You command a cute little robot who is unceremoniously thrown out of his city with the trash. By pointing and clicking through the bleak steampunkish environment you can return him to his home, reunite him with his girlfriend, and even prevent a terrorist attack. Our hero has the ability to stretch and scrunch his body, making for some interesting puzzle opportunities. There is no dialogue but when the robot encounters someone he knows a thought bubble will appear that shows a short movie of a memory he has. There is a wonderful sense of whimsy despite the chilly atmosphere. The first few scenes are brief, one-screen challenges, but Machinarium soon opens up so that you may have to wander through multiple areas to find a solution.
Like many games in the genre you'll gather items along the way, which the robot will swallow and store until needed. When an object has served its purpose the game will remove it from your possession in some amusing way so that you aren't left trying to use it in the wrong situation. It also keeps you from accumulating a jumble of items to sort through when working on a puzzle.
The brutal difficulty will likely have you stumped even in the earlier scenes. A couple bones have been thrown to us by the developers, though. In the upper right corner of the screen you'll find a light bulb. Click it and a thought bubble will appear above the robot indicating the ultimate goal for that particular room. This is just a hint, though, and it won't reveal how to reach that goal. More useful is the built-in walkthrough that, while admittedly suspect, ends up being a necessary evil in this challenging game. Next to the aforementioned light bulb is a tome that can be clicked to initiate a brief 2D shooter mini-game. Complete that and you'll be granted a detailed visual walkthrough of the scene you are currently in.
The mini-game isn't arduous – it's more tedious and obnoxious than anything. It takes a couple minutes to complete, so it's really just an obstacle keeping you from overusing the walkthrough. Sometimes the hint book won't even spell everything out for you, so it's really not a cheat system. While this is a rather inventive way of helping players through the game, the fact that Machinarium needs a built-in walkthrough means the difficulty is cranked up a little too high. The developers have crafted a fascinating world here, and it would be more enjoyable to explore if we weren't being stumped so often.
There are also a couple interface issues that keep the gameplay from being as excellent as the visuals. The robot can only investigate things in his immediate vicinity, so you have to wait for him to walk clear across the room if the object in question is over there. Checking each room for all possible interactivity can be a little tiresome. And once he's in motion you can't alter his course until he's reached his goal.
Despite these complaints, Machinarium is still worth a playthrough. The visuals are stunning, and this little robot is able to communicate more emotion to the player than most videogame characters, despite the utter lack of dialogue. The music is also some of the best I've ever heard in a game. It's a subtle electronic soundscape that constantly shifts between making the player uneasy and calm.
