Both times I put an item somewhere it shouldn’t have been and lost it. I also feel it’s important to note I was able to break this game twice. I was initially enthralled in Chapter 2 when you first experience the central maquette, but that formula became a little tedious when at the perfect time in the later sections of the game, the puzzles have a nice change of pace. That can become a problem considering the game wasn’t that long, three to four hours, seven chapters, short and sweet, but a good chunk of it was just spent walking. Carrying the items, which is essential, feels slow at times and can once again make a level drag. A majority of the puzzles can be solved by placing an item or object in the correct spot or getting a key or object to the right size to proceed. They do give you the desired “ah-hah!” moments, but the formulas weren’t as in-depth as they should’ve been. I find that the puzzles are balanced in an equally fun, equally challenged way, but some levels repeat the same ideas, and it can drag out longer than it needs to. The puzzles themselves are a toss-up between quite clever and cool and repetitive and tedious. It’s never not mind-blowing, it’s such a cool concept, and it’s where most of my joy in Maquette stemmed from.
#MAQUETTE SOUNDTRACK CRACK#
It can be played in a never-ending loop, continue down the Russian nesting doll model until even a minuscule crack in the floor can become a canyon. You can make things huge, or you can make things small. This works with scale as well, and If you place a normal-sized key, bridge, block, or ball into the model, a giant-sized version will drop into view at the corresponding location in your environment. You can manipulate objects in this model to affect the environment in the real world. This description from the developers explains the incredible concept of a model or maquette at the center of each chapter’s puzzle segments that represents the environment you’re in. Maquette makes it possible by twisting the world into itself recursively in an MC Escher-esque fashion”. The game is described as “a first-person recursive puzzle game that takes you into a world where every building, plant, and object are simultaneously tiny and staggeringly huge. Where Maquette truly shines is in its phenomenally creative gameplay and mechanics that utilize thought-provoking ideas. The environments and levels themselves also complement the storytelling as we walk around their hopes and dreams, setting a tone for that specific time in their relationship. The memories unfold artistically, drawing out the scene in a beautiful manner, using birds, plants, trees as if they were in the couple’s sketchbooks. That continues throughout the game as you progress, but there’s also the occasional scene in which the voice acting takes center stage. From the very beginning, when we’re first thrown in, the plot is presented in the form of text written on a wall. I did, however, enjoy the way the story was told. However, I feel that sappy cliché writing didn’t allow them to flourish. The talent from Howard and Gabel was a tremendous and unexpected touch.
As a story, it isn’t a new or innovative tale. Memories of a relationship passed, written as a sort of memoir by Michael about his experiences, giving himself closure. The conversations and unconventional method of storytelling through text in the environment are memories. At its core, this story focuses on love, struggles, but, most importantly, acceptance. Maquette follows the memories of a past relationship between artists Michael and Kenzie, voiced by the incredibly talented Bryce Dallas Howard and Seth Gabel’s real-life relationship. It’s fair to say this is an impressive debut game for the San Francisco-based developers at Graceful Decay. I mean, you can literally twist the world in on itself.
I forgot how thought-provoking it was to mess around with scale. Still, it never managed to grip me as tightly as the initial sense of wonder in the game’s mechanics, and I’m already familiar with these ideas after playing Manifold Garden and Superliminal last year. It’s an intriguing concept that ended up being an okay story. Maquette falls into this niche in a way that hasn’t been explored yet, romance. Pair those ideas with a balance of fun and challenging puzzles with an interesting art style and narrative, you’re bound to have a good game. These ideas are simultaneously thought-provoking and fun to play around with.
I think over the last year, indie puzzle games have found their niche, games focused on perspective, size, and infinite.