Maquette is a complicated game to explain in words, but here goes. This first-person puzzle is set in a recursive universe – meaning that each iteration in the world contains a smaller version of itself. By extension, this means that there are bigger and bigger worlds beyond your reach. It is one of those concepts that are easier to understand with a visual and, the moment you enter the main area of the game, everything fits together.
At the center of each chapter is an ornate dome and, within this dome, a smaller version of the room you occupy. What this means in terms of puzzle solving is that you will need to increase or decrease things to help you reach new areas. Say you find a key, but it is too big to fit in a door. You pick it up, drop it somewhere in the yard, go into the dome and pick up the same key, now much smaller. This is a very simple initial example, but the concept allows for some mind-blowing and mind-bending puzzles. We don’t want to spoil too much, but the idea of scale is explored in brilliant ways.
That said, one thing that we think brings the game down is that it doesn’t take its core concept far enough. It is a unique mechanic and some of the puzzles present are great, but it seems that everything comes to an end before the idea of a recurring world can really blossom. Also, while you’re trying to solve a puzzle, it can be very easy to get stuck. This has happened to us a few times and, although you can hold Triangle to return to the dome at any time – or simply load a previous save – we would argue that you shouldn’t be able to get stuck.
Running in parallel with puzzle-centric gameplay is a refreshingly “normal” story. As you advance and explore your surroundings, the text will appear, keeping you aware of the narrative throughout. After solving a puzzle, you usually receive a short sequence of dialogue, accompanied by a wonderful work of art. It is the story of a couple’s relationship, but what is remarkable is its simplicity. It is rare in games, or in any medium in fact, for a narrative to focus only on a very human element without resorting to fantasy or entering dark territory.
Unfortunately, the writing is not particularly strong. These scenes of dialogue between the two characters (portrayed by Bryce Dallas Howard and Seth Gabel) often seem unnatural or strange. Although the story is admirably low, it means that any mistakes in the script are much more apparent, because there is nowhere to really hide.
On the positive side, the game’s colorful art style is consistently good, and the buildings and other environments look fantastic. The visuals are accompanied by some great musical options that set the mood for their respective chapters. In addition, the game runs at 60 frames per second almost locked, loads in almost no time and makes subtle, but welcome use of DualSense features.
Conclusion
Maquette is a fascinating puzzle game with unique central mechanics. This leads to some super-smart puzzles that will really test your gray matter. However, we cannot help feeling that the potential of the concept is not fully realized. Likewise, the story is quite unique between games, but the execution is simply not there. Overall, it’s a pleasant experience that puzzle lovers should experience – just don’t expect it to change the world.