Machinarium

Machinarium
Developer(s)	Amanita Design
Publisher(s)	Amanita Design, Daedalic Entertainment[1]
Distributor(s)	Amanita Design,[2] Valve Corporation,[3] GameFly,[4] GamersGate,[5] GameStop[6]
Designer(s)	Jakub Dvorský
Composer(s)	Tomáš Dvořák
Engine	Adobe Flash
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows OS X Linux PlayStation 3 (PSN) PlayStation Vita iPad 2 BlackBerry PlayBook Android
Release date(s)	October 16, 2009 Windows, OS X, Linux October 16, 2009 Collector's Edition UK March 5, 2010 PlayStation 3 (PSN) EU September 6, 2012[7] NA 20121009October 9, 2012 AS October 18, 2012 PlayStation Vita NA 20130326March 26, 2013 EU 20130501May 1, 2013 AS May 7, 2013 iPad 2 September 8, 2011[8] BlackBerry PlayBook November 21, 2011 Android May 10, 2012 Xbox 360 (XBLA) Cancelled Wii (WiiWare) Cancelled[9]
Genre(s)	Graphic Adventure
Mode(s)	Single-player
Distribution	Download, CD-ROM, DVD

Machinarium is a puzzle point-and-click adventure game developed by Amanita Design. It was released on October 16, 2009 for Microsoft Windows, OS X, Linux,^[10] on September 8, 2011 for iPad 2 on the App Store,^[11][12] on November 21, 2011 for BlackBerry PlayBook,^[13][14] on May 10, 2012 for Android,^[15][16] on September 6, 2012 on PlayStation 3's PSN in Europe,^[7] on October 9, 2012 in North America and on October 18, 2012 in Asia,^[17] and was also released for PlayStation Vita on March 26, 2013 in North America, on May 1, 2013 in Europe and on May 7, 2013 in Asia. Demos for Windows, Mac and Linux were made available on September 30, 2009. A future release for the Nintendo Wii's WiiWare service was cancelled as of November 2011 due to WiiWare's 40MB limit.^[18]

Microsoft Windows, OS X, Linux and Android versions of this game were released along with Humble Indie Bundle for Android 4 on November 8, 2012, to customers who paid over the average price.

Gameplay

A screenshot from Machinarium, demonstrating the hand-drawn backgrounds and the communication of objectives through pictorial thought bubbles.

The goal of Machinarium is to solve a series of puzzles and brain teasers. The puzzles are linked together by an overworld consisting of a traditional "point and click" adventure story. The overworld's most radical departure is that only objects within the player character's reach can be clicked on.

Machinarium is notable in that it contains no dialogue, spoken or written, and apart from a few tutorial prompts on the first screen, is devoid of understandable language entirely. The game instead uses a system of animated thought bubbles. Easter egg back story scenes in the same format can only be revealed by idling in certain areas.

The game employs a two-tier hint system. Once per level, the player can receive a hint, which becomes increasingly vague as the game progresses. Machinarium also comes with a walkthrough, that can be accessed at any time by playing a minigame. As with dialogue, the walkthrough is not in written or spoken form, but instead a series of sketches describing the puzzle at hand and its solution. However, the walkthrough only reveals what must be done in that area, and not how that puzzle relates to the game chronology.

Plot summary

Machinarium opens with an overview of the eponymous city as a disposal flier launches from its highest tower. The player character, a robot called Josef (named after Josef Čapek, the creator of the word "robot" and brother to Karel Čapek)^[19] is dumped on a scrapheap, where he re-assembles himself and sets off for the city. Entering the city, he discovers a plot by the Black Cap Brotherhood, his three thuggish antagonists, to blow up the city's tower. Unfortunately, he is himself discovered and locked up. After breaking out of prison, Josef aids the citizens of the city, as he discovers the mischief which the Brotherhood has been working. Shortly after flooding the bad guys' room (leaving them helpless), Josef locates his girlfriend Berta,^[20] who has been locked up and forced to cook. Unable to free her, he works his way to the top of the tower. He foils the Black Cap Brotherhood's plot by disarming the bomb taped to the tower. After preventing destruction, Josef climbs to the top of the tower where he finds the room where the story began. A huge-headed robot sits in the middle of the room, incapacitated and gibbering. Josef recalls how the three of them lived happily until the Black Cap Brotherhood zapped this friend, leaving him disabled, and kidnapped Berta. When a garbage sucker arrived to dispose of the Black cap thug, it gets Josef instead. After this revelation, Josef restores his friend to sanity, dumps the Brotherhood down a drain, and frees Berta. The two of them climb back to the tower, wave goodbye to their friend, and fly off into the sunset. In the final closing scene, their vehicle suffers a collision and falls, and they are seen being carried away separately by two fliers.

Development

Machinarium was developed over a period of three years, by seven Czech developers, who financed the project with their own savings. The marketing budget for the game was a scant $1,000.^[21]

The game was in development for the Xbox 360 platform for a period of six months; however, Microsoft, whom the developers had approached to publish the title on Xbox Live Arcade, ultimately decided not to do so. Microsoft does not allow games to be released on Xbox Live Arcade without a publisher attached to the title,^{[citation needed]} and the developers were reluctant to approach a third party to publish the game, as this would mean that profits for the developers from sales over Xbox Live Arcade would be greatly reduced. Subsequently, Amanita Design approached Sony, whose policies do allow for self-publishing on the PlayStation Network platform, and have submitted the game to them for approval, in order to release the game on the PlayStation Network.^[22]

Reception

Critical response

Machinarium was well-received on release; on the critic aggregate sites Game Rankings and Metacritic, the game has an average score of 84.78% and 85%, respectively.^[23][24]

In 2008, it won the Aesthetics award at IndieCade (the International Festival of Independent Games).^[30] It won the Excellence in Visual Art award at the 12th Annual Independent Games Festival^[31] and the Best Soundtrack award from PC Gamer in 2009.^[32] It was nominated for an Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction award by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences^[33] and a Milthon award in the 'Best Indie Game' category at the Paris Game Festival.^[34]

Gaming site Kotaku named it a runner-up for "PC Game of the Year 2009" alongside Torchlight, losing to winner Empire: Total War.^[35] Gamasutra, Gamerview and the Turkish site of Tom's Hardware all selected Machinarium as the 'Best Indie Game' of 2009.^[36][37][38] AceGamez named Machinarium the 'Best Traditional Adventure Game' of 2009.^[39]

Pirate amnesty

On August 5, 2010, Amanita Design announced that according to their estimates, only 5-15% of Machinarium players had actually paid for the game.^[40] In an effort to increase sales, the game's price was lowered from the regular $20 to $5 until August 12 so that pirates could redeem themselves, though the offer was also available to those who hadn't illegally downloaded the game.^[41] The campaign was later extended until August 16,^[42] resulting in 20,000 game copies sold over the whole amnesty period.^[43]

Editions

Jakub Dvorský, designer of Machinarium.

Tomáš Dvořák (Floex), composer of the soundtrack.

The Machinarium was released in several physical and digital formats.

• Physical:

1. Machinarium Collector's Edition (United Kingdom) - includes DVD with game, soundtrack in digital format, CD with soundtrack, printed walkthrough, A3 poster and concept art. Systems: Windows, Mac (no Linux).^[44]
2. Mашинариум (Machinarium) (Russian Edition) - includes DVD with game and CD with soundtrack. Systems: Windows, Mac (no Linux).^[45]
3. Machinarium (German Edition) - includes game disc, CD with soundtrack, Samorost 2 and poster. Systems: Windows, Mac (no Linux).^[46]
4. Machinarium (French Edition) - includes game disc, CD with soundtrack, Samorost 2 and poster. Systems: Windows, Mac (no Linux).^[47]
5. Machinarium (Italian Edition) - includes game disc. Systems: Windows (no Mac, no Linux).^[48]
6. Machinarium (Czech Edition) - includes game disc and MP3 soundtrack. Systems: Windows, Mac (no Linux).^[49]
7. Machinarium (Slovak Edition) - includes game disc and MP3 soundtrack. Systems: Windows, Mac (no Linux).^[50]
8. Machinarium (Polish Edition) - includes DVD with game, soundtrack and an EP album in FLAC/MP3 digital formats and poster. Systems: Windows, Mac. Packed in an "exclusive", metal box.^[51]

• Digital:

1. Amanita Design Store - includes Win, Mac and Linux versions of the game and soundtrack in FLAC/MP3 format. Was released on October 16, 2009.^[52]
2. Steam - includes Win and Mac versions of the game. Was released on October 16, 2009.^[53]
3. GOG.com - "Machinarium: Collector's Edition," recently added to the Good Old Games library, including the Win version, soundtrack, and various artwork and supplemental materials.^[54]
4. Desura - includes Win, Mac and Linux versions of the game and soundtrack. Was released on December 19, 2010 in conjunction with Humble Indie Bundle 2.^[55][56]
5. Impulse - includes Win version of the game.^[57]
6. Direct2Drive - includes Win version of the game.^[58]
7. GamersGate - includes Win and Mac versions of the game.^[59]
8. Mac App Store - includes Mac version of the game. Was released on March 18, 2011.^[60]
9. Playism (Japan) - includes Win and Mac versions of the game. Was released on May 11, 2011.^[61]

• Consoles:

1. PlayStation 3 (PSN) (as Ultimate Version) - released on September 6, 2012 in Europe,^[7] October 9, 2012 in North America and October 18, 2012 in Asia.^[17]

• Cancelled:

1. Xbox 360 (XBLA) - the game was in development for the Xbox 360 platform for a period of six months; however, Microsoft, whom the developers had approached to publish the title on Xbox Live Arcade, ultimately decided not to do so.^[22]
2. Wii (WiiWare) - the game was being scheduled for a release for the Nintendo Wii's WiiWare service, but as of November 2011, it has been cancelled due to WiiWare's 40MB limit.^[18]

• Handheld game consoles:

1. PlayStation Vita - released on March 26, 2013 in North America, on May 1, 2013 in Europe and on May 7, 2013 in Asia.

• Tablets:

1. iPad 2 - released on September 8, 2011.
2. BlackBerry PlayBook - released on November 21, 2011.
3. Android - released on May 10, 2012.

• Natively runs on another platforms:

1. HP TouchPad - natively runs Flash-based PC version.^[62]

Soundtrack

Other media

Josef has been featured as a playable character in a platform game Super Meat Boy,^[63] and makes a cameo in the puzzle game ilomilo.

Josef was also included in the Video Game Character alphabet, created by Fabian Gonzalez.^[64]

Machinarium and its soundtrack inspired the poem The Machingeon, written by Andrew Galan and published in Establishment Magazine Issue 1.^[65]

Josef is included in the "Good Friends" Character DLC pack for Runner2.

Sequel

It was mentioned that a sequel to Machinarium "is possible" but something the team has yet to fully consider. "We don't look far through the future", said Jakub Dvorský.^[66]

See also

• Art game
• The Humble Indie Bundle
• Samorost & Samorost 2
• Kooky

References

External links

• Official site with online Flash demo
• Amanita Design website
• Wake up to video game sleeper hits - MSNBC
• Windows, Mac and Linux demos