Machinarium for Mac

Congratulations surviving the summer games drought! I barely made it through with only the Marathon series and a list of release dates for the winter to console me. Fortunately karma is alive and well in the gaming industry because our reward for such an awful summer is a holiday smorgasbord packed with highly-anticipated titles. However don’t let the banquet distract you from some excellent independent hits quietly being released. One such title is Machinarium, an ingenious game that provides AAA quality on an indie’s budget.

Machinarium is a point-and-click adventure developed by Amanita Design, the people behind the superb flash games Samorost & Samorost 2. In keeping with the developer’s theme of exploring bizarrely beautiful worlds established in their previous titles, Machinarium is set in a futuristic world consisting solely of robots. The focus of the game is an unnamed robot who is mysteriously dismantled and dumped at the outskirts of a large city. It’s up to the player to help put the little guy back together and determine why anyone would throw away such an adorable robot (at least that’s how I interpreted it). Divulging anymore would ruin some well-crafted moments.

Gameplay doesn’t stray far from the traditional point-and-click adventure. You reach an area which requires you to perform a specific action to advance. You then proceed to rub every item in your inventory onto everything onscreen until combining the appropriate items and advance to the next screen where you are given a new puzzle to solve. Machinarium doesn’t break any new ground here, though its cleverly designed puzzles do demonstrate a perfect execution of the concept. Each puzzle has a unique solution which requires some very creative thinking; how else would one ever determine that toilet paper and mildew could be used to escape prison? I also found a deep sense of satisfaction upon completing each task, the true sign of a top-quality puzzler.

A challenge for any point-and-click game is to develop a detailed world without overwhelming the player with excessive interaction options, and Machinarium found a perfect balance. The robotic cityscape provides an excellent setting for outlandish bits and bobs which excited my child-like curiosity and drew me deeper into the overall experience. I often found myself captivated by the mechanical wonders I’d discover upon reaching a new area and would spend my time playing with the new gadgets instead of attempting to solve the next challenge. Machinarium provides an immersive world where I can lose myself but still clearly maintain my objectives thanks to the simplistic design and décor.

Machinarium boasts a well-crafted difficulty curve, ranging from easy to cursing-the-heavens hard. After beginning with a tutorial to ease new players of the genre into the game, the first puzzles I encountered primarily focused on thinking of innovative ways to use my surroundings in order to progress. This style of problem solving was very reminiscent of the challenges encountered in the Samorost titles as well as most point-and-click games. However at several points in the game I noticed a sudden change in the gameplay to outright puzzle solving. While not completely unexpected given the nature of the title, I did find it a bit aggravating to have my progress slowed to a halt simply because I don’t understand the theory behind winning tic-tac-toe variants or possess a basic grasp of music theory. I also feel that these more traditional puzzles lacked the same sense of ingenuity exemplified by the remaining problems. It’s as though the developers wanted to stretch out the game length, so they took the toughest Sudoku they could find and tossed it into the game. Although it may still be a fun Sudoku, it is nothing special.

Thankfully Amanita Design anticipated that not every gamer is a puzzle-solving champ and added a hint system that provides one free clue for each screen. If the hint is not enough help, you also have the option to look at a strategy guide at any time. However to view it you must play through a short side-scrolling shooter each time, which is a brilliant way to prevent player frustration if completely stuck on a puzzle while also discouraging players from sneaking a peek out of laziness. Expect to see this concept a permanent staple for all future titles of the genre.

Only a mere look at the screenshots is needed to realize that the developers poured their heart and soul in Machinarium’s artwork and produced a graphical style rivaling that of a big-budget title. I quickly found myself enamored with the character designs. In particular I began to relate and empathize strongly with the main character. He was crafted to be the perfect underdog; I couldn’t help but root for him to succeed as the game progresses. Machinarium completes its artistic vision with a musical score comprised of elegant ambience that works in harmony with the quiet cityscape to calm the mind after trying the same puzzle for the hundredth time.

Despite my critiques about the difficulty and lack of creativity of a few puzzles, these are minor quibbles in light of such a well executed game. After you finish playing through those big name titles this holiday season, I recommend picking up Machinarium. Its simple yet stylish gameplay makes it the perfect dessert after such a feast.