Maquette is a puzzle-adventure video game developed by Graceful Decay and published by Annapurna Interactive. The game takes place in a recursive world where every action on a table is recreated in the larger area outside.[1] The game was released in March 2021 for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Windows, with a version for Nintendo Switch as well as Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S launching in May and July 2023, respectively.[2][3]
| Maquette | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Graceful Decay |
| Publisher(s) | Annapurna Interactive |
| Platform(s) | |
| Release | PS4, PS5, Windows March 2, 2021 Switch May 25, 2023 Xbox One, Series X/S July 19, 2023 |
| Genre(s) | Puzzle-platform |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Gameplay
editThe player controls a person reliving a past relationship, solving puzzles to progress through memories. The game's story is told through voiced dialogue and notes scattered throughout the world. The relationship dialogue of Kenzie and Michael is voiced by Bryce Dallas Howard and husband Seth Gabel.[4] Every chapter, the player enters a new environment. In the center of that environment there is a table. When placing objects from the game's world onto the table, that action is mirrored in the world outside. Using this, the player places objects in order to access new areas or find items to solve puzzles.
Development
editDuring development, the game's story was originally about a character trapped in a dungeon by a wizard. After a few years of production, the project lead felt uninspired by it, and rewrote it into a love story.[5]
Reception
edit| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | PC: 71/100[6] PS5: 70/100[7] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Electronic Gaming Monthly | 3/5[12] |
| Game Informer | 7.75/10[9] |
| IGN | 7/10[8] |
| Jeuxvideo.com | 15/20[11] |
| PC Gamer (US) | 73/100[10] |
Maquette received mostly positive reviews from critics, who praised its world, but criticized its simplistic puzzles and story. It received "mixed or average reviews" according to review aggregator, Metacritic.[7][6]
Eurogamer praised the recursive world of Maquette, writing, "Solving these puzzles is, mostly, a delight. The brilliance of that basic principle lingers... there's more emphasis on step-by-step logic here, and less on tricks of perception. It's cleverly twisted and re-presented in slightly different forms".[13] Rock Paper Shotgun enjoyed the game's puzzle mechanics, but disliked the story of the game, feeling that it was filled with tropes and poor writing. "Everything is so idyllic, and predictable, and I am convinced no human has ever had a relationship like Michael and Kenzie."[14] IGN liked the presentation of the game, saying "Its use of vibrant colors and ornate, warped architecture is some of the most beautiful I’ve seen in any puzzle game. Those impressive aesthetics also extend into its otherworldly particle effects as objects phase in or out of place, as well as its top-notch audio design".
While enjoying the protagonists' banter, PCGamer criticized the puzzle design in context of the game's mechanics, "I also found myself trudging back and forth through a barren plain of nothingness to finetune the exact position of a miniature staircase. The galactic proportions Grateful Decay is working with don't mesh well with rote, adventure-game tedium". Polygon liked the way the world was presented in the context of a relationship, "how unevenly people fall in and out of love, provide contrast for the fantastical game world — the space Michael and Kenzie built together and in which they hold themselves up. Their relationship shatters for seemingly small reasons, but in their intimate world, the details loom so much larger".[15] Game Informer praised the intricacies of the world of Maquette, but disliked some of the solutions to the puzzles, "a handful of puzzle solutions are so obscure that I had to scour the environment many times before accidentally stumbling into an interactive element".
See also
edit- A Fisherman's Tale, a VR game based around the same mechanic
References
edit- ^ Kent, Emma (2020-02-27). "Maquette is the new game from the Annapurna label, and it's basically a fever dream". Eurogamer. Retrieved 2021-03-03.
- ^ "Pretty perspective-based puzzler Maquette is out now". Rock Paper Shotgun. 2021-03-02. Retrieved 2021-03-03.
- ^ "Maquette for Xbox Series, Xbox One launches July 19". Gematsu. 2023-07-13. Retrieved 2023-07-13.
- ^ Beresford, Trilby (2021-02-08). "Bryce Dallas Howard, Seth Gabel Voice Star in Video Game 'Maquette' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2024-08-01.
- ^ Avard, Alex (2021-03-02). ""It was the exact kind of left turn I needed": How the recursive design of Maquette inspired its creator to tell a modern love story". gamesradar. Retrieved 2023-05-21.
- ^ a b "Maquette for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 2021-03-03.
- ^ a b "Maquette for PlayStation 5 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 2021-03-03.
- ^ "Maquette Review". IGN. March 2021. Retrieved 2021-03-03.
- ^ "Maquette Review – Put On Your Shrinking Cap". Game Informer. Archived from the original on March 1, 2021. Retrieved 2021-03-03.
- ^ Winkie, Luke (10 March 2021). "MAQUETTE REVIEW". PC Gamer. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
- ^ L'avis de Indee (3 April 2021). "Test Maquette : Un jeu d'énigmes plein de charme, offert en mars sur PS5 via le PS Plus". Jeuxvideo.com. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
- ^ Harmon, Josh (1 March 2021). "Maquette review". Electronic Gaming Monthly. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
- ^ Tapsell, Chris (2021-03-03). "Maquette review - ingenious but unfocused recursive puzzling". Eurogamer. Retrieved 2021-06-13.
- ^ "Maquette review". Rock Paper Shotgun. 2021-03-08. Retrieved 2021-06-13.
- ^ Carpenter, Nicole (2021-03-03). "Maquette is a romance game about little details causing big problems — literally". Polygon. Retrieved 2023-05-21.