What's in the Multiverse Review: Can the Multiverse Make You Laugh?
– Reviews News
We have seen dozens of titles that play on the manipulation of dimensions, seasons and space-time. Some have remained memorable, the first that come to mind are the splendid Braid and Monument Valley, but the list is really long. Others got lost in hyperspace, leaving almost no trace of themselves. What Lies in the Multiverse he tries by all means to reintegrate the first category and succeeds, but not with the same crackling verve of the titles that we have just mentioned.
It's being developed by two rather young teams, both based in Chile: Studio Voyager is in its infancy while the guys at IguanaBee already have three titles in their basket, including the good tie-in GI Joe: Operation Blackout. What Lies in the Multiverse is their first foray into the puzzle-platform genre and for the occasion a minimalist pixel-art graphic style has been chosen, but which still cuts a figure. Full-throttle color and unbridled fantasy are the main ingredients of this experience which bases its gameplay on the concept of multiverse, ie the existence of thousands, millions of realities on parallel planes.
"Multiple events, multiple possibilities, multiple events" says the game at the beginning of the adventure, but as often happens... everything starts with the very small. From a small room to be precise, in which a boy leads a quite ordinary life often confined between the four walls of his room. Study, slow down, eat junk food, greedily consume video games and surf the net.
But the boy is also working on something ambitious, a program capable of simulating all the possible developments of each event. Unfortunately (or fortunately) for him, something does not go as planned and the virtual becomes too real. A weird bug sucks him into his simulation and starts tossing him between dimensions like in an episode of Rick and Morty.
What Lies in the Multiverse
- Developer: Studio Voyager / IguanaBee
- Publisher: Unpublished Tales
- Availability: March 4 – PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series XS, PS4, PS5, Switch
- Version tested: PlayStation 5
Once the dimensional whirlwind has calmed down, the boy (and you along with him) will have to find a way to put things right and return to his first life. Easy to say, less to do since he will find as many obstacles as he wants. But the very fault that got him into this mess will get him out of it.
The classic structure of the two-dimensional platform is in this case expanded by the possibility of switching from one world to another with the simple press of a button, to take advantage of the different rules and overcome their restrictions. A wall stands between you and the goal? You can make it disappear. Is the platform you need to reach too high? Just reverse gravity. Slippery ice?
Move to a location with more stable ground. Obviously the possibilities are not really endless, otherwise the level design of What Lies in the Multiverse would have been the most revolutionary in the history of video games, but the amount of variables implemented is sufficient to give the player a good dose of freedom of action.
Not all levels support dimension switching, and in fact those that don't are significantly less fun.
It is not always possible to pass from one world to another but when it is possible we advise you to do so, if only to enjoy the different details and perhaps discover one of the secrets hidden. The puzzles offered are generally of a good level, even if some necessarily work less well than others and often block the rhythm of the game a little too brutally. Where some puzzles are pleasantly intuitive and genuinely satisfying to complete, others limited to the "hit or miss" category.
Additionally, due to the lack of Italian localization, those unfamiliar with English might find the nebulous system of hints hidden within the game screens difficult. You will also lose the vibrancy of some dialogue, offered through balloons which are, however, brought to life by changes in color and size to emphasize the different tones with which the phrases are "spoken".
Unlike other similar games which focus almost everything on gameplay leaving out narrative and characters, What Lies in the Multiverse focuses rather heavily on these two aspects and boasts a rather picturesque cast, with a few protagonists who wouldn't disfigure themselves in a reissue of Alice in Wonderland.
The co-protagonist of the story, for example, is a strange scientist named Everett (a tribute to the physicist Hugh Everett who, in 1957, formulated the thesis of the "many-worlds" interpretation of quantum mechanics) of whom you will discover later that he is responsible for the accident. The two will forge a special relationship, which will lead them to experience situations with vague echoes of “Schaferiana” memory that will often pleasantly fade into nonsense.
Many players deeply hate "ice-based" stages. Luckily, you can overcome them much more creatively here.
The aesthetics and storytelling are damn inspired, to the point of sometimes relegating the playful element to the background. The desire to move forward to see what will happen is almost preponderant compared to that which revolves around the resolution of puzzles. Unfortunately, just when you start wanting everything to take off to new heights of creativity, the game is over.
The poor longevity of What Lies in the Multiverse is certainly its worst flaw: four hours is really too short to complete the main story, even if it is possible to play it several times to complete its colorful list of Achievements. . However, it remains a recommended title as an alternative to the decidedly more demanding games released during this period.
7/10
SOURCE: Reviews News
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