Wéko The Mask Gatherer is an action-adventure game where you embark on a quest to collect seven powerful masks. Read our review to see what it did well, what it didn't do well, and if it's worth buying.
Wéko The Mask Gatherer Review Overview
What is Wéko The Mask Gatherer?
Wéko The Mask Gatherer's story involves exploration, discovery, and masks. You play as Wéko, a small reptilian creature who likes to collect masks. You’re on a quest to find the 7 Primordial Masks and there’s a whole world’s worth of enemies, puzzles, and adventures between you and your quarry. Using your existing collection of ability-granting masks, you can switch up your combat style to better suit your situation or interact with the world around you. Where will your mask gathering take you? Find out in Wéko the Mask Gatherer.
Wéko The Mask Gatherer features:
⚫︎ Zelda-Inspired Combat
⚫︎ Fantasy Open-World
⚫︎ Collectible Masks
⚫︎ Customizable Controls
⚫︎ A Variety of Creative Puzzles.
For more gameplay details, read everything we know about Wéko The Mask Gatherer's gameplay and story.
| Digital Storefronts | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Steam |
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| $21 |
Wéko The Mask Gatherer Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
 Tons of Collectibles Fun Majora’s Mask-Like Gimmick Diverse and Interesting Puzzles |
Hit or Miss Combat System Lack of Quality of Life Features |
Wéko The Mask Gatherer Overall Score - 80/100
Wéko: The Mask Gatherer wears its Zelda inspiration on its sleeve, yet it thankfully does not feel like a knock-off. Instead, it stands on its own by taking the best parts of the Zelda games, such as creative puzzles, an explorable diverse world, and numerous collectibles. However, it is not without its flaws, as it lacks several features that would enhance exploration and improve the game's overall pacing. Despite its drawbacks, it's still a fun game. Some might even argue that, much like Palworld is considered a counterpart to Pokémon, Wéko serves as the Palworld of Zelda.
Wéko The Mask Gatherer Story - 7/10
The game features a straightforward story reminiscent of a classic Zelda adventure. You awaken to discover you are a hero of sorts, accompanied by a small flying companion, as you try to piece things together. This cozy tale does a decent job of world-building, incorporating ancient lore that impacts the present day. While this is typical of Zelda games, it remains fun and endearing, with its own creative tweaks and moments that make it stand out.
Wéko The Mask Gatherer Gameplay - 8/10
The gameplay is very much a mix of Zelda, Spyro, and Dark Souls and while for the most part it does a great job in incorporating elements from those games, sadly it features quite a number of lack of quality features that should have been there in the first place and it feels like its ultimately hindering the overall gameplay with these features missing. I must say that the main gimmick, the Mask feature, is executed exceptionally well and offers a unique twist compared to Majora's Mask.
Wéko The Mask Gatherer Visuals - 8/10
The visuals are vibrant, with creatively designed worlds that feel both fantastical and immersive. Dungeon areas have a mechanical look, while villages and the outside world boast a more primitive, fantastical aesthetic. My favorite aspect is the masks, which showcase a variety of creative designs reminiscent of Majora's Mask.
Wéko The Mask Gatherer Audio - 8/10
The game features a solid soundtrack composed by Quentin Charbit, who does an excellent job of bringing each area to life with fitting and varied music, ranging from cozy to epic. It's an enjoyable listen, and I never felt the need to turn the music off and switch to my own. However, I wasn't too fond of Wéko's voice, as it became annoying after a while.
Wéko The Mask Gatherer Value for Money - 9/10
If you're looking for a great Zelda-like game that captures the essence of both classic and modern entries in the series, this game does an excellent job of blending those gameplay elements. With a playtime of around 12 hours and a price of $21, you’ll definitely be getting your money’s worth.
Wéko The Mask Gatherer Review: Zelda's Palworld
Wéko is kind of like the Palworld of Zelda, and that's not a bad thing at all. It manages to stand out with its own unique twists and fresh take. The game clearly draws inspiration from both classic and modern Zelda games. From the start, with its narration and ancient art, to waking up with no memory of who you are or why you're there, it sets up a compelling mystery.
As you piece things together, your quest becomes clear: find the seven powerful Primordial Masks to save the world. While the premise might not be groundbreaking, I really enjoy the game's dialogue and lore. There are moments when the storytelling feels a bit generic and lackluster, but overall, it's a pretty fun ride with a solid conclusion.
The game plays quite similarly to a Zelda title, with exploration, puzzle-solving, and combat all feeling familiar. However, the combat system is notably inspired by Dark Souls, featuring a stamina system and dodge rolls, and the enemies are more challenging. While this mix works well, the combat can feel sluggish and limited, indicating a need for more polish.
The masks are the game's standout feature and arguably its best gimmick. Unlike Link’s masks in Majora’s Mask, these masks serve as shields, weapons, or buffs, and you can equip multiple masks at once. This adds a cool layer of variety to gameplay and allows for different playstyles and builds. My favorite masks are the ones that give Weko abilities, like gliding through the air or having someone carry you.
While the masks are used creatively in platforming and exploration—like using one to light dark areas—I feel there was room for more innovation. The world and level design is enjoyable, but I’d have liked to see more vertical freedom, as the lack of climbing options feels odd given that Wéko is supposed to be a lizard. Despite these flaws, I had a blast with the game thanks to its creative puzzles and fun boss battles.
Pros of Wéko The Mask Gatherer
| Things Wéko The Mask Gatherer Got Right |
|---|
|
Tons of Collectibles Majora’s Mask Gimmick Fun and Interesting Puzzles |
Tons of Collectibles
Exploring the game is a lot of fun because of the thrill of discovery. Most of the time, you’ll earn souls—essentially the game’s version of rupees or currency—but every now and then, you’ll come across Tori Chests. These chests contain some really cool masks. Finding them is rewarding in itself since they’re not always easy to spot.
Fun Majora’s Mask-Like Gimmick
In this game, masks function like your ultimate multitools, and they’re a blast to use. Each mask serves multiple purposes—you can equip several at once for different tasks. Some act as buffs, like healing you while you're out of combat, others serve as shields, and some even help you navigate, such as a mask that lets you glide through the air like a ladybug. With so many creative masks offering various possibilities, it’s exciting to think about what new ideas could be explored in future updates or sequels.
Diverse and Interesting Puzzles
The game’s puzzles really capture the spirit of Zelda’s challenges. They’re just as fun and inventive, ranging from straightforward tasks like herding pigs into their pens to more complex puzzles that require hitting switches in the right order or defeating enemies to reclaim certain items. This variety adds a lot of enjoyment to exploration, making it even more engaging.
Cons of Wéko The Mask Gatherer
| Things That Wéko The Mask Gatherer Can Improve |
|---|
|
Hit or Miss Combat System Lack of Quality of Life Features |
Hit or Miss Combat System
The game’s combat can be enjoyable but definitely needs more polish. The difficulty often stems from the clunky and inconsistent combat mechanics rather than the enemies themselves. The responsiveness is sluggish, with a noticeable delay between pressing a button and the attack activating. The lock-on feature slows down your attacks, and the lack of a pause mode is frustrating.
While the stamina system is inspired by Dark Souls, it can make combat feel slower and more frustrating, especially since the game also retains Zelda-like elements. Each attack drains your stamina, which is annoying when dealing with damage-sponge enemies that require constant hacking. Defense can be problematic too, with a slow dodge roll and a stun period after getting hit that leaves you vulnerable to additional attacks.
It’s puzzling that the game lacks a dynamic move like Link’s iconic backflip when locked onto enemies, which could have added a lot to the combat experience. Thankfully, things improve as you progress, especially with more items to equip. While I appreciate the risk taken with incorporating Dark Souls elements, the combat needs more refinement to blend smoothly with the Zelda gameplay. As it stands, the two styles often clash, leading to an experience that feels artificially difficult
Lack of Quality of Life Features
The game could really use some quality-of-life improvements to make the overall experience better. For starters, being able to save anywhere would be a huge plus. An actual map feature and a quest menu to track what you need to do would also be super helpful. The fact that you can't climb feels like a big missed opportunity, especially since you can glide around like in Zelda. It’s strange that these elements are missing, given that the games that inspired this one had them. Adding these features would make the game feel much more complete and enjoyable.
Is Wéko The Mask Gatherer Worth It?
Yes, Especially for Zelda Fans
Despite its flaws, this game is genuinely enjoyable and has enough content to keep you entertained for hours. I hope they update it with some quality-of-life improvements, as that would really enhance the gameplay. But even as it is now, it's still a lot of fun. You'll find plenty of engaging puzzles, exciting boss fights, and lots of mask collecting to do.
| Digital Storefronts | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steam |
|||||
| $21 |
Wéko The Mask Gatherer FAQ
Is Wéko The Mask Gatherer Inspired by the Zelda Games?
Yes, the developers have stated that the game was inspired by Zelda and Dark Souls series.
Is Wéko The Mask Gatherer Coming to Consoles?
The developers plan to release the game on Playstation, Xbox, and the Nintendo Switch in the future, however, there is currently no release date.
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Wéko The Mask Gatherer Product Information
 |
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| Title | Wéko The Mask Gatherer |
|---|---|
| Release Date | July 26, 2024 |
| Developer | SIRO GAMES Sarl |
| Publisher | SIRO GAMES Sarl, Hawthorn Games |
| Supported Platforms | PC (Steam) |
| Genre | Action, Adventure, Indie, Soulslike |
| Number of Players | 1 |
| ESRB Rating | RP |
| Official Website | Wéko The Mask Gatherer Website |
