What Lies in the Multiverse

What Lies in the Multiverse is an enjoyable story-driven affair with well-designed characters and puzzles that strike the perfect balance between fun and challenging. This is one title that’s definitely worth checking out.

86%Game Brain Score

story, gameplay

grinding, character development

92% User Score Based on 358 reviews

Critic Score 80%Based on 13 reviews

Platforms

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About

What Lies in the Multiverse is a single player casual platformer game. It was developed by Studio Voyager and was released on March 4, 2022. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and very positive reviews from players.

In "What Lies in the Multiverse," experience a story-driven puzzle platformer with gravity-defying transformations across diverse pixel-art worlds. Switch realities on the fly to turn pitfalls into pathways, and encounter a memorable cast of quirky characters in this reality-bending adventure. Just be careful not to believe everything Everett tells you.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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92%

Audience ScoreBased on 358 reviews

story157 positive mentions

grinding8 negative mentions

Engaging story that balances humor and darker themes, making it emotionally impactful.
Clever universe-switching mechanic that adds depth to puzzle-solving and gameplay variety.
Beautiful pixel art and a captivating soundtrack enhance the overall experience.

Puzzles can be overly simplistic and repetitive, lacking challenge for experienced players.
Excessive dialogue and unskippable cutscenes can disrupt gameplay flow and replayability.
Some technical issues, such as bugs and save file problems, detract from the overall experience.

story
286 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
55%
44%
1%
The story in "What Lies in the Multiverse" is widely praised for its engaging narrative, memorable characters, and a blend of humor and darker themes that resonate emotionally with players. While the game features a unique mechanic of switching between different timelines to solve puzzles, some reviews note that the story can feel uneven, with abrupt tone shifts and unresolved plot points. Overall, it is considered a heartfelt and captivating experience that balances lightheartedness with deeper messages about loss and friendship.
- “I'm still choked up writing this - the story is as beautiful as the game.”
- “The story is wonderful from start to finish with memorable characters and themes of fear and responsibility.”
- “What lies in the multiverse is an enjoyable story-driven affair with well-designed characters and puzzles that strike the perfect balance between fun and challenging.”
- “The story is fine, the humor is pretty stock, but the most annoying thing is how many dialog breaks there are and how many times you have to press enter to get to the next piece of dialog.”
- “I loved the prologue demo with all the little mechanics that it introduced and its nice pace, but now that I can't really take the story seriously, I think I'd have preferred playing only the demo rather than the whole game.”
- “My few criticisms with the game have to do with certain aspects of the narrative that I think could have been handled better, in particular, some of the tone shifts feel very abrupt and somewhat pointless in the grand scheme of the story (like the game gets surprisingly dark at some point, but there isn't any proper payoff for it and it happens very abruptly with the game not giving you enough time to take some of it in), also the ending kind of felt like it came out of nowhere.”
gameplay
97 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
62%
32%
6%
The gameplay is characterized by engaging puzzle mechanics and a unique universe-switching feature that keeps the experience fresh and interesting. While many players appreciate the fun and humor woven into the narrative, some find the pacing slow and the puzzles occasionally tedious, with a few noting bugs and excessive reading. Overall, the game offers a charming blend of light-hearted storytelling and creative mechanics, though it may lack depth in challenge for some players.
- “Great art, cool story, a nice dose of humor, and well thought puzzles around an interesting main mechanic.”
- “The central mechanic is based on switching between the present, past, and future on a moment-to-moment basis to solve puzzles, pick up collectibles, and advance the story.”
- “Yes, this game is filled with puzzles... and there's no action or combat, but the puzzles are light, fun, and each level adds new mechanics that keeps them fresh and interesting.”
- “The new mechanics introduced in each stage do absolutely nothing to make the puzzles any more fun to solve, making many of the segments between cutscenes a slog.”
- “Ok, the story is decent, with some great comedic moments and a few cool dark touches early on, but the actual puzzles and gameplay are glacially slow and tedious to play, and the dialogue becomes absolute waffle during the final chapter.”
- “However, the gameplay is severely lacking.”
humor
84 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is widely praised for its cleverness and ability to balance lighthearted moments with darker themes, often eliciting genuine laughter and emotional responses from players. While some found the humor to be somewhat stock or inconsistent, many appreciated the witty dialogue and engaging character interactions that enhance the overall narrative experience. Overall, the game successfully combines humor with a poignant story, making it a standout in the genre.
- “While playing this game and reading the dialogues, I burst out laughing at many moments, and some honestly brought tears to my eyes.”
- “The game itself has a very well-constructed storyline, and I can guarantee you will be entertained by the witty, hilarious, and sometimes dark story of this game.”
- “The puzzles are hard but not impossible, and the commentary and jokes are hilarious; I am smiling and laughing from so many shenanigans from Everett 10/10!”
music
82 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
51%
45%
4%
The music in the game is widely praised for its thematic depth and ability to enhance the overall experience, with tracks that adapt to the unique worlds and moods encountered. Reviewers highlight the soundtrack as both captivating and relaxing, contributing significantly to the game's atmosphere and storytelling. Many players found the sound design to be a standout feature, with some even purchasing the soundtrack DLC, underscoring its impact on their enjoyment of the game.
- “The music changed slightly for each of the worlds we visited, and fit the themes for those worlds perfectly!”
- “The visuals with the music create a great sense of adventure, and when they take away the music it really catches your attention, because surely something important is going to happen.”
- “I loved the looks of the game beginning to end, and together with the music they did an amazing job of setting the mood of the game.”
- “I can't tell for sure if the music is truly dynamic, and if the track is the same in both universes of the same level, but composed and stylized differently.”
- “The music didn't especially mark me (I'm quite into deeper music theory), but it definitely did the job.”
- “The music is similar but has minor differences that help match the unique theme of each universe.”
graphics
39 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
85%
10%
5%
The game's graphics are widely praised for their beautiful pixel art style and well-crafted environments, which enhance the overall experience. Players appreciate the charming visuals that complement the engaging story and music, creating a captivating atmosphere. While the graphics are a highlight, the game's appeal is also tied to its narrative and gameplay mechanics, making it particularly enjoyable for those who appreciate a strong artistic presentation.
- “The art style is beautiful, and I adore how each dimension contrasts while still feeling connected with each other.”
- “Clever puzzle platformer with gorgeous pixel graphics and a story that keeps you hooked!”
- “Overall very good game, the visuals are beautiful, the mechanics are simple but fun and don't get dull over time and the story is pretty good, with some good humor and memorable characters.”
- “In the end, the main reason to play through this game is the story and cutscenes, but because that's pretty much the whole experience, this game appeals the most to a specific demographic: those who were drawn in by my second paragraph, but would also feel bad if they just watched it on YouTube or Twitch.”
- “It's hard to explain without visuals.”
atmosphere
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
78%
22%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its rich, immersive quality, enhanced by stunning graphics and a clever blend of humor and darker themes. Players appreciate the secrets and easter eggs that encourage exploration, alongside a lovable cast that adds depth to the experience. Overall, the combination of stellar sound design and beautiful pixel art creates a captivating environment that complements the engaging puzzle mechanics.
- “Underneath the creative puzzle mechanics, a rich atmosphere filled with secrets and easter eggs, a lovable and nuanced cast, and genuinely funny story sequences lies a tale of the indomitable human spirit in the face of nihilism.”
- “The atmosphere and sound are absolutely stellar.”
- “The graphics are so good and the atmosphere is so beautiful.”
emotional
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
"What Lies in the Multiverse" is praised for its emotional depth, with many players highlighting its heartfelt story and impactful dialogues that evoke strong feelings, even bringing some to tears. The game is described as a love letter to storytelling in video games, combining engaging gameplay with a warm, meaningful message that resonates with players.
- “This game is a heartfelt love letter to storytelling and video games as a whole for me personally.”
- “Its honestly a fun platformer with a heartfelt message; if you get the chance, play it.”
- “This game is amazing with a heartwarming story, excellent concepts, and mechanics; I just love it.”
grinding
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game tedious, particularly due to its heavy reliance on story and dialogue, which can feel excessive and slow-paced. Many reviewers note that the puzzles become overly simplistic and monotonous as the game progresses, detracting from the overall experience. While some appreciate the story's comedic and dark elements, the lengthy dialogue often overshadows the gameplay, leading to frustration.
- “Past the start of the game, the puzzles become a combination of very easy and very tedious, which you may understand as 'the worst thing a puzzle can possibly be.'”
- “There was so much tedious and unnecessary dialogue that it takes up over half of the game.”
- “The actual puzzles and gameplay are glacially slow and tedious to play, and the dialogue becomes absolute waffle during the final chapter.”
character development
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
34%
33%
Character development in the game is highlighted by its diverse character designs and thoughtful integration of music and visual elements, which change to reflect the characters' moods. This attention to detail showcases the developers' care, although some reviewers feel that the overall execution could be improved despite the inspired dialogues.
- “From the diverse character designs to the music, and even how the backgrounds of the sprites change color depending on the tone or mood of the character, there was always something that demonstrated the care put into this game.”
- “It is too bad, especially since the character design and the dialogues are quite inspired.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
Replayability is significantly hindered by the presence of unskippable story cutscenes, which make up about one-third of the game, discouraging players from replaying it.
- “One third of the game consists of unskippable story cutscenes, which significantly hampers replayability if you were interested in playing again.”
- “The presence of unskippable story cutscenes takes away from the overall replayability, making it tedious to revisit the game.”
- “With so much of the game tied up in unskippable cutscenes, it really diminishes the incentive to replay.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
The game experiences occasional stability issues, including bugs that can render the character unresponsive, which some players found frustrating. Despite these problems, many still recommend the game overall.
- “The game frequently crashes, making it nearly impossible to progress without losing significant progress.”
- “I encountered numerous bugs that caused my character to freeze, which severely impacted my enjoyment.”
- “There were several instances where the game would not respond, leaving me stuck and frustrated.”

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80%Critics’ scoreBased on 13 critic reviews

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