Maquette

 PlayStation 5
User Score
7.0

Mixed or average reviews- based on 24 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 24
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 24
  3. Negative: 3 out of 24

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  1. HaloFever
    Mar 4, 2021
    8
    Clever puzzle game with fantastic presentation. Maquette's gameplay is the most innovative gaming I have had in quite a long time. The game world is repeated in increasingly larger sizes, and small objects you move in the small size cause large objects to move in the larger sizes and vice versa. In some parts, I felt like Ant Man. In others, I was in an M.C. Escher. The gameplay remindedClever puzzle game with fantastic presentation. Maquette's gameplay is the most innovative gaming I have had in quite a long time. The game world is repeated in increasingly larger sizes, and small objects you move in the small size cause large objects to move in the larger sizes and vice versa. In some parts, I felt like Ant Man. In others, I was in an M.C. Escher. The gameplay reminded me of some of the neat experiments I've seen from players in "Dreams" by Media Molecule, only as a full polished game. Just as I've become jaded of the typical AAA game after decades of gaming, I've become more interested in games that give me new experiences. In many ways, "Maquette" is a game for people who love games.

    Let's get the elephant out of the room. According to my PS5, my playthrough clocked in somewhere over 3 hours. I do not care at all about the game's length. I only care about the quality of the experience. The same way the first 11 minutes of Pixar's "Up" are better than most entire movies, this 3 hour game is better than most of the bloated, generic games with 25+ hour times to beat. Full disclosure: like most PS5 owners in March of 2021, I downloaded this for "free" from PlayStation Plus.
    The puzzles in "Maquette" can be a bit obtuse, and I love that about the game. There is really little in the way of tutorial, though the trailer for the game gives you a good idea of how to play it. For all I know, there are multiple way, perhaps insidiously elegant ways to solve the game's puzzles. My advice, as always, is to avoid using any kind of guide. Once you break that seal, you can't unbreak it. Fair warning to casual players: some of the puzzles do require a bit of movement skill. You might also need to reload a game save if you drop something where you cannot reach it. Deep breaths.

    "Maquette" has a nicely presented story about romance. This is solid ground that games, especially indie games, have trod before. The style is unique. There are little vignettes between puzzles and they have show how the gaming industry is providing employment to talented artists. The soundtrack is one of the best I have ever heard. I was surprised by the voice cast as the credits rolled. Annapurna spared no expense.

    All in all, "Maquette" is a must play puzzle game. Even if you do not like puzzles, there is something marvelous about how Annapurna created this game world. A few of the puzzles were difficult for the wrong reasons (unless I was brute forcing something I shouldn't have), but you won't spend long banging your head against a wall. I wish more games would look this good, sound this good, and bring in so many new ideas.    … Expand
  2. swkane
    Mar 4, 2021
    9
    I greatly enjoyed Maquette. With puzzles like Escher / Monument Valley and a story and soundtrack akin to 500 Days of Summer, this dreamy puzzler is the perfect way to pass some time during quarantine. (Especially if you can get it free from PS Plus!)

    Devs, if any of you see this review, thank you for a wonderful little game, it brought me joy during a tough time.
  3. Svetlendrius
    Mar 6, 2021
    7
    Not a bad story puzzle. The story is trivial, but perhaps suitable for couples in love. The puzzles aren't bad.
  4. Marko24778
    Mar 4, 2021
    10
    Maquette is a beautifully designed game with vibrant colours and wonderful graphics. The puzzles and the story are intertwined exquisitely and solving each puzzle feels extremely rewarding. The puzzles never get too complex but are tough enough to challenge you and make you think. The story is well crafted and is an interesting and engaging take on life. I would recommend this game toMaquette is a beautifully designed game with vibrant colours and wonderful graphics. The puzzles and the story are intertwined exquisitely and solving each puzzle feels extremely rewarding. The puzzles never get too complex but are tough enough to challenge you and make you think. The story is well crafted and is an interesting and engaging take on life. I would recommend this game to anyone who loves puzzles. This is definitely a must play!… Expand
  5. morikules
    Mar 3, 2021
    10
    I really enjoyed Maquette. Its a beautiful little puzzle game with a sweet love story. The puzzles are in my opinion cleverly designed and it took me some time to solve them but they never get too complex either. Every time i got the solution i thought: "wow, that´s clever".
    I really recommend everyone checking in on this game its short but beautiful experience.
    Oh and also: the    I really enjoyed Maquette. Its a beautiful little puzzle game with a sweet love story. The puzzles are in my opinion cleverly designed and it took me some time to solve them but they never get too complex either. Every time i got the solution i thought: "wow, that´s clever".
    I really recommend everyone checking in on this game its short but beautiful experience.
    Oh and also: the soundtrack is unbelievable good!    … Expand
  6. PlaySIvan
    Mar 6, 2021
    10
    This is a master craft of a game. It’s fairly short. But it packs a pretty hard punch with its 4-5 hours of gameplay depending on how puzzle savvy you are. If you love a good story, perhaps even a love one, then don’t miss out on this game.
  7. TheChungus
    Mar 7, 2021
    9
    Everyone seems to be hopping on the bandwagon of torching this game, which is sad for the developers because I am sure it is deserving of better. The recursive mechanic is super cool. I came into the game blind, and dropping the box the first time was delighting. Yes, the game feels limited in that there are paths you are supposed to take to solve the puzzles. People love to compare it toEveryone seems to be hopping on the bandwagon of torching this game, which is sad for the developers because I am sure it is deserving of better. The recursive mechanic is super cool. I came into the game blind, and dropping the box the first time was delighting. Yes, the game feels limited in that there are paths you are supposed to take to solve the puzzles. People love to compare it to Portal’s openness and trash it in that respect, which I would say is unfair. The puzzles are still intriguing, rewarding, and fun to solve. I would take the limited world trade off for what the game provides in terms of narrative and aesthetic design. I knew I was going to dig what the team at graceful decay were serving up when the soundtrack started rolling at the start. The game is beautiful, the soundtrack is the best pairing with a game’s narrative and overall feeling I have heard in a long time. The narrative itself is fantastic. Cheesy? At times. But a ton of authenticity throughout as well. I was certainly invested in the story, even to the point where I was sure Michael was the narrator. A clever trick allowing the player to identify the narrator by whoever they might connect to. The way the color palette and architecture changed across the chapters moving in synch with the ebb and flow of Kinzie/Michael’s relationship was also a wonderful trick. Terrific audio design, even when not considering the soundtrack. So all in all, this game is great. It’s not a Portal puzzler, and it’s not a Marriage Story level narrative, but it’s a blend of the two and an absolutely delightful one at that. Well done graceful decay, excited for your next release. Hopefully people come around, and this metacritic doesn’t stick at the score it’s currently at.… Expand
  8. Junior_Santos
    Mar 4, 2021
    0
    This game works very badly on PS5 and PC. Even at 60fps, the feeling is that the game is not fluid. There are micro stuttering when moving the camera. Please do not launch games in this state.
  9. ThatGuy001
    Mar 6, 2021
    5
    If Tumblr post's were a videogame. Maquette follows the tale of two people with the personality of coffee beans as you uncover their hipster backstory through fun and at times frustratingly broken puzzles. Each level fleshes out the lovers tale with a new challenge set before you and a surprisingly good album playing in the background like butt-shuffering your Spotify playlist. The storyIf Tumblr post's were a videogame. Maquette follows the tale of two people with the personality of coffee beans as you uncover their hipster backstory through fun and at times frustratingly broken puzzles. Each level fleshes out the lovers tale with a new challenge set before you and a surprisingly good album playing in the background like butt-shuffering your Spotify playlist. The story is expanded on even more in each chapter sprinkling in writing on the walls to divulge more information about our protagonist's past which at points reads like lost Nickelback lyrics. Maquette is a experience not to dissimilar to your grandparents memory, instantly forgettable but with some enjoyable stories thrown in between the farts.… Expand
  10. bersi84
    Mar 6, 2021
    5
    I have to admit that I m not good at puzzling games like Marquette, the game itself is well made but in the end it is still missing a lot for me. The variety is small, the game itself is rather short and there are some bugs in it where you can jump into areas you shouldnt be. One particular example is a crack within a church, if you jump in you are stuck. You can get out by trying to getI have to admit that I m not good at puzzling games like Marquette, the game itself is well made but in the end it is still missing a lot for me. The variety is small, the game itself is rather short and there are some bugs in it where you can jump into areas you shouldnt be. One particular example is a crack within a church, if you jump in you are stuck. You can get out by trying to get you get you boxed out or restart the level. Things like that shouldnt happen in my opinion. The game should give some sort of guidance and also prevent that players can get into areas where they shouldnt be. Also puzzle-items can fall through the floor making you stuck and restart.

    I think the game is recommendable for players who are already into different types of puzzle games others might get really frustrated in their playthrough. The game itself can take approximately 2-3hrs but it can be a lot faster or a lot longer depending how hard it is for you to understand the game mechanics. They should take care of mentioned bugs. Also the game performance tends to fps-dip in occasional situations so thats a let down too.    … Expand
  11. nandika
    Mar 7, 2021
    6
    Great concept, beautiful design, but with the usual flaws and some of the puzzles presenting no logic at all. The love story behind it it's pure American Romantic Kitsch.
  12. HappyNebula
    Mar 8, 2021
    8
    Maquette is a simple and enjoyable puzzle game driven by a love story between two people. The narrative is simple and presented by great voice acting. There are some cliches, but is well written overall. The recursive scenery is beautifully crafted which serves as a visual metaphor for constructing the narrative and gives you a fun sense of scale. Placing objects in the small “maquette”Maquette is a simple and enjoyable puzzle game driven by a love story between two people. The narrative is simple and presented by great voice acting. There are some cliches, but is well written overall. The recursive scenery is beautifully crafted which serves as a visual metaphor for constructing the narrative and gives you a fun sense of scale. Placing objects in the small “maquette” and seeing it recursively generated outside is a cool effect and reminds me of that “infinite mirror effect”. The game plays with that to construct puzzles in a simple manner, there is not much variation on how you manipulate objects or place them, but is effective. I like how the game gives you no hint on what to do and encourage you to explore the scenery and try things out. It’s something that you’ll probably won’t be spending dozens of minutes to figure out what to do. And if you find yourself in that situation, you’ll feel lonely with the silence of the game. Don’t get me wrong, the game has a good well-suited soundtrack, but it’s played just in the beginning of each chapter, and then you will be hearing just the silent ambient noise. I thing they could have worked better on sound design.

    Overall, it’s a nice puzzle game that will not stress you out. A good game to play in a weekend and chill out. If you are a complectionist, you can easily platinum this game within four hours.    … Expand
  13. Jucasaurus
    Mar 4, 2021
    2
    What an abject disappointment. It's starting to feel like Annapurna Interactive is pulling a con job. For every truly great game they put out (Outer WIlds), they release 5 of these half-baked barely-games that tries to hide its shortcomings behind pseudo-profound narrative that's, in truth, bad Netflix drama writing. This formula seems to work on the NPR podcast crowd, who breathlesslyWhat an abject disappointment. It's starting to feel like Annapurna Interactive is pulling a con job. For every truly great game they put out (Outer WIlds), they release 5 of these half-baked barely-games that tries to hide its shortcomings behind pseudo-profound narrative that's, in truth, bad Netflix drama writing. This formula seems to work on the NPR podcast crowd, who breathlessly fawn over the mere concept of using a game to talk about smaller interpersonal emotions and situations. I'm less impressed. And Maquette feels like the culmination of years of these kind of disappointments from the company I once hoped would be the A24 of gaming.

    When this was first announced, I was actually quite excited about the recursive gimmick. Just a few minutes into the game and all hope was gone. This game goes out of its way to prevent you from fully exploring the mechanic. Don't come in expecting Portal-levels of freedom to explore the concept of shrinking and solving objects to complete puzzles. Maquette has a SPECIFIC way it wants you to complete each section and if you dare come up with an alternative solution, you can look forward to an invisible wall or clipping to tell you "no, not like that."

    This particular frustration is compounded by the inconsistent controls and lack of guidance about the rules of play in this recursive universe. At one point toward the end of the game, the button for picking up objects changes with no alert or explanation whatsoever. I'm left to wonder if this was even play-tested at all.

    I don't expect indie games to be long, but Maquette's seven levels—two or three of which are pretty straight-forward linear runs—total out to just over an hour of core gameplay. From there, the game's length is artificially extended by the player not being given objectives and forced to run around figuring out what to grab or do next, the aforementioned narrow parameters for win states, and the addition of speed-run trophies for chapters. This last one feels like the most cynical attempt at padding as, even after completing the game once, the main menu offers no chapter select to the player. If you want that trophy, you're going to have to start the whole thing over and make lots of saves. You'll also want to hold down O to skip cut scenes, as they count against your time.

    I'm not really understanding the compliments of Maquette's visuals either. It's just another matte puffy plastic Fisher Price world with lots of repeating assets. Bugsnax had more variety and design ambition. With dull visuals, rudimentary mechanics, and a forced 30fps, I'm scratching my head about how they can call this a "PS5" game with a straight face. Despite getting this as a free PS+ drop, I still feel ripped off and condescended to by Annapurna and questioning my own sanity when I see the adulation reviewers and gamers are heaping on this.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

9
#9 Best PlayStation 5 Game of 2021
4
#4 Most Discussed PlayStation 5 Game of 2021

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
71

Mixed or average reviews - based on 29 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 29
  2. Mixed: 18 out of 29
  3. Negative: 0 out of 29
  1. KeenGamer
    Mar 8, 2021
    85
    The first half of Maquette is close to flawless, with its puzzles and narrative sharing a symbiotic relationship that whilst brilliant, makes the flaws of the second half glaringly obvious. Full of character, ambition and love, Maquette is a unique experience. If you enjoy story-driven games, Maquette is a must. Maquette is a wondrous exploration of human relationships and packs an emotional weight that will leave a lasting impression on its players and it'll be interesting to see what Graceful Decay does next.
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  2. Game Rant
    Mar 8, 2021
    50
    Maquette's short length makes this inconvenience slightly less frustrating than it would be otherwise, but it's still a glaring oversight that is sure to sour completionists' opinion on the game. Maquette's short length does make it an ideal candidate for the PS Plus lineup, as this way gamers can experience the story, art, and soundtrack without having to make any financial commitment beyond their existing subscription. But those on PC and PlayStation 4 may find it more difficult justifying spending even $20 on such a brief puzzle game.
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  3. Gamer.no
    Mar 8, 2021
    60
    Quotation forthcoming.
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