What Lies in the Multiverse Switch Review – What is Happening Here?!

The March releases just keep dropping, and What Lies in the Multiverse is a fun yet bizarre indie release from Untold Tales, Studio Voyager, and IguanaBee that they have coined a “dramatic comedy”. The multiverse is a concept that stretches all across science fiction, and it is the idea that there are multiple realities where different outcomes may be present. What Lies in the Multiverse explores this in a fun and unique way, but…

Is this a story that I should even care about? Or would I rather stay in my reality and not bother thinking about other possible ones? Well, let’s find out in the indie game review!

In What Lies in the Multiverse, you play as a kid simply known as The Kid, and you are on the verge of something incredible! A program that can genuinely simulate the multiverse… if there ever was such a thing. Well, it turns out that The Kid’s simulation program did a whole lot more than expected, and ultimately it causes a rift in the actual multiverse, teleporting him to all kinds of places.

Well, shortly after, The Kid meets Everett, a tall man in a big, Mad Hatter-like hat that travels across the multiverse freely as part of his work. The Kid asks to be his apprentice, and so begins our entertaining story. The two then travel across the multiverse investigating an anomaly, and it makes for a very fun and interesting puzzle platformer, as The Kid learns to shift between universes and can do so on command thanks to Everett.

The chemistry between The Kid and Everett is outstanding, and the comedy that generates from their interactions is one of the best parts of the game. I absolutely love how Everett is not fazed by anything, as it is all quite normal to him, but for The Kid, the concept of the multiverse is insane, lone enough traveling between them. The antics of these two and the story that unfolds is fantastic, and this is truly the highlight of the entire game, even if it does get dark at many points. It is a story worth experiencing, and one that ends wildly.

The gameplay rhythm in What Lies in the Multiverse is interesting, as each proceeding chapter takes The Kid to a new area that involves new puzzles. Basically, What Lies in the Multiverse is a “one screen” puzzle platformer, where The Kid is tasked with figuring out how to get to the next area using the environment as well as the traveling-between-universes ability.

The puzzles are not the most complex, but they are unique and fun thanks to the game’s multiverse gimmick. This is because the game is incredibly user-friendly, and it is a title that basically anyone can play, making it significantly more accessible than I expected. This allows players to truly enjoy the experience and story without the stress of getting stuck on any one part. Although I would have preferred a more challenging puzzle structure, the flow of What Lies in the Multiverse is stellar, as it is a smooth transition from one chapter to the next en route to the finale.

Puzzles use the environment around you, which includes things like water, ice, vines, and more that require multiverse switching in order to solve, but there are also objects and items in one universe that do not exist in the other. This is basically the core of the gameplay, and new environments and chapters will introduce new elements to spice things up a bit.

There are also secret areas hidden throughout the game that contain letters and mementos from individuals. They are usually quite dark, as The Kid is able to see them alive and well in one universe and dead or gone in the other. The letters and notes usually contain some heavy details that paint a horrific picture, which is quite the change from the natural setting of the story, but it gives a great glimpse into what a more devastating version of a universe can look like.

What Lies in the Multiverse is also a beautifully pixelated adventure that looks lovely all the way through. Flipping between universes flashes the many colors in the game, as one universe tends to be more bright and fun while the other is more dark and brooding. It gives you such an appreciation for all the extra detail presented in both universes throughout the game, and even more interesting is that moving things or people in one universe moves them in another… meaning moving a frozen corpse in one place will result in the living person moving to the same place in their universe.

The soundtrack is okay, but the real champion in the audio department are the sound effects, for which What Lies in the Multiverse excels in the way of comedy. There is a lot of slapstick in the storytelling side, and the way The Kid and Everett interact with each other coupled by the sound effects used makes the moments that much funnier. Even the text bubbles during the dialogs are animated so well, and the audio within those bubbles gives so much more life to the comedic story being told.

What Lies in the Multiverse is an amazing package that entertains from start to finish. The story takes about 6 hours to clear, but it feels like it goes by so quickly thanks to the game’s wonderful flow. The characters and the story being told are fantastic, making you possibly cry at points as well, and the game looks and sounds great in the process.

The only area that struggles a bit is the flow of puzzles. They never really felt like they evolved in difficulty, but there are moments where the platforming side of things spike the difficulty in an awkward way that doesn’t mesh well with how most of the puzzles work. Thankfully, dying is of very little consequence, so continuing is quick and easy.

All that said, What Lies in the Multiverse is an absolute blast and beyond worth the asking price. The Kid and Everett alone are worth the admission, and the story that unfolds is a unique one that sci-fi and comedy fans will adore. Definitely a sleeper hit on the Switch!

What Lies in the Multiverse Switch Review provided by Nintendo Link
Review also found on OpenCritic
Publisher: Untold Tales
Developers: Studio Voyager, IguanaBee
Release Date: March 4th, 2022
Price: $14.99, £13.49, €14,99
Game Size: 266 MB