there was a game i played when i was young, below the age of 10 so it probably came out in the mid 90's to early 2000's
i don't remember much so i'm not sure if we will find out what this game was but ill try and describe it anyway

basically it was an adventure game with puzzles (i think) it was 3d and third person and you played as a man who suffered from amnesia and ended up in a really small rural town that was (or seemed) completely abandoned . and early on you find this gold mask that looks a bit like a tiki mask and theres a big sand storm or fog and as far as i remember it was a huge part of the plot.
sound familiar?
like i said i dont remember much and i honestly have little hope anyone is going to find out what this is
thanks in advance

Hmm, seems like Sanitarium?

http://www.gog.com/game/sanitarium

Nah, the mask appears at the end and there is no sandstorm...

it wasnt like that. it was 3d more in the style of a broken sword game or silent hill

the first broken sword game i played was number 3 haha. i was thinking of the viewpoint specifically as in not isometric and a bit more modern, when i try and think back i cant remember whether it was point and click or not. there wasn't any action in the bit i remember but that doesnt mean there wouldnt be later on in the game

Try remembering as much as you can, every little detail helps, even how the main menus are formed, haha :P

i dont even remember there being menus haha. i remember practically everything in where the game takes place was light brown, light brown grass, light brown hills, light brown stone(?) buildings

Any other significant events in the game you can remember?

i dont think i got past the beginning segment because i mean i was about 6 or something. but the mask had something to do with the stom/fog.

You can check I and II on GOG while we're thinking :) Much better than III and IV in my opinion.
As for the game... small town, early 3D and golden artefacts make me think of Gabriel Knight 3, but no sandstorm nor amnesia happen there.
Mask as a plot point - Scratches...
But no 3D nor third person perspective.

Which platform? PC?

im sure it was a mask. as soon as you get the mask the storm happens and you cant really get to other places straight away i think. it was in the first house just like on the way and it had a fence and the mask was inside. then the storm and things started getting dark and well foggy

im certain it was on pc

Hotline Miami! :P