What Lies in the Multiverse Review – Xbox Series X|S

Great Scott! Let’s get Back to the Multiverse!

Doc Brown and Marty. Rick and Morty. Pop culture will have us believe that if there is an eccentric scientist knocking about, an impressionable youth is never far behind. What Lies in the Multiverse continues this trope by introducing you to Everrett and…The Kid?

Ok so with slightly less memorable names, Everrett and The Kid might not catch on in the same way, but they are both definitely the stars of What Lies in the Multiverse, an enjoyable puzzle platformer from Studio Voyager and IguanaBee.

Game Information
Release Date: March 4th, 2022
Developer: Studio Voyager, Iguana Bee
Publisher: Untold Tales
Availability: Microsoft Store, PSN, Steam

What Lies in the Multiverse introduces us to The Kid, who has somehow broken the multiverse tinkering with his computer. Suddenly blinking away to a strange lab before quickly zipping back, the idea of the multiverse is quickly established during the game’s opening moments.

Everett appears soon after and quickly fills you in on what is going on before whisking you away to fix the problems that jumping between multiverses has caused. Although the story relies heavily on the idea of a Multiverse, it doesn’t bog you down in overly complicated explanations.

That’s not to say it doesn’t do that at all. What Lies in the Multiverse is very dialogue-heavy, to the point that by the game’s end I was skimming half of what was going on, even though I was invested in the overall story.

In fitting with the game’s gorgeous pixel art style the story is told through written dialogue appearing on screen, with each box needing to be skipped with a button press in order to move on. Nothing we haven’t seen before, but there is so much of it that by the end I did feel like I had missed a few important details as I skipped through all the needless gumph and character development.

To be fair, the story is a good one, spanning the multiverse and including a handful of characters who each feel fleshed out with their own motivations and back story. This is supported by its strong humour which made me actually laugh out loud on more than one occasion, and some solid puzzle platforming that makes you think without being too tricky, which is a fine balancing act to pull off.

The puzzles themselves start off relatively simple, such as requiring you to zip between each universe to move a block or get around an obstacle, but quickly this escalates. Each level does a good job of mixing up the formula, such as adding ice that allows you to jump bigger gaps in the terrain or anti-gravity which flips everything upside down (including you).

Some puzzles require a little bit of forward planning, but most can be overcome with relative ease. By the time the various elements combine towards the game’s climax, you will have mastered each, zipping between each universe like nobody’s business.

Controls feel tight and responsive, so navigating each level never feels frustrating. The Kid can run and jump or nip between each universe, but other than that his move set is fairly limited, but it never feels lacking. Having such a lean control scheme allows for the puzzles themselves to rely solidly on the switching between universe mechanics, making them stand out as a result.

As it is, I found myself actively looking forward to each puzzle, as the visuals combine with the gameplay so beautifully that they are a joy to play. My one complaint was that I’ve already mentioned – sometimes each puzzle is distanced by too much story and exposition, which becomes a pain to trail through by the end of the game.

This is a shame, but I did find the puzzles stood out above the story and I definitely preferred one to the other. Again, that is not to say the story is bad, far from it, just that it does drag out and pull you away from the gameplay at times. I will confess, there was more than one occasion when I mindlessly hammered A in order to jig the game along which did mean I missed a few important plot points, but not enough to feel like I was missing out.

While What Lies in the Multiverse doesn’t do anything new or different, what it does it does incredibly well. Solid puzzles, a decent story and beautiful pixel art all combine to create a brilliant puzzle platformer. If you are a fan of the genre you would be wise to give this one a look.

Review Disclaimer: This review was carried out using a copy of the game provided by the publisher. For more information, please read our Review Policy.

Primary version tested: Xbox Series X