For anyone who has ever fallen in love or suffered heartbreak, Maquette will resonate. Yes, some puzzles were weaker than others, but those issues felt secondary to the masterful tapestry being painted before my eyes. Maquette is a poignant and rewarding experience that reminded me of some of my happiest moments, it forced me to stare straight at sorrow, and simultaneously reassured me that it’s okay to feel that pain.

In its juxtaposition of abstract puzzles with domestic-scale storytelling, Maquette is more familiar, following the tradition of indie games that link high-concept puzzle-solving with romantic introspection. Like the relationship it maps, the game is at its most elegant and pleasing in the early stages, when its challenges are clearly stated and simply solved. Even so, the creative possibilities of this Russian doll world seem to extend beyond this brief, delightful exploration.

Maquette has a strong narrative bolstered by top-tier voice performances and honest, relatable writing. The puzzle mechanics are unique and exciting, but the game is let down by signposting issues and obtuse design choices.

Maquette has a great puzzle mechanic as its central hook, though it sometimes struggles with obtuse implementation and fussy controls. Nonetheless, the narrative arc of the young relationship at the center of the game is well worth a bit of frustration to experience. Some lovely visuals and music make playing Maquette that much more rewarding.

Maquette stands out for an excellent love story that affects the aesthetics of the stage. It is very well written and excellently interpreted. It is fresh, natural, credible, and its development makes us want to move forward.

Romantic relationships have their ups and downs, and players will likely go through the same experience with Maquette, which seesaws between satisfying and frustrating. Charming world design and bittersweet relationship observations are offset by a couple of opaque puzzles and patches of gameplay clunkiness (bad enough to force level restarts), which mar the overall sense of enjoyment.

I was really hoping to be wowed by Maquette, but my time spent with it was not the magical, romantic experience I was hoping for. The bugs, overall wonkiness, and lame puzzle design annoyed me to no end. Especially when it would punish me by making me start a chapter over because it had broken itself. As a result, my already low tolerance of the love story between Michael and Kenzie grew to the point where I couldn't stand the couple. I would actively cheer when things went wrong because I didn't like them. The game seemingly wants you to feel like their relationship is one for the ages, but it just felt like a couple who had issues after the honeymoon period was over. It's a tale as old as time, but not one worth basing a game on.