Maquette Critic Reviews

Maquette is just fascinating. It is a game that has one central mechanic and ties it into a narrative not often told by games and media. That unique blend of challenging, but mind-boggling recursive gameplay, jaw-dropping set-pieces, and heartfelt narrative moments really crafts an experience that mesmerises and stuns at every turn and is another great title from Annapurna.

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.

Maybe there’s no healthy way to insulate yourself from heartbreak, but there’s still beauty in the retrospective. Maquette casts a rosy lens on a love story softened by time’s eventual passage. It’s an important lesson, that the sorrow of love lost can be soothed and sanded down by the steady movement of the clock. The story’s frequent puzzle breaks mean that you’re eased into the worst of it. You’re given a long runway before the inevitable climax, which might be a blessing in itself. Even if a reflective journey through a complex relationship doesn’t appeal to you, the intricate world and it’s fascinating puzzles will surely have you hooked.

A unique, thoughtful narrative puzzler with a mind-bending recursive twist that succeeds by focusing more on evoking its themes than unpacking them. Some minor lapses in polish aside it's a short, sharp hit of emotion and wonder that should be on every indie puzzler fan's list.

Maquette is a great puzzle game that uses perspective and out of the box thinking very well. The story of Michael and Kenzie is neatly entwined within these puzzle, adding heart and soul to the game as you make your way through the world, big and small.

Maquette is a puzzle game with a lot of silent walking, self-reflection, and a deep storyline. There's no action and its platforming doesn't compare to the mobility of Super Mario or other engaging platformers. Maquette isn't a game for everyone, but it could be an essential game for many. Maquette chooses to be uncompromising in its vision and message, and it challenges players both mentally and emotionally as a result, with a suitable payoff waiting for those willing to sink in the hours to get there.

While it misses the chance to transcend the sum of its parts, Maquette tells a beautifully relatable story with a gorgeous presentation, accompanied by a clever and unique size-bending puzzler.

It’s not always a perfect combination. A few of the latter puzzles feel needlessly complicated, requiring you to place the objects at pixel-perfect angles to trigger the next area. But that doesn’t take away from how remarkable the game is. Like Portal before it, Maquette redefines what puzzle games are capable of, and I don’t think I’ll be forgetting about these characters any time soon.

Aesthetically pleasing 3D puzzle game with smart mechanics, embedded in a love story. It doesn’t reach its full potential, though.

When Maquette is firing on all cylinders, it is a beautiful journey through a series of ever-larger environments, and Maquette’s love story is poignant and a little heartbreaking. Sadly, my interactions with the puzzles were also full of heartbreak. While Maquette has some missteps, I look back fondly on my time with it. Much like a real-life romance, my affection for this game is complicated.

Maquette it's an interesting proposal, both in terms of gameplay (recursive worlds), and the way it tells the tale of a relationship. It's not perfect (frame rate issues, some puzzle design maybe are too complex and abstract...), but the precious message and the mark it will leave are, simply, magnificent.

An interesting mix between a puzzle game and a narrative adventure.

The stunning world Graceful Decay has built in Maquette is perpetually gorgeous and dream-like throughout its short time, never failing to blind you with its beauty. The puzzles utilise size manipulation to provide you with a satisfying mix of challenges, too.

In the end, Maquette is a fair and unique experience, even if tainted by some flaws.

Overall, Maquette is a solid and unique puzzle game with a sentimental, well-performed story that may hit a little too close to home for some, while maybe providing some closure for others. If only the developer found a way to intertwine the puzzles and the story together to feel more complete.

Maquette is interesting and has some really good ideas, although there are many ups and downs throughout it. If you like the genre, make sure you check it out.

Maquette is a fascinating puzzle game with a unique central mechanic. This leads to some super clever puzzles that will really test your grey matter. However, we can't help but feel that the concept's potential isn't quite fulfilled. Similarly, the story is pretty unique among games, but the execution just isn't quite there. Overall, it's an enjoyable experience that puzzle lovers should sample — just don't expect it to change the world.

Definitely give Maquette a try if you like puzzle games, but be aware that you’re likely to come up against numerous brick walls as you vie to reach its conclusion. The earlier puzzles are truly satisfying to crack but they quickly lose their charm, while later conundrums might leave you scratching your head in frustration. What doesn’t lose its charm, though, is the small yet beautiful narrative that you’ll want to savour every moment of. It’s just a shame there isn’t more of it.

Maquette never quite delivers that sense of mind-boggling euphoria you might expect. Finicky mechanics sometimes get in the way, and it would help if there were more rewards for experimentation. That said, it’s still a fascinating premise that’s fleshed out in ways that keep pushing you to think outside the box. Paired with a love story that feels personal and authentic, it’s both intellectually and emotionally worth exploring.

Maquette is an intense love story mixed with Esher-esque puzzles. Short, not perfect but original and sweet.