Robots need love, too.
In Amanita Design’s 2009 point-and-click, Machinarium, you play as Josef – a little robot with a big challenge: save the city and stop the Black Cap Brotherhood. How do we know who’s part of this shady brotherhood? Well, their hats may be a clue. Also, they’re pretty mean to everyone and want to destroy the city, which is sort of a ‘bad guy’ thing to do.
Like all heroes, though, Josef is motivated by more than “do the right thing”. He has a love, Berta, who was taken by the Black Cap Brotherhood, and he wants to save her. Berta is constantly on Josef’s mind, appearing throughout the game in flashbacks, which made me more determined to find her.
To save the city and your robo-lady, you have to delve into the city Machinarium through thirty levels of puzzles. Thirty levels may sound a little daunting, but the game only took me 3 hours to play. And don’t worry if you get a little stuck on the puzzles, the game’s handy guide book will help you out without actually telling you the answers. Or telling you anything…
Did I mention that there are no words in this game?
Yeah, that’s right. The story of our mechanical hero is told through amazing 2d hand-drawn artwork and fantastic music. No reading required!
Ten years on from it’s initial release, I still love this game. It’s fun, pretty, and wholesome. For Amanita Design’s first full-length game, it’s great. I wish more people had played it – and given it’s on almost every platform imaginable, I’m surprised it’s not mentioned more often.
I’m excited to see what Amanita Designs will do with their first non-point-and-click game, Creaks, which is due later this year. Machinarium is a pretty lively game with a love story at the heart of it, so it’ll be interesting to see how the company deal with something more horror based.
Either way, it’s on my radar, even if it isn’t Machinarium 2.
If you’d like to try out Machinarium, I have an affiliate link to the Collector’s Edition from HumbleBundle. You get the game, soundtrack, and artbook. You won’t pay any extra, but I do get some financial kick-back from people using the code.
https://www.humblebundle.com/store/machinarium-collectors-edition?partner=panaceaplays
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