Info about Maquette:

Official game description:
  
Maquette is a first-person recursive puzzle game that takes you into a world where every building, plant, and object are simultaneously tiny and staggeringly huge. Maquette makes it possible by twisting the world into itself recursively in an MC Escher-esque fashion.  
Head to the center of the world and you'll feel like a giant, towering over buildings and walls. But venture further out, and start to feel small as things get larger and larger - to the point where cracks in the ground become chasms.  
In Maquette you will explore the scales of everyday problems in a modern-day love story. Where sometimes the smallest of issues can become insurmountable obstacles.

Release date: Mar 2, 2021

Categories: Perspective-based Puzzles, Illusion-based Gameplay, First-Person Perspective, Environmental Puzzle, Single-player, Narrative Adventure, Puzzle Solving


- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price: No data
- Playtime Metrics: No data
- Time-to-fun: No data
- Player Archetypes: No data


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Stunning visuals and art direction (weight 0.6): The game's visuals, art style, and animations are frequently highlighted as beautiful, charming, and cohesive. The art direction is described as evocative, with bright colors and delicate details that enhance the overall experience.
- Outstanding voice acting (weight 0.5): The voice acting is consistently praised for its quality, emotional range, and ability to bring the story to life. Players describe it as professional, natural, and a key factor in their engagement with the narrative.
- Innovative recursive mechanics (weight 0.48): The game's recursive puzzle mechanics, including nested worlds and size manipulation, are highlighted as unique, creative, and well-executed. Players enjoy the challenge and originality of these mechanics, which set the game apart from others.
- Emotional and immersive soundtrack (weight 0.46): The soundtrack is praised for its emotional depth, ability to set the mood, and seamless integration with the narrative. Players describe it as moving, well-chosen, and one of the best aspects of the game.
- Seamless integration of story and gameplay (weight 0.22): Players appreciate how the narrative and puzzles are intertwined, creating a cohesive and immersive experience. The story enhances the puzzles, and vice versa, without either element feeling disjointed.
- Transcendent final levels (weight 0.05): The later levels of the game, particularly the final level, are highlighted as spectacular and well-designed. Players describe them as emotionally impactful and a fitting climax to the experience.

Common complaints:
- Clunky and imprecise controls (weight 0.95): Controls for movement, object manipulation, and puzzle-solving are frequently criticized as fiddly, sluggish, or unpolished, hindering gameplay and immersion.
- Puzzles poorly designed and unclear (weight 0.86): Players frequently report puzzles as clunky, unintuitive, and lacking clear instructions or feedback. Many require walkthroughs or excessive trial-and-error due to inconsistent mechanics or poor design.
- Poor pacing and backtracking (weight 0.75): Gameplay involves excessive walking, slow movement, or repetitive backtracking, with difficulty spikes and unclear progression adding to frustration.
- Unfinished or rushed feel (weight 0.74): Players describe the game as unfinished, with janky controls, unpolished mechanics, and a forced or anticlimactic ending, suggesting poor development or testing.
- Story is clichéd and unengaging (weight 0.52): The narrative is described as bland, predictable, and disconnected from gameplay. Players find the story uninteresting, poorly executed, and lacking emotional impact or originality.
- Game-breaking bugs and crashes (weight 0.38): Numerous technical issues, including crashes, soft-locks, and progression-blocking bugs, are reported, particularly in later chapters. Some bugs remain unpatched and force players to restart.
- Short playtime with minimal content (weight 0.25): Players complete the game in 3-6 hours, with complaints about underutilized mechanics, repetitive puzzles, and a lack of depth or replayability.
- Physics and collision bugs (weight 0.17): Objects clip through walls/floors, physics behave unpredictably, and level design issues (e.g., invisible walls) create unintended obstacles or soft-locks.
- Underutilized core mechanics (weight 0.17): Key mechanics, such as recursion or object manipulation, are introduced late or barely explored, leaving players feeling the game’s potential was wasted.
- Excessive cutscenes disrupt gameplay (weight 0.15): Frequent, unnecessary cutscenes interrupt gameplay and remove player control, contributing to frustration and a sense of wasted time.
- Motion sickness and movement issues (weight 0.11): Inconsistent or overly fast movement speeds, jittery camera controls, and poor player physics contribute to discomfort or motion sickness for some players.
- Lack of audio immersion (weight 0.07): The soundtrack is criticized for sparse music, awkward song choices, or long silences, making levels feel empty or boring.
- Translation and localization flaws (weight 0.07): Awkward subtitles, untranslated segments, or poor voice acting break immersion and hinder story comprehension.

Gameplay feedback:
- Recursive puzzle mechanics core (weight 0.97): The game's central mechanic revolves around recursive puzzles, where players manipulate objects across nested or scaled environments. This unique approach blends size manipulation with spatial reasoning, creating mind-bending challenges.
- Size and scale manipulation (weight 0.93): Puzzles frequently require resizing objects or the player, often inspired by games like *Superliminal*. This mechanic is praised for its novelty but criticized when progression feels unclear or arbitrary.
- Varied puzzle difficulty (weight 0.76): Puzzles range from simplistic to highly challenging, with some requiring unconventional thinking or sharp observation. Later chapters introduce deeper mechanics, but early puzzles may rely on trial-and-error or guessing.
- Narrative-driven puzzle design (weight 0.28): The story unfolds through environmental storytelling, audio dialogues, and puzzles tied to emotional themes. While some players appreciate the integration, others find the puzzles overly obscure or disconnected from gameplay.
- Linear storytelling with segmented gameplay (weight 0.21): The game divides its experience into distinct sections, balancing manageable puzzles, story-heavy segments, and difficult challenges. Some players feel the level design could better guide progression.
- Visual and spatial metaphors (weight 0.14): Puzzles often use visual metaphors (e.g., nested worlds, perspective shifts) to reinforce narrative themes. While creative, these mechanics can feel misleading if not clearly explained.
- Romantic relationship story (weight 0.06): The narrative centers on a romantic relationship, delivered through voice acting and illustrations. While emotionally engaging, it may not appeal to players seeking purely mechanical depth.

Performance notes:
- Endgame crashes and soft-locks (weight 0.22): Frequent crashes, soft-locks, and game-breaking bugs occur in the final chapter or level, often triggered by specific interactions or objects. These issues prevent players from completing the game without restarting levels or encountering repeated crashes.
- Limited graphics and performance issues (weight 0.09): The game lacks advanced graphics options, and players experience framerate drops, stuttering, and motion blur at high FOV settings. Performance issues are exacerbated during camera pans or object manipulation.
- Timed puzzle malfunctions (weight 0.08): Timed puzzles and switches often fail to function correctly, leading to soft-locks or inability to progress. These issues are frequently cited as frustrating and game-breaking.
- Lack of controller support (weight 0.04): The game lacks support for DualSense controllers and suffers from general controller input bugs, limiting accessibility for players who prefer controllers over keyboard/mouse.
- Minor object interaction glitches (weight 0.04): Non-game-breaking glitches occur when picking up objects, such as minor visual bugs or temporary disruptions. While not critical, these issues contribute to an overall unpolished experience.
- Missing basic features (weight 0.02): The game lacks fundamental features like v-sync, which can lead to screen tearing and negatively impact the visual experience for some players.

Recommendations:
- Mixed but generally positive recommendations (weight 0.29): The game receives cautious or conditional recommendations from many players, often citing flaws like stiff controls, bugs, or lack of depth. However, it is frequently praised for its unique mechanics, emotional narrative, and meditative qualities, making it worth trying for specific audiences.
- Wait for a discount (weight 0.28): Many reviewers suggest purchasing the game only at a steep discount (40% or more) due to its short length, technical issues, or lack of depth. Full price is often deemed unjustified for the experience provided.
- Unique but flawed puzzler (weight 0.24): The game is praised for its original mechanics and uniqueness among Steam puzzlers, but criticized for pacing, controls, and puzzle design issues. Some players feel it doesn’t fully deliver on its potential or marketing promises.
- Best for puzzle and narrative fans (weight 0.17): The game is highly recommended for fans of puzzle games, narrative-driven experiences, or titles like *Superliminal* and *Firewatch*. Players who enjoy first-person puzzlers or walking simulators with strong emotional or mechanical depth are the primary target audience.
- Alternatives recommended over this game (weight 0.06): Several reviewers suggest playing other games like *Superliminal*, *Florence*, *The Witness*, or *Portal* instead, citing these alternatives as stronger or more polished experiences in the same genre.
- Play in one sitting for narrative (weight 0.02): Reviewers strongly recommend playing the game in a single session to fully immerse in its narrative and emotional impact. The short length makes this feasible, enhancing the overall experience.
- Suggests improvements like story-free mode (weight 0.02): Some players propose adding a story-free mode to improve accessibility or replayability, indicating that the narrative may not appeal to all puzzle enthusiasts or could feel restrictive.
- Interest in a sequel (weight 0.02): A subset of players expresses enthusiasm for a sequel, indicating that the game’s core concept or emotional impact resonated enough to warrant further exploration in a future title.

Other player notes:
- Short game length (weight 0.02): Players report the game's story mode lasts approximately 4 hours, with speedrun achievements achievable in about 1 hour. This may leave some players wanting more content.
- VR game comparisons (weight 0.02): Some reviews mention similar VR games, suggesting players are comparing experiences or looking for alternatives in the same genre.

Emotions:
- Frustration (weight 0.29): Players frequently cite clunky controls, janky movement, and unintuitive puzzle mechanics as major sources of frustration. Technical issues like game-breaking bugs, crashes, and poor camera physics exacerbate the problem, often forcing restarts or disrupting progression.
- Disappointment (weight 0.27): The game's unfulfilled potential, particularly in storytelling and puzzle design, drives disappointment. Players highlight underdeveloped mechanics, superficial narratives, and technical flaws (e.g., crashes, bugs) as reasons the experience fell short of expectations, especially compared to similar titles.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.06): Players enjoy the game's creative puzzles, engaging storytelling, and cohesive mechanics. The cinematic presentation, voice acting, and art direction contribute to a satisfying puzzle-solving experience that balances challenge and innovation.
- Appreciation (weight 0.06): The game's unique mechanics, poetic style, and emotional storytelling earn appreciation. Players praise its innovative recursive puzzles, beautiful visuals, and sensitive narrative, which elevate the experience despite some technical shortcomings.
- Annoyance (weight 0.03): Minor but persistent issues, such as unskippable credits, time-consuming puzzles, and disjointed storytelling, annoy players. Poor controls and repetitive sound effects (e.g., the 'bonk' sound) further disrupt immersion.
- Admiration (weight 0.03): The game's ambition, innovative mechanics, and emotional depth inspire admiration. Players highlight its unique recursive design, graphical beauty, and voice acting as standout features that demonstrate creativity and craftsmanship.
- Boredom (weight 0.03): Slow pacing, unskippable cutscenes, and a generic or bland story lead to boredom. The lack of background music and repetitive gameplay mechanics (e.g., slow movement) fail to sustain engagement.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.02): Players feel satisfied by the game's well-balanced puzzles, artistic design, and narrative integration. The clever mechanics and cohesive experience, particularly in pacing and difficulty, deliver a rewarding sense of accomplishment.
- Relief (weight 0.02): Completing the game despite bugs or enduring a flawed story provides relief. Some players express relief at avoiding clichés or moving on from a frustrating experience.
- Curiosity (weight 0.02): The game's unique mechanics, such as scale manipulation, and its narrative metaphors spark curiosity. Players explore the connection between puzzles and story, often comparing it to other innovative titles like *Superliminal*.
- Joy (weight 0.01): The emotional impact of the story, soundtrack, and engaging puzzles brings joy. Players appreciate the game's ability to deliver a heartfelt love story and beautiful presentation.
- Confusion (weight 0.01): Unclear puzzle objectives, inconsistent mechanics, and lack of guidance confuse players. The game's narrative focus on a failing relationship also leaves some players unsure of its intent or execution.
- Sadness (weight 0.01): Underutilized mechanics and a short playtime evoke sadness, as players feel the game could have offered more depth. The story's emotional moments also resonate on a personal level.
- Awe (weight 0.01): The game's innovative shrinking and growing mechanics, combined with its beautiful presentation, inspire awe. Players admire the creativity and execution of its core gameplay loop.
- Nostalgia (weight 0.01): The game's story and music evoke personal memories, with some players drawing parallels to other emotionally resonant titles like *Florence*.
- Melancholy (weight 0): The game's introspective and emotional storytelling creates a sense of melancholy. Players reflect on the themes of relationships and personal struggles presented in the narrative.}