Part 4: ‘M’ is for Moody
After the whirlwind tour of the Milky Way and beyond, we now return to the confines of largely normal Earth-side reality, with two titles grounded in more common occurrences, namely a breakup and the death of a family member. These next pair are also more ‘game-y,’ containing more developed mechanics married to their narrative frameworks.
First up is Maquette, a debut by Graceful Decay and published by (you guessed it) Annapurna. There wasn’t much information I could dig up about its development history or the dev in general other than, like a large percentage of this list, it’s a small startup endeavor. What I can tell you is that it released in March of 2021, and was also an early PlayStation Plus title on PS5 (a mystical device that supposedly exists.) Even then, like most others here, it was out with little fanfare and overall coverage.
In terms of genre, Maquette rest firmly as a walking sim puzzler (and if you know me, you know I enjoy a good one of those.) Billed as an “Escher-esque recursive simulation” framed around the dissolution of a 20something couple’s relationship. In its tale of two lovers (and eventually exes) Kevin and Kenzie, Maquette strives to channel an Edith Finch vibe. It does at times tap into that vein of bittersweet melancholy, even if the dialogue can be a bit stiff and perhaps cringy in spots. The voice acting sells the emotion though, even when the actual lines fall flat. It’s not enough to distract all that much, but given this is a story based heavily in reliving past conversations between two people who are presented as representing the quintessential modern dating paradigm, I thought it at least worth mentioning.
So while the narrative overall is fine, it’s there and does its job without much complaint, the core concept is what drives Maquette. Based around an Alice in Wonderland-like mechanic, wherein there exists an exact diorama replica (the titular structure) of the world around you, and via stepping into it yourself as well as bringing in objects nearby, you either grow/shrink them to open/create pathways forward. It’s a very neatly pulled off design, and a satisfying visual trick. Each vignette is a set of well-thought out obstructions/solutions, and a captured moment in the history of Michael and Kenzie’s romance and breakup as it unfolded. It’s relatable if not particularly revelatory material. Life gets in the way, people drift apart, etc. But it is that mundane aspect that makes Maquette so easily accessible. Sometimes shit sucks, and it might be no one’s fault, so you’ve got to remember the good times, not dwell on the bad, and keep going as best you can.
In the art design field Maquette employs this hazy, dreamily surreal watercolor style that I’ve come to be quite fond of, even if it might be in danger of becoming overused in titles like this. Here though, it does perfectly match Kevin’s recollections of himself, Kenzie, and what happened from their first meeting to falling in love and then falling out of it. Memories aren’t perfect replicas of events, and the look of the world smartly reflects this. It’s an impressionist painting of what was felt at a given time in the past, and how that might have changed when viewed from a later perspective. Which of course is itself reflected in the overall essence of the puzzles, and is what Maquette does best.
Like most of its ilk, Maquette does fall on short side, but every level is completely self-sufficient. Each of the 7 sections moves the plot along at a solid pace, and provides new/interesting challenges in approaches to advance and see the whole picture. It’s not Portal tier, but it is more complex compared to other similar titles. The journey may be more interesting than the destination, especially in light of the story’s conclusion. But the time spent on the carefully constructed road to reaching it never overstays its welcome and presents some enjoyable puzzle models embedded in an everyday slice of life piece.
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From love and death of it, we move onto the inevitability of death itself in Mundaun. Also released in March (so I guess ‘M’ is for ‘March’ too) from developer Hidden Fields and published by MWM Interactive (who similar to Annapurna, are probably more well known for their film distribution.) Mundaun is a mystery/horror folklore tale rooted in Nordic/Swedish tradition. By default, it is entirely voiced in a native dialect, Romansh, which lends it credibility and an air of a great foreign production.
The story begins with middle class worker Curdin, who receives a letter from his childhood priest informing him that his beloved grandfather, Flurin, has passed. To honor his grandfather, Curdin returns to the village of Mundaun (which awesomely is an actual place in Switzerland) to attend the funeral as the only other family member able to do so. Immediately the game drops you into this idyllic community nestled in the snowy Alps via a winding bus ride in a fantastic opening scene. While the setup may be commonplace, it veers into a sort of supernatural/magical realism hybrid, setting the stage of a remote and possibly perturbing place, the very definition of a normal seeming town with more than its share of darkness beneath.
After paying his respects, Curdin encounters a sinister individual while visiting the barn where Flurin supposedly died in a fire. This figure hints that there was much more to Flurin’s life (and demise) than previously suspected. Based on this disturbing encounter Curdin begins to investigate the increasingly strange circumstances of his grandfather’s death as well as discovering secrets dating back decades into the past. Other local figures, like the aforementioned priest as well as an obligatory spooky little girl accompanied by the goat she apparently communicates with, offer their own cryptic knowledge.
Drawing from vintage folk horror like The Wicker Man and Children of the Corn, Mundaun is excellent at establishing a false sense of safety before introducing its more uneasy elements. Initially, the town is threat-free, and while the sun is out you’re free to leisurely poke around. At night however it slowly populates with a growing number of unsettling foes to be fought or avoided. These are small in variety but extremely effective in their creepiness/danger factor. A title like this also needs the necessary eerie soundscape, and Mundaun delivers with its desolate windswept mountains and creaking, groaning interiors.
Mundaun contains a number of mechanics in the FP survival horror tradition: health/inventory management, and a choice of stealth/combat to deal with enemies. Most of your wanderings entail mainly key/McGuffin hunting, rooting for that bit of direction that will provide further clues and point to the next general objective. There are optional upgrades to seek out as well (my favorite being gathering ingredients to brew coffee which increases max fear resistance, obviously.) All mostly standard stuff, and all well-implemented. Additional areas of the town and surrounding countryside, each seemingly more inaccessible and foreboding than that the last, open up as the in-game days/chapters go on. The methods to navigate these are distinctive, such as riding a ski slope or driving up a mountainous road in a beat up old tractor van. Worth mentioning too is the standout UI, as it’s one of the most natural and immersive done in such a title.
I haven’t mentioned the art style yet, as I’ve been saving it because even amongst the other designs in this list, it stands out near the top. Meticulously rendered in hand penciled sketches, it creates the impression that everything is an off-putting lithograph come to life. Truly excellent to behold, it is the perfect complement/contrast to the picturesque elements imperceptibly transforming into bleaker versions of themselves, insidiously blanketing larger swathes of the town. It mirrors Curdin’s rising terror at the things he uncovers and the hidden, forgotten corners of Mundaun that his quest for the truth sends him to.
Throughout its duration Mundaun expertly balances established elements with amazing visuals; like an illustrated Swedish Grimm fable that jumped off the page into a long lost Resident Evil game. It nails a few of my close interests and influences: FPS surv-horror in an impeccably uncanny atmosphere bolted onto a classic cursed/Faustian bargain story composed with a modern sensibility, all with eye-popping graphic design to sustain the whole way. There is some solid replay value as well, with multiple endings that change the flavor of Curdin’s fate in non-trivial ways. Mundaun is one of my favorite titles of 2021 in general. It was a hugely pleasant surprise, and I think deserves to be in the discussion of best indie horror games. For any fan of such, it is essential playing material. Just keep an eye out for mystical goats.
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