You control a lovable little robot on his emotional quest through this world of broken machinery. (The same layering technique is used in several new adventure/puzzle games, like World of Goo and Aquaria). The art is 2-D, but the multi-layer techniques make the game a 3-D experience. Lots of rusty reds and oxidized-copper greens. If you've ever seen the movie "The City of Lost Children" you'll have an idea of what to expect visually. The hand-painted art depicts a decaying industrial future. ![]() The look of the game sets a unique mood right from the start. It's a one-of-a-kind adventure/puzzle game that is visually gorgeous, mentally engaging and surprisingly funny. Machinarium is everything that independent games can be. I also enjoyed the darker, steampunkish setting. It's like playing the main character in a cartoon movie. So, even though I'm a twitch gamer (Grand Theft Auto and CounterStrike are some of my favourite games), I enjoyed playing through this game. I'm not sure if that's typical of puzzle games or not, since I don't often play them. I still look back and think "I never in a million years would have gotten that solution without the walkthrough". Why do I recommend it? This game is so well drawn and so cute that I really wanted to finish it, even though it meant resorting to the online walkthrough more often than not. However, I also recommend finding a good online walkthrough to reference when you get stuck. If you are like me, then you may be surprised that I still recommend getting Machinarium. I like puzzles that are easy to medium in difficulty, and I absolutely hate sitting there staring at something, totally lost. I am not someone who typically enjoys "puzzle games". I got Machinarium as part of the last MacUpdate bundle. In sum: The puzzles are very good if you are a patient person, and the music and artwork are second to none. These points are very minor, though, and shouldn't deter anyone. I have a couple of extremely minor quibbles with gameplay: Dragging the robot's head up and down gets tiresome on the mouse-finger, and there is actually one dead-end in the game (so be sure to save!) It would also be nice to have the ability to transport saved games between computers. I enjoyed Machinarium more than Myst in part because I could survey each scene without losing my orientation in first-person navigation. In terms of difficulty, I'd say that they're a bit easier than the puzzles in the original Myst or Riven. ![]() The puzzles are complex, but not impossibly so, as long as you have enough patience to truly immerse yrself in them. Although the soundtrack is the perfect atmospheric accompaniment to Machinarium, the fact that an "improved" version is sold with the game is a testament to its high quality. Even the little "jazz trio" in the middle of the game plays a perfect notion of "robot jazz": Not swung, yet also not dry. However, the only thing perhaps better than the art is the soundtrack, which I find unequaled in any other game I have ever played. The art is meticulously done, the characters are insanely cute, and everything about the game is pure eye-candy. I just finished it a couple days ago, and I am seriously jonesing for more of the same - I'd already played Samorost 1/2. Machinarium is hands-down, the best game I have played in a decade. Communication: you won't find any lengthy boring dialogs in this game, characters talk by comic bubbles with simple animations and symbols.Music: beautiful original soundtrack was composed and recorded by Floex (Samorost2 OST).Graphics: backgrounds and characters are 2D hand-drawn and there is more then one hour of carefully crafted animations. ![]()
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