Zak: 10
Machinarium by Amanita Design is a perfect 10 in my book. This puzzle game features perfect graphics and great sounds effect. The game ran smooth with no technical issues and is reminiscent of Amanita’s previous Samorost games, but set in a raw steampunk world. As for the story, the player begins with a robot which has to solve puzzles and sneak back into the city from whence he came. The puzzles vary in difficultly, but there are a few clues to help the player along. You just need to know where to look. The game features some beautiful and quality hand-drawn artwork and I must say the whole package won me over. Go get it!

Peter: 8
Machinarium is a hand-drawn point-and-click adventure about a small robot’s journey. Nobody talks, but the visuals and sound effects give you a pretty good sense of what’s going on. The little guy reacts slowly to your controls, but that could just be because the demo is played in a browser. The three rooms presented in the demo are from the prologue, and you have to help the robot put himself together, fool a guard and sneak into a city. The puzzles are pretty clever, and each puzzle serves to advance the plot, which isn’t always the case in adventure games. If I were a fan of this kind of game, I would probably own this now.

Colt: 10
It has sentiment without being sentimental. It’s Fantastic Planet, Dystopian, Orwellian. It begins where Samorost left off. It oozes emotion and mood from simple gestures and thought bubbles, our hero and his woman holding hands. Its puzzles are clever and rewarding, even after a half-hour of thinking. It has heart, under the alienating and amazing music, the industrial prison; it’s a loyal dog laying at your feet, the warm feeling after slugging back bourbon. It’s name is Machinarium. Pleased to meet you.

Andrew: 9
The unique visual appeal of this game is practically undeniable. This dystopian junkyard adventure game has tons of appeal, and a great grasp on the aspects of the genre that make it great. Beyond just the visuals though, the sound design in this game is incredible. The soundtrack is eerie and atmospheric, and the minimal sound effects bring creatures to life like you wouldn’t think possible. All of this works together to bring to life a world that is at once bleak and grim, and yet interesting and brimming with robotic life. Plus the demo doesn’t even require a download so there’s no excuse not to give it a try.

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