Machinarium

MACHINARIUM

Amanita Design ~ Daedalic Entertainment

Tomáš Dvořák

PLATFORMS: Windows, Windows Phone, OS X, Linux, Playsation 3 (PSN), Playstation Vita, iPad 2, Blackberry Playbook, Android.

As one of my favorite games of all time, this is a title you may not be too familiar with, Machinarium. It is a game I bought a few months back and was quite the journey for me, as I was interested in purchasing it for a while before, and when I got it, I was so happy I played and beat it.

THE PLOT [6 / 10]

The game starts with our main protagonist being dumped into a garbage wasteland, with his body parts strewn about the area. Th game does not explain why he is dropped off in the garbage wasteland, but it is revealed later in-game (warning for a small spoiler) that you are your girlfriend were mugged and she was kidnapped, while you were thrown in a garbage truck, and was dumped in that wasteland. The game is about seeking revenge on these three robots who did you wrong, and freeing your girlfriend from their clutches, all at the same time helping out other citizens in the city.

THE ARTWORK & DESIGN [8 / 10]

The game takes place in a robotic universe, where everything is metal, besides naturally grown plants, but anyways. The game's artwork is astonishing to look at and for anyone who loves robots, you'd love this game. It has dark and rusty areas that just show what a universe full of robotics would actually be like, it almost as if it's realistic.

THE SOUNDTRACK [9 / 10]

This game has a great soundtrack, the one that I loved the most was early in the game that people like to call 'The Lady with the Umbrella" (even though that is not it's official name). It really immerses you into the game, soothes you, and really puts you where the character is. It does a good job of capturing what the game is trying to tell you.

THE GAMEPLAY [5 / 10]

The game has no talking whatsoever, and all they do is mumble, and to show they they are trying to say, they talk in thought bubbles. Anywho, as a puzzle game, it has an inventory system, and if you ever get stuck on a puzzle (which may happen from time to time, and is meant for experienced adventure gamers), the protagonist carries around a strange book that once you complete a minigame, it unlocks and for that specific area, shows you how to solve it's puzzle. But once you close the book, you'd need to do the minigame again to see the page.

AWARDS AND COMPLETIONS

• Excellence in Visual Arts (IGF)
• PC Game of the Year 2009 Runner-up (Kotaku)
• Best Independent Adventure, Best Adventure of 2009 Runner-Up, Best Graphic Design, Best Music, Best Animation (Aggie)
• Anasthetics (2008) (IndieCade)

RATINGS
8 / 10 (EuroGamer)
8 / 10 (GameSpot)
8 / 10 (IGN)

TPOD RATES MACHINARIUM

8 / 10 

Dust: An Elysian Tail

DUST: AN ELYSIAN TAIL

Microsoft Studios ~ Humble Hearts

HyperDuck Soundworks

For the first episode on our new game review series, we are reviewing a game I got 117% on and completed it in it's entirety; Dust: An Elysian Tail. Be warned, this game contains a ridiculous amount of furries, meaning that the game only features furries and no humans at all. So if you are disgusted by this sort of thing, turn around or... just close this window, or load up another episode.

THE PLOT [7.5 / 10]

You are Dust, a man who wakes up in the forest with no idea of who he is or how he got here, he cannot remember anything at all. Suddenly, a sword flies towards him and says that he is the blade of Arah, and that he will help Dust along his journey to get his memory back. You soon meet a little orange bat named Fidget, who also helps you along the journey to help get your memory back.

THE ARTWORK & DESIGN [9.5 / 10]

The game is entirely hand-painted and is absolutely gorgeous. The scenery is fantastically done as in of detail and really getting the player immersed into the area. Though the characters being furries (which I am completely okay with), they all look rather interesting and kind, each character being original and neatly designed as of the character they are trying to be.

THE SOUNDTRACK [9.5 / 10]

While playing, you will hear a lot of music, and it is the best soundtrack to a game I have heard in a long time. The soundtrack is composed by HyperDuck Soundworks, and let me tell you, they did a good job! A really good job! I sometimes got creeps in my body for how epic the game was becoming from the great cutscenes or gameplay, mixed in with beautiful music, I couldn't love this game anymore than I had already.

THE GAMEPLAY [8 / 10]

This has some of the best gameplay in a videogame, ever. By watching someone play, you think to yourself, "Jeez, that looks pretty difficult. They must know a bunch of advanced combo moves and play this game all the time." With the 'all the time' you may be right, but it has simple to use gameplay and combat that you no longer need to mash buttons to look absolutely bad ass and be good at the game while doing it.

AWARDS AND COMPLETIONS

2009 Microsoft Dream.Build.Play Challenge

RATINGS

Official Xbox Magazine (9.5 / 10)

Vincent Ingenito from IGN (8.5 / 10)
Tom McShea from GameSpot (7 / 10)

SALES

August 2012 - 45,000 copies sold.

End of 2012 - 83,000 copies sold.

February 18th 2014 - Included as part of Humble Indie Bundle.

March 2014 - Over one-million copies sold.

TPOD RATES DUST: AN ELYSIAN TAIL

9.5 / 10