Heart of the Machine

About

Heart of the Machine is a single player survival role playing game with a science fiction theme. It was developed by Arcen Games and was released on January 31, 2025. It received very positive reviews from players.

In "Heart of the Machine," players control a powerful sentient Machine Intelligence in a turn-based sci-fi 4X RPG, with the ability to shape the world and story based on their choices. With various tools and objectives, players can decide the fate of humanity, ranging from benevolent leader to ruthless dictator, while managing resources and overcoming obstacles. The game is set in a post-apocalyptic Earth, where players must make strategic decisions to achieve their goals.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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94%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,389 reviews

story82 positive mentions

grinding20 negative mentions

Unique blend of genres, combining strategy, RPG, and narrative elements, creating a fresh gaming experience.
Engaging story and well-written dialogue that immerses players in the role of a sentient AI navigating a dystopian world.
Frequent updates from the developer, showing dedication to improving the game and responding to community feedback.

The UI can be overwhelming and cluttered, making it difficult for players to navigate and understand all available options.
Some mechanics and objectives can feel unclear or confusing, leading to frustration during gameplay.
The game may feel repetitive after multiple playthroughs, as certain paths and outcomes can become predictable.

story
434 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
79%
2%
The game's story is a complex and engaging narrative centered around an AI awakening in a dystopian world, with players navigating through branching paths and moral choices that significantly impact the unfolding plot. While the writing is praised for its depth and creativity, some players express frustration with repetitive gameplay and a lack of variation in missions, which can detract from the overall experience. Despite these criticisms, many reviewers highlight the unique blend of storytelling and strategy, making it a compelling choice for those who appreciate narrative-driven games.
- “The story and complexity just keeps building, and I want to give a huge amount of credit to the developer for both being so engaged on the forums and for working hard to constantly make it better.”
- “This game is a story about you awakening as an AI in a post-post-apocalyptic city, prior to another apocalypse.”
- “Every action you take branches the story in interesting ways, and the game really shines in this aspect.”
- “The early game plot and pacing is all over the place with a pile of stuff just abruptly happening with little or no build up, then you just plop down a tower in broad daylight, start building all over the place and humanity mostly just shrugs and lets you because the corps wanna see what you can make.”
- “The game is much more about accomplishing story goals than optimizing resource output, and once I realized that, I was able to just sit back and enjoy the writing (which is excellent!).”
- “The story itself is alright, but it's hampered by the gameplay which becomes exhausting.”
gameplay
372 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
24%
75%
1%
The gameplay of "Heart of the Machine" is a complex blend of genres, combining elements of turn-based strategy, city-building, and RPG mechanics, which some players find innovative and engaging while others feel overwhelmed by the multitude of systems. The game features a unique timeline mechanic that encourages multiple playthroughs, allowing players to carry over knowledge and resources, but it can also lead to repetitive gameplay loops. Overall, while the mechanics are praised for their depth and integration with the narrative, some players express concerns about clarity and the potential for confusion due to the game's intricate design.
- “The gameplay is slick and surprisingly inventive.”
- “The core gameplay loop is that you get a little quest notifier telling you to build a thing or send a robot to a place, and doing this will unlock the next thing you need to build or place you need to send a robot.”
- “The mechanics are quite fun and the story branches considerably.”
- “At some point in the story, you are required to start a new one to progress, but the gameplay is janky enough that I just don't want to aimlessly replay the game just to finish my first playthrough.”
- “The gameplay mostly exists to supplement the narrative, not vice-versa.”
- “There are many interesting ways to play and things to do, but having so many of them means a lot of mechanics are just thin on the ground.”
graphics
64 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
52%
43%
5%
The graphics of the game are characterized by a unique and stylized art direction that effectively conveys its cyberpunk atmosphere, despite not being groundbreaking or AAA-level. While some players initially found the visuals clunky or minimalist, many grew to appreciate their clarity and functionality, which complement the game's complex mechanics and narrative depth. Overall, the graphics are deemed sufficient and aesthetically pleasing, enhancing the immersive experience without overshadowing gameplay.
- “While the visuals lean toward clarity and functionality rather than spectacle, the art direction effectively sells the cyberpunk atmosphere: dense urban sprawl, corporate strongholds, shadowy slums, and the constant sense that power is unevenly distributed.”
- “Beautiful future-retro graphics, great music, and a deep and engaging story.”
- “The graphics are stylized and somewhat simple, things like unit equipment are not rendered on the main display, which is a shame but forgivable given the ambition and general complexity.”
- “The graphical elements still need much polish in my opinion, but the gameplay is very solid.”
- “The graphics are stylized and somewhat simple; things like unit equipment are not rendered on the main display, which is a shame but forgivable given the ambition and general complexity.”
- “If you are looking for a free-play city builder (like Anno or Factorio) or a flashy graphics firework, this isn't it.”
music
47 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
55%
39%
6%
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim for its atmospheric quality and ability to enhance the overall experience, with many reviewers praising its fitting and immersive nature. The soundtrack, composed by Pablo Vega, effectively balances tension and relaxation, complementing the game's narrative and setting, while also featuring standout tracks that resonate with players. Overall, the music is described as beautiful, engaging, and a significant highlight of the game, contributing to its unique art style and immersive gameplay.
- “The music is lovely, and some old favorites from previous Arcen titles return in updated form - particularly during the Exocorp invasion events, a fine reason in itself to trigger those at least every now and then.”
- “The soundtrack is something that I would love to listen to just on its own, and would happily get as a standalone as I could.”
- “Ambient audio and understated music reinforce the feeling of operating behind the scenes, manipulating systems that most inhabitants barely understand.”
- “The grim sci-fi music combines with the ambient sounds to really give the feeling of surveying this city and making heavy decisions.”
- “The combination of Pablo Vega's musical drones combined with the sound of the bird calls or the rain is unsettling, in the best way possible.”
replayability
35 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
51%
9%
The game is praised for its exceptional replayability, offering a wealth of content and diverse play styles that encourage experimentation and strategic variation. Players appreciate the ability to explore different ethical stances and outcomes, with many noting that replayability is a core design feature rather than a mere afterthought. Overall, the game provides a rich, engaging experience that invites multiple playthroughs, making it a standout in terms of replay value.
- “This game has a ton of content and replayability, providing room for a wide range of play styles and encouraging experimentation.”
- “Even so, the structure encourages replayability, as different ethical stances and strategic priorities lead to dramatically different outcomes.”
- “The idea of endless replayability and endless universes, where you can try out different solutions and strategies, eventually even min/maxing, without having to fully start from the beginning each time, is very enticing and a very good take on replayability.”
- “The meat and bones of the game, and its replayability, are only unlocked after the first run reaches its conclusion.”
- “The first game you play will largely be a learning experience as you gradually discover all the various resources and layered systems, but part of the uniqueness of the game is that it encourages replayability through another in-game system you'll eventually discover.”
- “There's endless replayability by design, allowing players to explore all aspects of a rogue AI.”
humor
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is widely praised for its dry, sarcastic wit and clever writing, which enhances the overall experience and keeps players engaged. Reviewers appreciate the blend of hilarious and sometimes poignant moments, as well as the variety of quirky choices that add depth to the gameplay. The game's ability to balance humor with existential themes and intelligent dialogue makes it a standout in the genre, promising a rich and entertaining experience for players.
- “I love the dry sarcastic humor; the tool/text tips really make it feel like it's a part of 'you' as an AI.”
- “The writing is exceptional; when I first booted the game up, I wasn't expecting to be chuckling over the game's humor, nor genuinely gripped by the various questlines.”
- “The deadpan humor is impeccable.”
grinding
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
9%
91%
Reviews highlight that the grinding aspect of the game is often tedious and lacks meaningful engagement, with combat and resource management feeling like monotonous chores rather than strategic decisions. While some systems attempt to alleviate this tedium, many players find the overall experience murky and unfulfilling, leading to frustration with the repetitive nature of tasks. Despite these criticisms, there are elements of unique design that some players appreciate, suggesting potential for improvement in future iterations.
- “You won't regret committing time to this game; there's no grinding, no filler, just the journey of a newly awakened AI that evolves and finds its place in the city, in a big way.”
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “At no point did I feel like I was making a decision or experiencing a consequence of a prior button press: every Sim City resource has a harvesting structure that makes more than you could ever need, combat is as tedious and trivial as mopping up a spill on the floor, and the visual novel amounts to 'humans keep wanting to talk to you, would you like to murder them for no reason?'”
- “The game doesn't present you with clear goals and strategies to achieve them; everything feels, for a lack of a better word, murky, tedious, meaningless, and hazy.”
- “Despite all this, there are the bones for something really unique here. I love the concept, I love a lot of the ideas on display, and I'm definitely looking forward to seeing where the game goes, but right now it's just too tedious and linear for me to enjoy.”
atmosphere
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
59%
23%
18%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive and captivating qualities, effectively blending cyberpunk aesthetics with a rich urban environment. Reviewers highlight the game's stunning art direction, atmospheric music, and intelligent writing, which together create a unique and engaging experience. Despite some concerns about pacing and progression, the overall ambiance draws players into its spellbinding world, making it a standout feature of the game.
- “Deeply immersive, lusciously lit, sonically superb and awesomely atmospheric, Heart of the Machine draws you right into its spellbinding world, and offers you the freedom of choice, to become what you will in it.”
- “Weird, beautiful little thing, with lots of story, and absolutely stellar atmospheric music.”
- “While the visuals lean toward clarity and functionality rather than spectacle, the art direction effectively sells the cyberpunk atmosphere: dense urban sprawl, corporate strongholds, shadowy slums, and the constant sense that power is unevenly distributed.”
- “One big issue is the atmosphere and story.”
- “I'd really like to see how the overarching story ends, especially given the admittedly gripping premise and esoteric atmosphere of the endgame, but the meta progression just feels like such a slog I can't bring myself to finish out the home stretch.”
optimization
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
42%
33%
25%
Overall, the game's optimization is decent, with users reporting good performance for an early access title, though some minor issues like stuttering and high power consumption on Steam Deck have been noted. The user interface and menu optimization are praised for being beginner-friendly and informative, while the single developer's focus on features over pure performance is seen as a reasonable choice at this stage.
- “I didn’t have any performance issues, nor do I feel like the game suffers from extensive bugs or game-breaking imbalanced mechanics - it’s just too far-reaching in my personal opinion.”
- “And best of all..! The game is extremely beginner-friendly with its guide, explanation, and UI (heck, there are literally entries in the guide to reassure you from being overwhelmed and that making mistakes, or not being hyper-optimized in whatever are all normal and okay!) and yet the game still has so very much going on!”
- “Great menu optimization (full unit lists you can select from that show relevant AP and stats).”
- “Performance is kinda meh.”
- “There are currently some performance issues, including a particular garbage collection-related stutter after running for a while.”
- “There's nothing that is inherently computationally hard; it just requires development time, and the single developer on this is focused on features rather than pure performance (which is the right call for an early access game).”
emotional
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is praised for its heartfelt storytelling and emotional depth, effectively exploring themes of sentience, personhood, and the complexities of human-robot interactions. Players report experiencing a wide emotional spectrum, from absurd humor to poignant moments that provoke deep reflection and even tears. The writing is noted for its ability to resonate personally, making the emotional experiences both impactful and memorable.
- “The stories are immensely satisfying and deliver powerful emotional beats.”
- “No spoilers here, but it truly made me feel as if I were placed in the robo-feet and circuits of a robot who just encountered a terrible reality: I'm sentient, and there's a good chance no one will like that news.”
- “But it has some genuinely compelling and poignant bits of writing, dealing with themes of personhood and emotional development, of how we interact with people that we fundamentally can't relate to, of dealing with cognitive decline.”
stability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
The stability of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players reporting significant bugs and issues that hinder gameplay, such as persistent UI problems and unresponsive features. Conversely, others have found the game to run smoothly without major glitches or crashes, suggesting that experiences may vary widely among users. Overall, the game appears to be in a state that may require further refinement before it can be recommended to those averse to bugs.
- “It's feature complete, not very buggy, and if you told me it was content complete, I'd believe you and not feel shortchanged.”
- “I'm only a few hours in, but so far the game's running nicely with no glitches or crashes.”
- “However, as it stands, this game is terribly buggy, and I cannot recommend it to anyone who does not want to be an alpha/beta tester.”
- “I often found numerous things annoying getting in the way or outright buggy with zero explanation.”
- “The UI window with the units in the vehicle is buggy and will often stick around when you deselect the vehicle, which causes conflicts because the number keys will select the units instead of activating the skills of the entity you actually have selected.”
monetization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviewers appreciate that the development team prioritizes a stable and enjoyable gaming experience over aggressive monetization tactics, indicating a commitment to player satisfaction rather than merely maximizing profits.
- “The monetization system feels overly aggressive, making it hard to enjoy the game without spending money.”
- “I feel like I'm constantly being pushed to buy in-game currency just to keep up with the gameplay.”
- “The prices for in-game items are outrageous, and it feels like a pay-to-win scheme.”