Masquerade: Hell Academy was originally released in Japan in 2006, making it one of the earliest BL visual novels, and the first from PIL/SLASH. This puts Masquerade firmly among the important classics of the genre, alongside titles such as NITRO CHiRAL’s Togainu no Chi from 2005, whose place in the history of BL has been discussed before.
Tatana Kana, the artist for Togainu no Chi and Lamento, is listed in the credits for Masquerade under the ‘Special Thanks’ section. While it’s unknown specifically why she received this credit, the Boys Love visual novel developer community of 2005-2006 would have been a small world, and it’s easy to imagine creators helping one another out with their projects.
Masquerade’s art style may be more obviously of its time than Togainu no Chi, and this is one of its unique charms: like Enzai - Falsely Accused or Absolute Obedience, other classics from the earliest days of BL visual novels, Masquerade’s art helps transport the player to the era of its creation and appreciate the history of the genre. Yura, the artist on Enzai and Absolute Obedience, is also given ‘Special Thanks’ in Masquerade’s credits, underlining the fact that the early days of BL visual novels were close-knit and collaborative.
Developer PIL/SLASH went on to become one of the tentpole publishers of the genre, with games like Paradise and Shingakkou -Noli me tangere- becoming major classics. Masquerade is fascinating from this perspective, too, because it pre-dates most BL visual novels and had to invent its own language of tropes, character types, range of sexual content, and pacing.
Masquerade is based on the 90s straight eroge Gakuen Sodom ~Kyoushitsu no Mesu Dorei-tachi~, which originates Masquerade's plot of students and teachers taken hostage in a classroom by a criminal and made to commit depraved acts. As Boys Love evolved as a visual novel genre, it became more distinct from other eroge in how it approached plot and storytelling, making Masquerade an important time capsule of what the earliest days of the genre looked like as they were evolving.
Shingakkou creator Kusaka Matsuri, also known for Gore Screaming Show, also appears in the ‘Special Thanks’ list, showing a link between Masquerade and these later, more well-known titles and rounding out a lineup of some of BL’s early best and brightest in their connection to Masquerade.
If you have any interest in the history of BL visual novels, or you just want to try a game that’s a little different to the kind of titles that came after it, Masquerade will provide what you’re looking for.