Maquette

 PlayStation 5
User Score
6.3

Mixed or average reviews- based on 91 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 35 out of 91
  2. Mixed: 38 out of 91
  3. Negative: 18 out of 91

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  1. Jucasaurus
    Mar 4, 2021
    2
    What an abject disappointment. It's starting to feel like Annapurna Interactive is pulling a con job. For every truly great game they put out (Outer WIlds), they release 5 of these half-baked barely-games that tries to hide its shortcomings behind pseudo-profound narrative that's, in truth, bad Netflix drama writing. This formula seems to work on the NPR podcast crowd, who breathlesslyWhat an abject disappointment. It's starting to feel like Annapurna Interactive is pulling a con job. For every truly great game they put out (Outer WIlds), they release 5 of these half-baked barely-games that tries to hide its shortcomings behind pseudo-profound narrative that's, in truth, bad Netflix drama writing. This formula seems to work on the NPR podcast crowd, who breathlessly fawn over the mere concept of using a game to talk about smaller interpersonal emotions and situations. I'm less impressed. And Maquette feels like the culmination of years of these kind of disappointments from the company I once hoped would be the A24 of gaming.

    When this was first announced, I was actually quite excited about the recursive gimmick. Just a few minutes into the game and all hope was gone. This game goes out of its way to prevent you from fully exploring the mechanic. Don't come in expecting Portal-levels of freedom to explore the concept of shrinking and solving objects to complete puzzles. Maquette has a SPECIFIC way it wants you to complete each section and if you dare come up with an alternative solution, you can look forward to an invisible wall or clipping to tell you "no, not like that."

    This particular frustration is compounded by the inconsistent controls and lack of guidance about the rules of play in this recursive universe. At one point toward the end of the game, the button for picking up objects changes with no alert or explanation whatsoever. I'm left to wonder if this was even play-tested at all.

    I don't expect indie games to be long, but Maquette's seven levels—two or three of which are pretty straight-forward linear runs—total out to just over an hour of core gameplay. From there, the game's length is artificially extended by the player not being given objectives and forced to run around figuring out what to grab or do next, the aforementioned narrow parameters for win states, and the addition of speed-run trophies for chapters. This last one feels like the most cynical attempt at padding as, even after completing the game once, the main menu offers no chapter select to the player. If you want that trophy, you're going to have to start the whole thing over and make lots of saves. You'll also want to hold down O to skip cut scenes, as they count against your time.

    I'm not really understanding the compliments of Maquette's visuals either. It's just another matte puffy plastic Fisher Price world with lots of repeating assets. Bugsnax had more variety and design ambition. With dull visuals, rudimentary mechanics, and a forced 30fps, I'm scratching my head about how they can call this a "PS5" game with a straight face. Despite getting this as a free PS+ drop, I still feel ripped off and condescended to by Annapurna and questioning my own sanity when I see the adulation reviewers and gamers are heaping on this.    … Expand
  2. TobinHood
    Mar 12, 2021
    4
    Artsy, sort of pretty, ok size puzzle concepts, bland relationship story, ultimately pretty boring.
  3. Junior_Santos
    Mar 4, 2021
    0
    This game works very badly on PS5 and PC. Even at 60fps, the feeling is that the game is not fluid. There are micro stuttering when moving the camera. Please do not launch games in this state.
  4. virre31
    Mar 22, 2021
    0
    The controls made me nauseous, especially when trying to place crystals and they got stuck on everything. Unfortunately this is unplayable, and unplayable for me means 0/10.
  5. Lonejumper23
    Mar 27, 2021
    1
    What game are people playing where this game gets even a 2 or more. This is a PS3 game concept at most and i am a very open minded gamer who loves puzzle games. So disappointed with how this game is even presented on a PS5 platform...are you kidding me? I played for 2 hrs forcing myself to see if i was missing anything with the reviews I saw, and people, this is not worth anyones timesWhat game are people playing where this game gets even a 2 or more. This is a PS3 game concept at most and i am a very open minded gamer who loves puzzle games. So disappointed with how this game is even presented on a PS5 platform...are you kidding me? I played for 2 hrs forcing myself to see if i was missing anything with the reviews I saw, and people, this is not worth anyones times unless they are so bored with any other game on the market. The 1 is a pitty score because i have never given a 0 but this is not next generation worthy in any way you look at it. Garbage!… Expand
  6. rozsdas
    Oct 13, 2022
    1
    Gives me motion sickness after 5 minutes, the video/picture is glitching on my PS5 and the controls are terrible. Tried to play it several times.
    Could have been a nice game...
  7. frazzefraz
    Mar 29, 2021
    0
    Got this free with PS Plus and it's not even worth it if you get it free. Your character got stuck and the controller it the worst I ever seen in a game and it's the most boring game I ever played.
  8. Pascal1602
    Nov 27, 2021
    2
    Played it because it was on PS+, tried playing it for a few hours but it was really boring so I had to put it away. The graphic is horrible and the puzzles are pretty lame.
  9. ihearthawthats
    Nov 10, 2021
    4
    Hours Played: 4 Hours
    Trophy Completion: 13/23 (60%)
    Worth My Time: Only if you like puzzle games. Worth My Money: No, unless you got it free from PS+. What I Like: The theme is interesting and the concept unique. It makes good usage of the PS5's game help cards, so you don't have to run to your phone or PC if you get stuck. What I Dislike: Kind of janky and a bit too much    Hours Played: 4 Hours
    Trophy Completion: 13/23 (60%)

    Worth My Time: Only if you like puzzle games.
    Worth My Money: No, unless you got it free from PS+.

    What I Like: The theme is interesting and the concept unique. It makes good usage of the PS5's game help cards, so you don't have to run to your phone or PC if you get stuck.

    What I Dislike: Kind of janky and a bit too much running around in what I would consider boring landscapes. Also runs terrible on the PS5 for what it is.

    How It Stacks Up: An early PS+ offering, so can't expect much out of it. It's a bad port that didn't necessitate a PS5 version, considering that it could have run just as fine in backwards compatibility.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

91
#91 Best PlayStation 5 Game of 2021
46
#46 Most Discussed PlayStation 5 Game of 2021

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
70

Mixed or average reviews - based on 40 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 40
  2. Mixed: 24 out of 40
  3. Negative: 1 out of 40
  1. CD-Action
    Nov 15, 2021
    65
    Maquette’s central mechanic is brilliant and leads to some cool (but also repetitive) puzzles. The game itself is pretty rough around the edges though and I felt the developers could have squeezed so much more from this great concept. [05/2021, p.60]
  2. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Apr 12, 2021
    60
    Maquette is beautifully crafted, and I was really hoping to get to know Kenzie and Michael better over the course of time. However, superb voice acting, a great soundtrack, and some interesting design ideas were just not enough. The gameplay regrettably fails to stand up to its true potential while the rules of the game are frequently broken. And after just two or three hours, it is all over. [Issue#310]
  3. GameGrin
    Apr 7, 2021
    75
    Overall, Maquette is a solid and unique puzzle game with a sentimental, well-performed story that may hit a little too close to home for some, while maybe providing some closure for others. If only the developer found a way to intertwine the puzzles and the story together to feel more complete.
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