A World Where People Have Masks Nailed To Their Face - The Maker of Masks 

Welcome to the You're A Big Guy Club, how You're A Big Guy are ya?

[SPOILERS] I liked how the special mask has the implication that you’re a higher rank and will eventually find some answers but the twist was that you just have another pointless job. The way in which he’s knocked out and carried to his task adds another layer of cruelty that makes the setting so strange and mysterious. Sometimes game jam horror games feel incomplete but I think this one had a strong beginning, middle and end and I think that’s pretty cool

I feel like once the mask remover removes the mask and sends the body down the hole that it just starts all over again, like that’s where the bodies come from, both bodies and masks being recycled endlessly.

Hey, thanks for playing my game

"They want to give up, they just want to stop existing... like cars" 10/10, quote of the year

whoa... this game is really short but sweet. absolutely chilling ending. i love how kafkaesque this feels - some kind of hierarchy system is in place but no one really knows who's in charge or what they're supposed to do, all they CAN do is keep the system and their tasks going. the whole "that's not MY job" sentiment everyone echoes feels like the drag of bureaucracy and endlessly being transferred and referred to someone else for help.

Appreciate you muffling your voice when reading the dialogue of the other masked characters :) the attention payed to quality and details in your content is top tier

I like how the moment he gets off the hook belt, he holds onto the arm that doesn't have a gaping hole in it like it's hurt. Lol

I was originally going to make a joke about how people are forced to wear masks in the sense that they don't show who they really are, but then I remembered it could be taken literally

Manly is such a comfort RU-vidr for me I fall asleep to these videos.

I liked how the camera angles added to the protagonist's delirium. I saw the game as a pretty good summary of people looking for a purpose, and the world ends with 'just doing my job'. I appreciate some good art! The only difference between the prisoner and guard is what the mask maker decided, and the two groups never thought to think outside of their rank. The guards just got a bigger cage.

Manly covering his mouth to add the effect of having a mask on when reading npc dialogues... It's amazing indeed.👌

_"You wake up in a world where everyone is forced to wear masks."_ Hey I've seen this one before!

This makes me want a full release, although I understand that, this might've been the perfect ending. Nothing is going to change

For such a short game it was really able to deliver its messages well which I think are about life and not death. There's: not questioning the status quo by just accepting the role (mask) given to you, class discrimination (even though the mask you got was chosen randomly and not based on anything), surviving vs. living, your worth is tied to your usefulness (once their minds went they were just thrown out), the hazards of forcing purpose/status quo (existentialism/mask nailed onto you so you can't remove it). That's just what I got out of it xP

I like the hint at the start when MC is able to pull off the first prisoners mask for the key. Also the blacksmith and others said they never saw a mask with no markings before, which means the original no markings mask person was alive longer than all of them. I just don't know who the guy with no mask was o: Really cool story!

This was depressing. Very nice. Would love to see this dev make more.

i loved the concept of this one. you feel like someone special at the start but realize that nope, youre just another cog in the wheel . eerie.

I also really like the camera angles in this game too. They’re always off kilter, and you always seem small in them. It really adds to the whole hellish limbo “rusty rot” vibe of the game.

This was the first horror game in a long time to genuinely give be a creeped-out feeling the entire time watching. "Stuck in limbo" type games almost always give that raw, disturbing feeling of helplessness, and the music and camera cuts just added to it. Kind of reminded me of Harlan Ellison's work in a way. Super cool! Game dev if you're reading this, I loved your work!

This is my second time seeing a playthrough of this game (It's rare that a game does that for me), and it's fun to see people come up with their interpretation. Extending from manly's comment about these people possibly believe in a non existent system, I also sense a theme of purposelessness (from the people that run the system), meaninglessness (you never chose what you want, the system chose you) and uselessness (their tasks). It's either that or the true purpose behind this is bigger than the people can comprehend (like a cargo cult). It's probably a commentary on how people won't question existing system and prefer to go along with this (reflected by dialog "That is my task, go away" "other guard assigned this"). I can imagine existing in that situation is exhausting for your soul. This non-questioning nature even brought to the (meta) title itself "the maker of masks". we are never revealed who they are, and across the two playthroughs I have seen, it was never brought up (is it because we are satisfied with our knowledge about the recycled masks?). We also never know who build that prison, that abysmal depth disposal. one of the comment here also brought up about what happened to the body after is was disposed? is that the beginning of the cycle again? Great game. Thanks for playing this one manly

I wonder if the body is also being recycle. After the body was dissposal perhaps their memory was reset

This is actually something special. This concept is deserving of a jacob's ladder style movie in my opinion...

_"The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful..."_ _~Ralph Waldo Emerson_ That also includes being honorable, to have compassion, to live and live well. The beings in this dreary dystopian world had none of that. They didn't even really understand their use in the world. They had tasks, but didn't understand why. Only the person who disposed of the bodies knew his purpose and finally had enough of it This fit perfectly with the short game jam format - slow to build, but a nice punch ending.

Assuming this is a limbo type system their only escape is giving up. In a sense the prisoners who seem to be the most likely to do so are the ones in the best situation. The blacksmith guy who is the top of the hierarchy is the least likely to give up as he feels its his job to "save" people by masking them. Our player character isolated alone at the bottom of this well is the only one to know the truth of this place.

This reminds me of a short film called "The Maker" but it's much lighter compared to this game's story. It's about a creature with a task but unsure what it is but is aware it has a time limit. So it looks all around and tries to figure out its purpose and what it must do.

This story reminds me of the faceless men in game of thrones where assassins use the faces of the dead for their missions.

I love the sound design in this one! It's excellent compared to many that I've watched you play. The surreal games are my favorite by far

I'd love to see more from this game, I hope they continue working on it and make a longer game based on this

"Please what did i do? I'm innocent-" Manly- "thats what they always say" Me: ... on second thought you're not wrong tho

as the diary scene was playing I said to myself "is that what our mask is for? is that what the point of the mask is" and then I died I'm typing this from hell

I always love the personality for all the character voices that manly does. Wether it be muffled(like this time),feminine,masculine,old,young, even job occupation (such as farmer or something)

i kinda wish it got a continuation, its fascinating and i wanna know more

feels like the right move is to just throw the masks in too, rather than recycling them

The scariest thing about this video was Manly reminding me of "10 years at least", almost spat out my coffee.

I think the guy at the end without a mask isn't actually part of the system at all. He's gotten out of his cell and is going on a rampage. But it doesn't matter, because dropping the blank masked man into the hole just keeps the system going. More people will arrive on hooks all the same.

The atmosphere, the camera angles, the bizarre reality of it all. I'd love to see a longer version of this, but what's here is fantastic work.

Reminds of the claymation movie Mad God, super cool atmosphere and wish it was longer, just to explore the world

Nail-head is the successor of Pin-head.

12:26 manly becoming a birb? NO I DON'T WANT THAT!

I liked this one as a short game. I like that it's called Maker of Masks even though they aren't really made. I would be interested in more lore for sure. Where do the corpses go after masks are removed and thrown off the side of that room? What if you jump off and you have a mask that prevents you from dying? Is there really more to the mask/marks system or it is completely explained? What if one of the original arrivals lied about how the masks/tasks works in order to form his own system? Where did the masks originate? If someone gathers all of the masks from everyone and throws them into the abyss, does that "end" whatever this limbo system is?

It's really hard to describe just how perfect of a depressed, stuck feeling this game gives off while still leaving room for tons of theories and an entire universe hidden behind this game. Really well done!

This game is really moving for some reason I guess the search for purpose and feeling is kinda relatable

He runs around kinda like the going to the store guy and I love it

The look, the sounds, the camera angles, the dialogue: this almost feels like a world you didn't visit in Silent Hill 4.

This was a nice surreal horror, surrealism all the way to the twist. I usually don't like the creative camera angles, but here you aren't forced to complete puzzles or gunfight through them.

Damn I really like this one. It’s so nostalgic in a mundane and macabre way. Also your muffled voicing for masked people is perfect

This has to be one of my favorite games that you've played. Feels like a combination of Silent Hill and IHNMAIMS. Very nostalgic, very interesting. Would love to see fixed cameras and tank controls make a comeback.

Is it just me? I'm sensing a pattern of spiders & nails with Manly's recent videos. Heh, facing some fears are we?

I wear a mask with a smile for hours at a time

Damn, good timing Manly. I was just about to watch yesterdays video when literally the second I clicked it I saw the notification for this.

It really comes down to I'll probably just do my job because what is the alternative? And then when it does get the better of you, the question becomes should I really pass on this job to another or just let everyone exist in an even worse hell than they're living already? Because it's a miserable existence but at least there's someone to end the suffering at the end. Without the markless mask they would suffer indefinitely. What I find most fascinating is the way the dev was able to show this entire system of existence from one pov and in such a short amount of time, good storytelling.

Manly: Mmmm...camera angles 💀

I can't help but feel if the devs took inspiration from Little Nightmares. The body on the meat hook and the endless abyss reminds me of the Kitchen area of that game.

Love the story here, it's like a short horror story.

the maker of masks is one of my favorite horror games, its nice to see you play it!

I love that this game has such a Silent Hill vibe that RU-vid incorrectly identified it as Silent Hill. It feels like someone's Silent Hill world.

I heard he's a riot at parties

I read the title and I can already sense the wave of 2020 jokes

Manly: What is my task? Me: You make horror game let's plays.

This game stylistically reminds me a bit of Silent Hill, what with the haze in the central room and the rusty metal aesthetic. Which is totally not a bad thing, makes me feel almost nostalgic. I thought the premise was creative!

I'm actually really fascinated with this game; the atmosphere is really powerful. It gives a very eerie feel, one that makes me curious to explore more of this world. The implications are pretty chilling as well.

Thank you for classifying TLOU and Nu God of War as movie games because honestly that’s a better description of them

The ending be like: "That's what the mask is"

For some reason, Manly's voice makes horror games less scary.

I love how Manly can make things funny in his own way or super immersive (muffling his voice, emotion in voice in dialogue etc) He doesn't over do commentary and he doesn't under-do it. it just feels natural. He is a rare gem in gameplay, glad I found him and subbed. I just binge his content when I cant sleep.

14:30 Reminds me of a quote from Pewdiepie: *"TELEPORTING NAKED GUY"*

12:20 FOR TEN YEARS... AT LEAST! Didnt know manly was a yeageristchad

This was super cool, gets your mind wandering in just the right way. It cuts at just the right time for the scope of the project, imo.

I love these kinds of stories where there are so many possible implications but no official answer, it allows for many interesting theories. I like how despite having the highest ranking among the masks the protagonist is just another cog in the wheel. The rankings create a feeling of authority over other inhabitants but ultimately mean nothing. They are all in the same hell, fueling the same pointless system, and being replaced when the time comes.

"..where you wake up in a world, where everyone is forced to wear masks." ...2020!?

The Atmosphere is PERFECT.

I like it. I don't know what the original intent of it was (like if it was "just" a horror game or not) but it felt like it could have several connections to things like the cycle of abuse (with the original mask maker passing their suffering onto the player to dole out to others), traditions/rules no one questions, or the way society treats people because of something they can't control. I'd love to see more from the creator(s).

The shots of the prison's exterior have the exact same energy as the wide shots of the megastructure from the series "Blame!" and it's really something else

This is the first indie title in a long time that I find to be absolutely awesome in terms of concept. If there was ever the perfect example of what "Kafkaesque" means, it's this. Which is exactly what you were trying to describe, Manly. Serious Sanitarium vibes though; I'd buy a full version.

Hand-sewing a hoodie while binging youtube for some background noise.

I'm glad that Manly found this. And I'm glad I clicked on it. This was a hidden gem.

Manly muffling his voice because he's speaking with a "mask" on is just *chef's kiss*

I love watching a recent video and then finding out one was uploaded while I watched the previous one

I loved that intro. Really, the whole environment, worldbuilding, camera angles, and sound design was perfect.

I thought that was fantastic. I'd love a longer one.

This is one of the most unanswered mystery horror game ever. What are they? What is the prison? Why are they there? Are they being punished? For what? How does the mask keep them from dying? Who built the place? Where do the bodies come from? Are they in purgatory? In hell? So many unanswered questions.

I really love how this game is. The camera angles, the pacing, the story... especially the ending. It leaves it to your imagination. Something I'll think about from time to time.

This is like a depressing horror story. It seems like it’s messed up in a strange way.

This is already what a 9 to 5 is lol. Everybody wears a fake smile and do Neverending mundane work

The social commentary is fairly simple, but I dig it.

Sleep is for the weak.

Wow the game looks amazing, the setting with the tons of open space reminds me of portal a lot, which is great

I am still stunned how this guy can manipulate his voice it's crazy (or just a filter) anyways the soul joke with the empty cell was great

Main roblem with this world concept is :1) Who is build it? 2) Since mask isnt made, but recycled, there is constant number of "living" people. Amount of guards is seems to be fixed too. Most probably same with cells and prisoners, but since bodies is piling up there is shortage of masks. And what if protag would not be thrown in well?

This idea of this game is Soo good. I would love to see it expanded

He runs like he's doing the carlton

Sometimes it feels like you’re my big brother playing a game I’m too wuss to play myself while I cower under a blanket

You know its nice to see something that doesn't feel the need to put an optimistic cherry on top of a shit situation. It feels like every piece of media needs to do that now for some sort of meaning atleast to me.

babe wake up, manly just posted a new video

God I love that rust-belt abandoned industry aesthetic. Just gives off this feeling of forlorn hopelessness while also just being aestheticly metal as hell. The eternal purgatory itself is also pretty hardcore as an idea, immortality, at a cost.

this game was pretty disturbing and... different than anything I've played or seen. no happy ending, no real telling of the universe you're in... no huge revolution or uprising... you just exist here. like one of those dystopian novels such as Nineteen Eighty-Seven.

Fixed camera angles + tank controls = best game grim fandango.

"Where you wake up in a world where everyone is forced to wear masks ... Like our real world" is what i expected Manly to say.

there was an experiment done with monkeys: where they had a set of monkeys and a ladder. any time a monkey went up the ladder the whole group got punished. after a while they replaced one of the monkeys wiht a new one. naturally that monkey tried to go up the ladder, all the other monkeys stopped them (by attacking) slowly they replaced all hte monkeys until one day only monkeys who had never been up the ladder were left but still all of them knew to beat any monkey who tried to go up their. this game reminds me of that experiment... edit: you made refernce to jonathan livingston seagul?!