MACHINARIUM is a 2009 singleplayer point-and-click puzzle adventure by Amanita Design, makers of the game Chuchel that I played earlier this month. I’ve been wanting to play it for several years, but for one reason or another, never got around to it.
Since this week’s Try-It Tuesday falls on my birthday, and since I enjoyed Chuchel so much, I decided to finally play MACHINARIUM.
If you’ve ever played a point-and-click adventure game, you’ll understand the basics: Find objects and figure out how to use those objects to progress. Sometimes you’ll need keys to unlock something, a ticket or code in order to open a door, a tool to make or break something, or your wits to solve a puzzle.
MACHINARIUM offers a unique art style, mysterious world and compelling story for our charming little protagonist, a robot named Josef. You begin the game in a junkyard and work your way back into the city, as the story unfolds through environmental storytelling and animated thought bubbles.
Many puzzle adventures are set in the human world and filled with things we easily recognize and understand. But in MACHINARIUM, I enjoyed the challenge of playing in an imaginary robotic reality, because I couldn’t be sure exactly how to interact with my strange surroundings. How would I obtain sunflower oil in a metal city, make a cigarette for a robotic inmate, or lure a mechanical dog back to its owner?
I spent about 6 hours playing MACHINARIUM and earning all 12/12 achievements. The videos are edited down to about two and a half hours total, so that gives you some idea of how much time I wandered around experimenting and trying to figure things out.
MACHINARIUM is rated “E” for everyone 10+, with comic mischief and depictions of smoking. At one point, a robotic “cat” is stunned with electricity but not harmed. Some of the puzzles and game mechanics may be challenging for younger players, but there’s an in-game hint book and an online wiki.
The video above includes levels 1-10. If you’re looking for other levels, check out my other Machinarium videos below.
~ J.L. Hilton
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