Best mute hero since Gordon Freeman
If you have played Samorost or its sequel (aptly named Samorost 2), you have some idea of what to expect from Machiniarium. A desolate and haunting world that is somehow also full of life and wonder, interspersed with odd characters that never speak and still manage to convey a depth and range of emotion that will surprise you. The art and the music are pitch perfect. The character design is haunting and expressive. Your avatar inhabits a world that seems to be dying with a whimper, rather than a bang. The last time I remember feeling like this I was playing an early section of Fallout 3, and discovered two skeletons embracing in a bombed out house. It is not all dark and dreary, but it is evocative.
The story follows a robot who is unceremoniously tossed from the city, and is told by thought or speech bubbles that contain a short black and white animation of previous events. Without getting too much into it, the method is effective and concise (most of the time), and works to keep the player immersed in the world. A talking soundtrack would only have detracted from the game, and the developers realized that to their great credit.
Enough about the arty stuff. Let's get to the mechanics. Machinarium is a point and click adventure game in the mid-90's style (in a good way). Veterans of Samorost might be surprised (as I was) to find themselves scratching their heads with greater frequency in Machinarium. Some puzzles require you to remember details from areas past, or exercise your visual acuity to distinguish the click-able from the mundane. I found some of the mind teasers tough, but they were rarely, if ever, unfair.
The game has a two tier hint system that will insure you never need to consult gamefaqs. If you are confused about where to go or what to do in a particular area, you can click on a little idea bubble in the top right hand corner and a thought will appear over your characters head indicating (generally) your next goal. Should you become so stuck you get to the point of frustration, there is also "the book". It sits next to the idea bubble, and contains a step by step walkthrough of each frame in the game. You will need to complete a small and not very challenging minigame to get to it, and you might find that playing the game cools you off enough to cancel your little foray onto easy street. It is an elegant and very welcome addition to the point and click adventure genre.
Overall, I have a hard time imagining a modern PC (or Mac!) gamer that would not enjoy Machinarium. It give you a simple time tested story inside a deep and inexplicable world. I could write paragraphs about each individual character, although most only flit briefly through the story. I hope you will give this wonderful indie game a chance, it is well worth the asking price.
