"There is no escape at sea... But why would that even matter right now? You don't even know who you are."
"Soaring across the sky...Hope is weak and despair is strong. Behind masks, anyone could be the villain."
"My name is Anon v2.0! The first version kicked the bucket, but I’m back! Newer! Better! Fresher! Hotter! The AI To liven up any party! And what a party its going to be! Oh man, I thought I would never be back here, but its time my lovelies! You are all going to play a game with me, the Third Ever Game of Mutual Deception!"
— Anon v2.0 formerly Rokaru Kenta, SHSL Socialite
"Ahem, I suppose I should introduce myself? Anon II. That’s “the second” spelled with two I’s, as a Roman numeral. Thank you. Should I grace you all with an explanation? Hm? Well, let’s see, I welcome you all to the Third Ever Game of Mutual Deception. You really should be honored. I know you cannot remember anything, but trust me this once."
— Anon II
Masquerade Mayhem 3 is the final installment in the Higendou Saga of Masquerade Games, consisting of Life Edition
and Death Edition.
When 18 people awake aboard the HSC Aetherous cruise ship with a strange mask affixed to their face, they are suddenly thrown into a dangerous and deadly game of Who am I? Similarly, when 18 people awake aboard the SS Maritime airship with a strange mask affixed to their face, they are also suddenly thrown into a dangerous and deadly game of Who am I? With the memories of their own identities and talents taken from them, and with an ever-present threat of death looming over the group, can they solve the mysteries of the LifeBoat and DeathPlane, and figure out the mysteries that loom over all of them, as well as the mystery of their own identities?
Tropes appearing in both games include:
- Amateur Sleuth: Downplayed in certain cases, played straight for the most part.
- An Arm and a Leg: A possible result of punishment should one occur.
- Big Brother Is Watching: What, you think no one is watching them murder each other?
- Body of the Week: Every chapter results in at least one death that the remaining students have to investigate.
- Clear My Name: Happens whenever somebody is accused of the crime and fights the charges, or when their friends do their best to help them. Of course, the question of whether or not they're actually guilty is very real...
- Cruel and Unusual Death: The executions, which are tailor-made for each culprit. Usually, they either mock their Super High School Level talent or exploit their deepest fears, ensuring their punishment is as terrifying as possible. This is especially true because the students do not remember what their talents were in the first place - not until they die, of course. Occasionally, a victim suffers this fate too.
- Developing Doomed Characters: That's most of the characters. Good luck figuring out which ones they are before they die.
- In Life, there's:
- Death a.k.a Ricardio Sánchez, No SHSL Talent, Executed at the end of the Prologue
- War a.k.a Hasami Serizawa, SHSL Tracker, Chapter 1 Victim
- Spectre a.k.a Kyou Hamasaki, SHSL Medium, Chapter 1 Killer
- Medusa a.k.a Seraphina Nieves, SHSL Sculptor, Chapter 2 Victim
- Princesse a.k.a Umi Sugimura, SHSL Ribbon Dancer, Chapter 2 Killer
- Blade a.k.a Nobu Yamamoto, SHSL Street Fighter, Chapter 3 Victim
- Trois a.k.a Azami Otomachi, SHSL Competitive Napper, Chapter 3 Victim
- Phantom a.k.a Akito Himemiya, SHSL Maskmaker, Chapter 3 Killer
- In Death, we have:
- Life a.k.a Amelia-Maria Sánchez, No SHSL Talent, Executed at the end of the Prologue
- Plume a.k.a Honoka Kaai, SHSL Weaver, Chapter 1 Victim
- Stitches a.k.a Ryouta Ippitsusai, SHSL Kite Fighter, Chapter 1 Killer
- Quandary a.k.a Megumi Tsukamoto, SHSL Undercover Agent, Chapter 2 Victim
- Peace a.k.a Di-Xia Minh, SHSL Erhu Player, Chapter 2 Killer
- Pinwheel a.k.a Akio Arakida, SHSL Lego Builder, Chapter 3 Victim
- Ping a.k.a Yoshie Endo, SHSL Webcomic Artist, Chapter 3 Victim
- Gisei a.k.a Evita Kochiyama, SHSL Human's Rights Activist, Chapter 3 Killer
- In Life, there's:
- Dysfunction Junction: With a total of thirty-six different characters not including Non Player Characters, it's to be expected that something like this would happen. To what extent depends on the character in question...and the person playing them.
- Everyone Is a Suspect: The objective of each trial is to find out who is the most suspicious.
- Fire-Forged Friends: Often, relationships, both platonic and possibly romantic, are formed due to the stress everyone is put under and the bonds created thusly.
- Identity Amnesia: While most of their memories are retained, their name, SHSL Talent, and several key memories have been sealed away.
- Leaning on the Fourth Wall: Considering its premise and the fact that it's a roleplay, the characters are not above poking fun at the supposed absurdity of their circumstances.
- Mystery of the Week: There's a new murder every month or so in real life, and every week or so in-game.
- Red Herring: Par for the course in a murder mystery. There's usually one or two big ones every case.
- Shout-Out: Overdosed on this with references to just about anything.
- Teen Genius: All the students to some extent. They were initially accepted into Hope's Peak for being the best in their age bracket at what they do. Problem is, they can't remember what it is they do.
- Tonight, Someone Dies: Specifically, every couple of weeks, someone dies permanently. It may even happen outside of the norm, should anyone make the mistake of breaking an important rule.
- Translation Convention: All characters are presumed to be speaking Japanese unless otherwise noted, even though the game is written in English. French is also a language spoken by some.
Tropes appearing in Life Edition include:
- Dead Man's Chest: Though not quite a chest, this happens in the first murder to War
- Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: The unfortunate fate of Death at the end of the prologue, courtesy of Anon.
- Official Couple: So far we have:
- Chai and Trident
- Medusa, who is dating both Asclepius and Phantom (though there is nothing between the latter two). Too bad she is the second victim.
- There Is No Kill Like Overkill: Being stabbed once or twice is a fairly normal cause of death. Then we have War, who was stabbed at least ten times as much.
