Maquette, a new puzzle game developed by Graceful Decay, shares much in common with other classics published by Annapurna Interactive like Outer Wilds and What Remains of Edith Finch.
VGChartz's Lee Mehr: "Even when it becomes tougher to hone in on Maquette's accumulated strengths, it’s easy to admire Grateful Decay going for broke on this mind-blowing concept. Technical inconsistencies when physically executing a plan you've mentally mapped out can get distracting, but the logic behind its recursive world feels genuinely inspired. Said ideas often feel clumsily soldered onto Michael and Kenzie's relational journey, with a script that’s almost AI-generated, but it still lands a few emotional blows. The 4-hour runtime can imply everything ended a bit too soon; then again, perhaps that quicker burn thematically marries with what – at one time – could've been an earnest Hallmark romance. It all depends on one's point of view, I suppose."
This one isn't nearly as promising as its premise suggests.
We loved so much of Maquette. Its many-layered puzzles are sensational. They are so good, in fact, that they carry a game that fails to get the other stuff right.
