With the world seemingly falling apart right now, we could all use an escape from time to time. Gaming provides that, to many, but there’s a particular game I’ve always fallen back to when the going gets tough: Amanita Design’s excellent 2009 point-and-click Machinarium.
A charming and artful ode to LucasArts classics, Machinarium recently got ported to the Xbox One. It’s also available on Xbox Game Pass for both Microsoft’s console and PC, meaning you can try it out for the low price of $1 (if you’re a new subscriber). I strongly urge that, too, as this is a game that is seemingly immune to aging.
Taking a page out of 90s adventure game design, you’ll be sometimes dealing with moon logic to solve puzzles that are a little obtuse. What makes Machinarium more approachable is that a very generous hint system is included with newer ports. While a single vague hint is given to push you in the right direction, you can play a short mini-game that’ll outright give you the answer if you’re completely stumped. It helps keep you grounded in this world so that you’re not pulling up a guide or utilizing outside sources.
There’s also an absolutely incredible soundtrack from artist Tomas Dvorak. It’s kind of a fusion of jazz and atmospheric sci-fi overtones, creating a mood that feels otherworldly. It matches the rather stark art style, which looks painterly on a big display. The recent ports of it feature HD visuals with the PC version even boasting 4K, so it’s definitely an audio/visual treat with the right setup.
What really keeps me coming back is how the story is presented. Without a lick of dialogue, Machinarium conveys exactly what it needs to to get the player up to speed. We learn that Josef has bullied by these two jerk robots and that they’ve captured his girlfriend. We see other citizens of the titular Machinarium have also been on the receiving end of abuse from the evil duo.
It may be simplistic, but it moves at such a smooth pace that you never get bored. With the game only taking a few hours to complete, it even avoids the issue some older adventure titles had with padding out their length. It’s just a super fun, creative, and joyful way to spend an afternoon.
Obviously there are parallels you can draw to the real world here, but I’ll let someone far smarter than me put on their psychology cap. All I know is, Machinarium brings a smile to my face each time that I play it. I would 100% recommend it at full price, though you can obviously wait for a sale. Either way, give it a go. You might just find that a new favorite was lurking under your nose this whole time.
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