1 Halloween Game Jam: the classic desktop time waster Minesweeper, but zoomed into a first person perspective and gussied up with low-fi 3D graphics and a gothic vampire horror theme.
The Infernal Masquerade, which is available for free on itch.io, casts you as a vampire hunter in a 19th century masquerade ball. Instead of uncovering tiles and planting flags on probable mines, you pull the masks of human guests while pinning roses on suspected vampires, with helpful guests announcing how many vampires they're standing near.
I found the new perspective really slowed down my play, and I was a lot more ginger with my decision making than in normal Minesweeper. Aare also does a lot with a little when it comes to the game's presentation. I'm not sure I'll ever get tired of the Haunted PS1 throwback look, and the Infernal Masquerade's creepy ambience does a lot to play up the inherent tension in Minesweeper's educated guesswork.
I'm also quite fond of the goofy names generated for the party guests. You're facing down inscrutable opponents with names like "Maddox Bryan," "Jerome Charles," or "Maxim Andrade." It gives me major Fighting Baseball on the Super Famicom energy, a distinct "Bobson Dugnutt" vibe.
In addition to the free game jam build on itch.io, aare is also working on a more substantial version of the game to be released on Steam. The upcoming version will feature enhanced graphics more in line with PS2-era games, as well as new systems to reward speedy vampire unmasking.
