Didgeridoos, Dancing Robots and Dastardly Puzzles
I suck at puzzle games. I don't have the patience or the outside-the-box thinking ability to be any good at them. But I loved Machinarium. The game's robot protagonist and his simple tale of (admittedly light hearted) redemption and revenge absolutely captivated me for probably close to 12-14 hours. The game is not really that long (I'm bad at these, remember?), but it certainly could be, and it would hold my attention. I realize this is getting fan-boyish, so let me stop and break the game down a bit.
Machinarium relies mostly on technology and concepts that were popular in the early 90s. It is a side-scrolling, point and click game running on (I suspect) a modified Flash platform. This is not technical wizardry on a scale comparable to most big budget games, nor is it supposed to be. The relatively low system req's means that almost anyone can play this game on any machine, which makes it widely accessible. The simplicity of the game's technical bits also allow it to run very smoothly, although there are some points where the game can occasionally freeze. Machinarium didn't need to be elaborate to work--in fact, it's probably better that it isn't. The simple point and click nature of the game coupled with the sometimes mind-bending puzzles provides enough complexity as is.
Game play, as I said, is largely straightforward. You point the robot protagonist (I've heard his name is Josef, but I can't be sure, so he'll remain "robot protagonist.") towards an area you'd like to investigate, then mouse over various aspects of the environment until you get a little hand that indicates you can interact with it. Sometimes clicking the object is enough to make it do something, other times you need to use an item from your inventory to interact with it. If something can't be done, the robot shakes his head and shrugs. Adorably. Sometimes the hotspots are really picky, but this is a problem that is inherent in these types of games. One gamer may think that the hotspot was too generous, and another may spend an hour clicking each and every pixel to find which one triggers an event. You progress in this fashion from area to area, solving puzzles along the way.
If you're absolutely terrible with the puzzles, as I was for most of the game, you can get several in-game hints. In each level, there is a button you can push that will reveal some key aspect of your current environment or task, which hopefully will shunt you in the right direction. There is only one hint per level though, so occasionally the hint doesn't apply to what you're doing. If you still can't figure it out, you can unlock a more complete comic-book style solution to the level via a side scrolling shooter mini-game. I got very good at playing that mini-game.
The last aspect that I think needs to be addressed is where Machinarium really shines: artistic direction. This is a gorgeous game. The art style is absolutely sublime. The music is fantastic. The robot protagonist is undeniably likable and cute. The overall tone of Machinarium is a mix between the Disney/Pixar movie Robots and some of illustrator Lane Smith's work. The way the characters and environments are constructed are very Robots, but without the shiny edge. The color palette is muted and worn-in, with rusty textures and water stains everywhere. The somewhat off-kilter characters are reminiscent of Smith's illustrations, as is the mind boggling array of textures present in the game. I really have problems describing to you the sheer beauty of the Machinarium world--you need to experience it for yourself. The sound design is also great. There is not a word of dialogue in the game; all characters interact through speech bubbles filled with pictures. This doesn't hurt the game at all though, as the plot is still amply clear. The music is great too--an eclectic blend of techno, jazz and almost atmospheric noise. It adds another layer to the environment you're experiencing, and marries perfectly with it. Special props go out to the saxophone/drum/didgeridoo trio.
I wouldn't write a review of a game that didn't truly impress me in every way. There are shortcomings to Machinarium, but they are few and far between. It is a beautiful, captivating and entertaining game that all should experience, if only to see the robots dance.
