It isn’t often that a narrative-focused game leaves me at a loss for words. Maquette is the first time in a while where I was surprised by a game for a few different reasons. With the lead characters being voiced by Bryce Dallas Howard and Seth Gabel, I was intrigued by the game immediately. Annapurna Interactive has done well with this one, though I have a few bones to pick.

Before we get too deep into this, Maquette is a narrative-puzzle game in which you explore the memories of Michael (played by Seth Gabel) during his relationship with Kenzie (played by Bryce Dallas Howard). I will tell you right now that the story you think you’re going to get from the trailers isn’t at all what actually unfolds. The game isn’t very long, probably around 4 hours, unless you get stuck.

While I wasn’t expecting the way the story unfolded, it was well done in some respects. The voice acting really makes you become attached to the characters, and it isn’t a tale I’ve seen done before in this way. It doesn’t lean on typical clichés or ideas and actually shows what I would consider positive masculine development from the male lead.

On the other hand, I don’t actually think some parts went into enough detail to showcase the full range of motivation for the female lead. Some of Kenzie’s quirks and development seemed like they needed more fleshing out. In fact, I think the game would have benefitted from a dual-perspective situation, where you experience the events from both sides.

I wish I could have seen the conclusion of the story from both sides, as opposed to just one, but for what the game did, I am decently satisfied. As far as the puzzles go, the game plays with perspective, size, and exponentially growing environments. It also plays around with puzzles that involve color and all sorts of other mechanics that would be hitting spoiler territory.

The controls are simple, and the puzzles aren’t as flashy and mind-bending as Superliminal or other recent puzzle games. However, Maquette focuses on blending the puzzle mechanics into a more personal, heartfelt narrative. Because of that, Maquette sets itself apart as more of an interactive story-based experience rather than straight puzzling fare.

It feels a lot like What Remains of Edith Finch in that regard, except on a more puzzle-focused basis rather than different types of gameplay. While I maintain that what you are getting with Maquette somehow isn’t conveyed well in the trailers, I don’t know that there is a way to convey it any better in video form. At least, not without spoiling the narrative, which is kind of the point.

Something that bears mentioning though is the options menu. Maquette offers a variety of subtitle options and even options to change how readable the text is. These accessibility options are vital for folks with hearing impairments as well as people who are dyslexic or have other reading problems.

Despite my issues with Maquette’s ending and some of the beats of the story, it is a really cool, colorful game. If you’re a fan of unique puzzle experiences or games that do things you might have seen before but do them in a new way, then give this one a try. Hopefully, people don’t miss out on this one, since it is a short (but sweet) narrative and puzzle game that will stick with you for a while.

A PlayStation 4 review copy of Maquette was provided by Annapurna Interactive for this review.

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Maquette

$17.99 USD

9

Score

9.0/10

Pros

• Beautiful Visuals
• Great Voice Acting
• Lots of Accessibility Options
• Great Puzzles
• Surprising Narrative

Cons

• Marketing is Slightly Misleading
• Plot was a Little Rushed in Places
• WIsh it had Been From Two Perspectives