If you like point and click style games from the 90s such as Monkey Island, Machinarium is a game you simply have to play. This is a lovely looking and cleverly designed point-and-click adventure game and it is the kind of game that sticks with you for many years once you have beaten it as it is such a memorable experience.
How to Download Machinarium
This 2009 masterpiece can be downloaded on the platform of your choice, be it Windows, PS3, PS4, Nintendo Switch or Android. There is even a free demo for you to try. If you like this one, you should also check our reviews of other adventure games by Amanita Design: Botanicula (2012) and Chuchel (2018).
The Game Review
Most other point-and-click games you play such as Monkey Island or Full Throttle, for example, are very heavily story-driven. Machinarium has a story that is set in a metal world occupied by robots. You play as a robot who awakens on the scrap heap and uncovers a plot about these bullies that are up to no good.
The story is very simple, but apart from before you actually play the game, there is no voice or text in this game pushing the story along. Instead, the story unfolds through what you are doing and with these thought bubbles. It sounds weird, but it kind of adds to the charm of the game. Of course, this is at the expense of a more straightforward and easier to follow the story.
The art style of Machinarium is probably the first thing that really captures your attention. It looks like it was drawn by some kind of classy artist. This metal world is lovely and the way each “area” is one screen has allowed the artist to really cut loose and create some excellent works of art. I even like the sound design and feel that it goes with those lovely visuals very well.
Now let’s get on to the gameplay. As far as point-and-click adventure games go, Machinarium plays it rather safe. Your robot can only interact with things that are close to him. So, you cannot just scramble the mouse all over the screen looking for something to interact with. You have to make sure your robot is close by in order to touch it.
The game involves finding an item and figuring out where to use that item. I like the way that the game eases you in thanks to the early puzzles having the item and where they are used confined to a single screen. Puzzles do get harder as you progress and some can be quite cryptic, but that is where the game hints system comes into play.
The first hint system is told through a thought bubble and it points you in the right direction. You can also get a more “comic book” style hint. This is fun as you have to take part in a little shooting game in order to get it. I do not think that many of the puzzles are overly cryptic, but the hint system is quite clever and fun to use.
I think that Machinarium is a very interesting point-and-click adventure game. It has an art style and presentation that makes it a very memorable experience. It is strange how it is rather lacking in the story department, but I still think this is well worth playing through if you are a fan of the genre.
