Maskarnaval! — Complete Guide

What Is Maskarnaval!?

Maskarnaval! is a free rhythm runner set during the Buenos Aires carnival, developed by the PsychoDucks collective. You play as the director of a comparsa (carnival parade group), using magical masks to guide your lead dancer through vibrant city streets while matching colors to the music rhythm.

The game's origin is a Buenos Aires GameDevs Global Game Jam 2026 entry built around the GGJ 2026 theme — "MASK", revealed worldwide on January 25, 2026. The jam team took the theme literally and brilliantly: in Spanish, mask is "máscara", and the carnival is "carnaval" — put them together and you get Maskarnaval, a parade where magical masks are the whole game. What started as a 48-hour jam prototype has been expanded post-jam into a more polished experience, published on itch.io by PsychoDucks with ongoing development (current version v0.1.18).

The game is available to play in browser or download for Windows. It is built with Unity and carries a 5.0/5.0 rating from player reviews, which consistently single out the character and mask artwork as the highlight.

Why play it?

• A rhythm game you can feel without the language — the UI is Spanish (Latin America), but the mechanics are pure rhythm, reflexes, and color matching.
• Native controller support — keyboard, Xbox controller, and any standard gamepad are all supported, which is rare for browser rhythm games.
• Musical depth — original soundtrack with layered instruments that you literally collect during the run.
• Short, repeatable sessions — each song is a few minutes, built for one-more-run loops.

Origin Story: From Global Game Jam to Post-Jam Polish

Maskarnaval has two publicly available builds, and knowing which one you're playing matters:

• The original jam entry — "MaskArnaval (Global Game Jam 2026)", submitted to BAGD GGJ26 (Buenos Aires GameDevs), published on itch.io by the full jam team: daniel-ecb, Gian Tripo, DamiWRC, Atly, SAndRocKbzaS, Cuakero, and Martín Portillo. It's an HTML5-only build, tagged by its own page as Casual, Difficult, Endless, and a hard Runner, and it carries a 3.5/5 rating from its two player reviews.
• The post-jam version — "Maskarnaval!" published by PsychoDucks. This is the actively developed build, now at v0.1.18, with a Windows download (107 MB) alongside the HTML5 browser version, a 5.0/5.0 rating, and a larger credited team. The post-jam build is the one to play today.

The post-jam credits are shared between the two releases. The listed team includes programmers Martín Portillo, Daniel Corzo, and Lucio Peccoud; game design by Martín Portillo; 3D/2D art by Damián Piteo and Milagros Gómez; additional 2D art by Tomas Franco; 3D art by Emilia Galoppo, Martina Buitrago, and Sophia Maseda; and original music and SFX composed by Sandro Cabezas Gallardo. The itch.io page explicitly states no generative AI was used in the game.

How to Play

The core loop combines rhythm matching with endless runner movement. Your dancer runs automatically through the carnival parade route. You must change colors to match oncoming obstacles and targets in sync with the music's beat. Successful matches keep the parade energy high; missed beats drain it.

The official description sets the tone: lead a vibrant comparsa and use the power of magical masks to guide your dancers through the streets of Buenos Aires. Change color to the rhythm of the music, collect instruments, dodge obstacles, and sustain the parade's energy. Coordination, reflexes, and a sense of rhythm are what carry the carnival to its grand finale before the song ends.

The parade route scrolls ahead of the dancer, and colored hits line up with each beat of the song. Think of it as a runner where the "tracks" are color lanes rather than left/right jumps — you match the color the music demands at the moment the target crosses your dancer.

Along the way, collect instruments that layer into the musical track. Each instrument adds depth to the soundtrack, but switching instruments causes an abrupt music cut — so choose your pickups wisely.

The goal is to reach the grand finale before the song ends while maintaining enough parade energy to finish the show. The energy bar represents the parade's momentum: keep it high to unlock the grand finale, and if it empties the parade ends early.

Controls

The game supports keyboard, Xbox controller, and any standard gamepad. The browser version also includes on-screen controls for touch devices. For the most precise timing, a controller is recommended since the game is rhythm-synced.

Magical Masks System

Masks are the central mechanic. Each mask embodies a color tied to the rhythm. When the music cues a color change, you must switch to the matching mask before the beat passes. Correct matches build the parade's energy and score multiplier.

Each color corresponds to a distinct mask design drawn from carnival traditions — a jester, a devil, a cat, a sun, and similar archetypes. Matching the correct mask on the beat is the only way to keep the multiplier climbing; a mismatched color stops the combo and costs energy.

Different masks may also grant different abilities or effects, though the post-jam build is still expanding this system. The mask designs are a highlight — player reviews consistently praise the character and mask artwork.

Carnival Theme

The game is a love letter to Argentine carnival culture. Set on the streets of Buenos Aires, the visuals explode with color — dancers, streamers, confetti, and illuminated floats. The soundtrack is original compositions by Sandro Cabezas Gallardo, blending traditional carnival rhythms with electronic elements.

Each song has its own distinct rhythm structure, so the same level plays differently musically. Some stages emphasize fast, frantic color switching; others build slowly with long sustained energy passages. Learning the arc of each song is the key to a high multiplier.

Advanced Tips

• Keep the energy bar above half during buildup sections. The grand finale only unlocks when momentum stays high, and the final stretch is where most runs die.
• Time mask activations to rhythm beats. Color changes and hazards sync to the music; activating abilities on the beat extends their window and chains into bonus momentum.
• Don't chase every instrument. Each pickup interrupts the flow with a music cut — grab instruments only when you're ready to transition, not as a reflex.
• Learn which mask pairs well with the current stage. Masks that drain energy are only worth it on stages with dense color sequences; switch to energy-neutral masks on sparse sections.
• Memorize the color cue order. Most songs telegraph the next required color a beat or two in advance. Reading one cue ahead lets you pre-switch your mask instead of reacting at the last moment.
• Prioritize accuracy over speed during the finale. The grand finale packs the densest color sequences in the game; a single mistimed switch can collapse the whole multiplier you built across the song.

Beginner Mistakes to Avoid

FAQ

Is Maskarnaval! free? Yes, completely free. Play in browser or download for Windows.

What platforms are supported? Browser (WebGL) and Windows. The game was built with Unity.

Do I need a controller? No. Keyboard works, and the browser version has on-screen controls. But a controller gives the most precise timing.

What language is the game in? Spanish (Latin America). The UI and text are in Spanish, but the rhythm mechanics are universal.

How long is a single run? A few minutes per song. The game is designed for short, repeatable sessions.

Is it a full game or a jam prototype? It started as a 48-hour Global Game Jam project, but the team has continued development post-jam. The current version (v0.1.18) is significantly expanded from the jam original.

Who developed it? PsychoDucks — a Buenos Aires-based collective — with the post-jam build credited to programmers Martín Portillo, Daniel Corzo, and Lucio Peccoud; game design by Martín Portillo; art by Damián Piteo, Milagros Gómez, Tomas Franco, Emilia Galoppo, Martina Buitrago, and Sophia Maseda; and music/SFX by Sandro Cabezas Gallardo.

What art style should I expect? Roughly half the art is 3D and half 2D, with a vivid carnival color palette. Player reviews consistently praise the character and mask artwork.

Is there a leaderboard or high score? The game focuses on per-song completion and scoring rather than online leaderboards. Your goal is to finish the parade with full energy and a high multiplier.

Does the game use AI-generated content? No. The itch.io page explicitly states no generative AI was used in the game.

I'm playing on browser and it feels laggy. What should I do? The browser version is adequate, but the downloadable Windows build is more performant on lower-end machines. Close other tabs if you play in browser.

What was the Global Game Jam 2026 theme? The GGJ 2026 theme was "MASK", revealed on January 25, 2026. Maskarnaval interprets it as "máscara" (Spanish for mask) inside the Buenos Aires carnival setting.

Final Tips

Treat Maskarnaval! like a musical instrument: the beat is your metronome, the color cues are the notes, and the energy bar is the phrase you must not break. Read one cue ahead so you pre-switch masks instead of reacting, bank every instrument pickup for a transition you actually want, and guard the energy bar above half through the buildup so the finale is reachable at all. When the finale hits, stay calm and hit every color dead on the beat — the multiplier you built across the whole song is won or lost in those last few bars. Play with sound, use a controller if you have one, and replay each song until its arc is memorized; that's the whole path from surviving to topping.

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Last reviewed by Game How To Editorial. We play each game, verify controls against official sources, and update guides when game mechanics change.