Metacritic (PC) (71)
Metacritic (PS4) (??)
Metacritic (PS5) (70)
OpenCritic (72)
Mashable (no score):
Goomba Stomp (no score):
PlayStation Universe (9/10):
Screen Rant (4/5):
WellPlayed (8/10):
MonsterVine (4/5):
TheSixthAxis (8/10):
Hobby Consolas (78/100, review in Spanish):
Game Informer (7.75/10):
PC Invasion (7.5/10):
Easy Allies (7/10, video):
IGN (7/10, video):
GameSpew (7/10):
Inverse (7/10):
GameSkinny (7/10):
EGM (3/5):
Paste Magazine (6/10):
Metacritic (PS4) (??)
Metacritic (PS5) (70)
OpenCritic (72)
Mashable (no score):
I can't say I enjoyed my time with Maquette. It's not a perfect game by any stretch. But I do appreciate what it's trying to do here and I'm glad I was able to see its story through.
Goomba Stomp (no score):
Despite being a bit rough around the edges, Maquette is profoundly worthwhile and a true gestalt experience. The gameplay is generally simple and the sparse story alone is not compelling, but, together, they harmonize and transcend their individual parts. Maquette reminds us that great art flows fluidly as a singular experience, channeling truth about our existence. Life is fleeting and full of transient wonders that remind us how special we are, each of us in our own miniature universe. Maquette is such a wonder.
PlayStation Universe (9/10):
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.
Screen Rant (4/5):
Maquette is an important piece of art because it tells a familiar story that many people have been a part of. It's deeper than just Kenzie and Michael's own personal experiences - it details the importance of communication in relationships and that it's okay to let go of the relationships players no longer have. Every inch of the world Maquette is set in tells a story and properly visualizes the emotions that its characters are feeling.
That being said, 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.
WellPlayed (8/10):
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.
MonsterVine (4/5):
A game about coming to terms with the end of a relationship, Maquette is something some people might genuinely need to play right now in order to get closure in their own lives. It's touching, and the puzzle side keeps you engaged while your heartstrings are being tugged.
TheSixthAxis (8/10):
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.
Hobby Consolas (78/100, review in Spanish):
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.
Game Informer (7.75/10):
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.
PC Invasion (7.5/10):
Maquette has a strong narrative bolstered by top-tier voice performances and honest, relatable writing. The puzzle mechanics are unique and exciting, but the game is let down by signposting issues and obtuse design choices.
Easy Allies (7/10, video):
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.
IGN (7/10, video):
Maquette is an incredibly clever and absolutely gorgeous first-person puzzle game, even if it doesn't really push the boundaries of its own recursive concept in any particularly surprising ways. That left me feeling like its straightforward story and puzzles were a missed opportunity to do something more, but playing through Maquette's brief adventure was at least a lovely, mind-tickling evening well spent.
GameSpew (7/10):
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.
Inverse (7/10):
The visuals, music, and unique puzzles all come together to illustrate the miniature worlds we build for ourselves over the course of a relationship. Maquette is a peek inside of one of those personal spaces that may look unremarkable from the outside, but is a wondrous world to the people at the center of it.
GameSkinny (7/10):
Maquette is a realistic, empathetic portrayal of two people falling in love and what comes next. If it was only that, it would make a great audio drama, or with some tweaking, a touching movie or book. But it's a game, and despite the awe-inspiring first impression it delivers, the cagey puzzle logic can leave you more hopeless than the central pair's prospects for longevity.
Maquette is a game I loved to look at and listen to, and it's a game I'll remember fondly for its subversion of romantic fiction tropes, but it wasn't usually a game I liked actually playing.
EGM (3/5):
Maquette's core concept of puzzle solving in recursive environments is undeniably neat. But despite the handful of wow moments it enables, developer Graceful Decay ends up squandering much of the idea's potential due to pacing issues and rough edges.
Paste Magazine (6/10):
For Maquette to really work, it needs to make us care about its characters. It needs to make us feel their connection, to fall in love with how they fell in love, and then to feel the growing alienation and the pain of their collapse. Unfortunately it doesn't do that. The story that should compel us to keep playing instead becomes an annoying digression from what the game does well. These environments, those puzzles, and the size-changing gimmick that lets you solve them comprise a unique and fascinating vision that depends on the kind of esoteric thinking familiar from classic point-and-click adventure games. Instead of pulling us in deeper, though, Michael and Kenzie's romance pushes us away. That's the real tragedy of Maquette.
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