A suspenseful narrative exploration game created during a 48-hour GameJam.
Solve a cheating scandal by wearing the mask to hear the truth behind the lies.
Overview
INDESTRUCTIBLE MASK is a suspenseful narrative exploration game created during a 48-hour
GameJam. Lin Xia, a top student, suddenly rises to the top of her class—but behind her
dazzling grades lies the secret of cheating: she obtained the exam answers by exploiting
her father's influence.
As the investigator, you must solve this exam cheating case within the time limit. Put on
the mask to hear the truth behind the lies. Find the key evidence that proves the
cheating.
Game Scenes
The game takes place across three main locations where players must explore, talk to
characters, and search for clues:
◈
3F Corridor
Players need to complete tasks by exploring different scenes, talking to
characters, and searching for clues to find key evidence.
◈
Classroom
The main investigation area where students gather and secrets hide in plain
sight.
◈
Admin Office
Official records and administrative documents that may hold crucial evidence.
Gameplay
The game combines narrative exploration with a unique mask mechanic:
⏱
Timed Exploration
Evidence is scarce within a set time limit. Uncover hidden clues by exploring the
environment and talking to characters. Managing time and finding information
efficiently are the first steps to solving the case.
🎭
Mask Mechanism
When you speak with the suspect, Lin Xia, in her normal state, she will use lies
to cover up the fact that she cheated. Only after putting on the mask can you
make her drop her facade, reveal the truth, and obtain key clues to advance the
case. Carefully analyzing dialogue is essential to solving the case.
🔍
Collecting Physical Evidence
The anonymous tip letter and the USB drive containing the exam answers are the
two key pieces of physical evidence. Whether you obtain these two pieces of
evidence and how you complete them will influence the final outcome of the
investigation.
Five Branching Endings
The game features five distinct endings based on player choices and evidence collection:
1️⃣
Break Down
All evidence is exposed and Lin Xia faces public consequences.
2️⃣
Impeccable
All evidence is recovered, but Lin Xia's mask remains intact.
3️⃣
Tarnished
The stolen answers are found, but Lin Xia's reputation is damaged.
4️⃣
Absolved
Main evidence is recovered, but Lin Xia avoids full responsibility.
5️⃣
Scapegoat
Lin Xia accuses you of planting evidence, turning the case against you.
Theme: The Mask
A mask is a disguise. Lin Xia uses the mask of a top student to hide her secret of
cheating; her lies are concealed beneath a glossy exterior.
The masks worn by the players, however, serve as a means to pierce through these
disguises—only by wearing a mask can one hear the truth hidden beneath the facade.
Deception and guardedness always exist between people; what we see on the surface may
not be the truth. A mask stands between appearances and true feelings. Can you see
through the mask and uncover the truth hidden behind it?
Controls
⌨
WASD — Move
Navigate through the school environment.
🖱
E — Continue / Close UI
Interact with objects and advance dialogue.
🎭
O — Put on & Take off the Mask
Toggle the mask to reveal hidden truths.
Reflection
INDESTRUCTIBLE MASK was my second Game Jam. The thing that got me excited was the mask
itself — put it on, and you can see the lie inside what Lin Xia is saying. The idea felt
cool immediately, and I decided to build it almost right away.
For most of the 48 hours I was thinking about how to make it work: the state switch, the
dialogue branches, the five endings. And underneath all of that I was assuming something
without noticing it — that once the mechanic existed, players would feel its weight the
way I felt it. The idea was cool to me, so it would be cool to them.
It wasn't. What a player gets is not a moment of "choosing to see through someone." What
they get is a key: press it, the truth comes out; release it, you go back. The cool in
my head and the action in their hands were two different things, and nothing carried the
first one across to the second. A cool idea does not explain itself through a button.
I ran out of time before I could test properly. I only managed small changes — a short
pause before the mask settles, and Lin Xia remembering that you looked. But the lesson
stayed: while building, ask early what the player feels in the second they press the
key. If I can't answer that, the idea is only cool inside my head.
