Machinarium

85%
Game Brain Score Based on 4,358 reviews
  • graphics
  • story
  • music
Machinarium Game Cover
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Machinarium is a charming, point-and-click puzzle adventure game. Players help a discarded robot named Josef navigate a strange industrial city to rescue his girlfriend from a wicked gang. The game features beautiful hand-drawn graphics, atmospheric music, and challenging logical puzzles with no text or dialogue.

  • iPad
  • iPhone
  • Mac OS
  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Phone
  • Play​station 4
  • Play​station 5
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Android
  • Linux
  • Mobile Platform
  • Play​Station
  • Play​station 3
  • Play​station Vita
  • Tablet
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

85%
Audience ScoreBased on 4,358 reviews
graphics551 positive mentions
stability37 negative mentions
  • Beautiful graphics and art style that create an immersive experience.
  • Challenging puzzles that require creative thinking and problem-solving.
  • Engaging storyline with charming characters that keeps players invested.
  • Controls can be frustratingly unresponsive, making gameplay difficult.
  • Some puzzles are overly obscure, leading to reliance on hints and walkthroughs.
  • Frequent crashes and bugs that disrupt the gaming experience.
  • graphics675 mentions

    The graphics of the game have received widespread acclaim for their stunning, hand-drawn quality and unique art style, which many players find immersive and visually captivating. While the visuals are often described as beautiful and detailed, some users have noted issues with the size and clarity of graphics on mobile devices, making gameplay challenging. Overall, the combination of exceptional artwork, engaging sound design, and a whimsical atmosphere contributes significantly to the game's appeal.

    • “Even having completed it many times, I still return to marvel at its hand-drawn graphics, beautiful soundtrack, and immersive storyline.”
    • “The graphics are beautiful, the music really fits the game, and the world is so awesome, immersive, and lived in I just want to see more of it.”
    • “The artwork is simply fantastic!”
    • “Even on my S9+, the graphics seemed too small, and zooming isn't enough in many cases to see things that need to be handled or picked up.”
    • “The game is amazingly beautiful and immersive on my Nougat phone, but on my (old) KitKat tablet, I see a lot of graphics artifacts.”
    • “Graphics too small, controls and finding things too tricky, and just altogether too difficult.”
  • story460 mentions

    The game's story is widely praised for its engaging and immersive qualities, featuring a charming narrative set in a beautifully rendered world filled with unique characters and clever puzzles. Many players appreciate the combination of stunning graphics, a captivating soundtrack, and a heartfelt storyline, although some express a desire for a longer narrative experience. Overall, the storytelling is considered a standout aspect, enhancing the gameplay and drawing players into its whimsical and sometimes dark atmosphere.

    • “Even having completed it many times, I still return to marvel at its hand-drawn graphics, beautiful soundtrack, and immersive storyline.”
    • “The story is beautiful, the art is breathtaking, the music is soothing and fits perfectly, and the puzzles are challenging.”
    • “The story was so thoughtfully involved and the puzzles were just the right amount of challenging.”
    • “The storyline is poor and could be way better.”
    • “The story is too short (for the expectations that you paid that much amount)... but I can say there is a lot of hard work on graphics and puzzles!”
    • “Basically, it's more of a collection of demanding puzzles strung together with a thin story than it is an adventure with well-paced gameplay.”
  • music309 mentions

    The music in the game is widely praised for its beautiful, immersive quality, enhancing the overall atmosphere and experience. Many players highlight the soundtrack as a standout feature, describing it as soothing, whimsical, and perfectly fitting for the game's art style and narrative. Overall, the combination of enchanting music and stunning visuals creates a captivating and memorable gaming experience.

    • “The music is enthralling and it places you in Machinarium itself as if you were there.”
    • “The soundtrack perfectly fits within the gameplay, and is delightful to listen to.”
    • “The music, graphics, the atmosphere, the idea are just fantastic.”
    • “I absolutely hate that you can't turn off the music or at least lower the volume.”
    • “The music isn't good.”
    • “If you have no ear for music, it would be really impossible to complete the last puzzle of the game.”
  • gameplay117 mentions

    Overall, the gameplay received mixed reviews, with many praising its creativity, challenging puzzles, and smooth mechanics, while others criticized confusing controls, frustrating bugs, and a lack of intuitive design. The graphics and sound design were frequently highlighted as exceptional, enhancing the overall experience. However, some players found the gameplay tedious or overly complicated, leading to a less enjoyable experience.

    • “An astounding graphics, a gripping plot, an interesting and rich soundwork, a good old sense of humor—all these points give us an exceptional gameplay experience.”
    • “The gameplay and art style is absolutely wonderful!”
    • “Beautiful graphics, compelling gameplay which requires a mixture of logic and creativity, and endearing characters.”
    • “Controls are kind of confusing and make gameplay a little difficult and frustrating.”
    • “The puzzles make so little sense that this game cannot be played without a walkthrough, the controls for mobile are awful and the key mechanic is both badly introduced and seldom used.”
    • “Beautiful graphics; nice, quirky soundtrack; awful, boring, and puzzling gameplay: not at all self-explanatory.”
  • humor69 mentions

    The humor in the game is widely praised for its cleverness and charm, with many reviewers highlighting the funny character interactions, quirky animations, and amusing storylines. Players appreciate the blend of humor with challenging puzzles, creating an engaging and enjoyable experience. Overall, the game's artistic visuals and sound design complement its lighthearted and whimsical tone, making it a delightful adventure.

    • “The game is also funny as the robot has a sense of humor.”
    • “It's brilliant with its quirky humor, mysterious challenges, and creatively fun design.”
    • “You can't help but laugh at the little guy and his antics.”
  • atmosphere53 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its stunning visuals, immersive music, and engaging storyline, creating a captivating experience that enhances gameplay. Reviewers highlight the combination of graphics, sound effects, and overall design as key elements that contribute to a memorable and enchanting atmosphere. Many describe it as one of the most atmospheric games they've played, with a perfect blend of charm, humor, and emotional depth.

    • “The atmosphere created by the graphics, the music, and the storyline is amazing.”
    • “A very charming little puzzler with an enchanting atmosphere that'll make you scratch your head one minute, and smile the next.”
    • “Easily one of the greatest games I have ever played, great atmosphere, amazing soundtrack, challenging puzzles, and great art style.”
    • “Really liked the atmosphere, puzzles, story, mini games, graphics, etc., but the mechanics and controls for mobile were one of the worst in the genre.”
    • “This has as much atmosphere as anything I've ever played.”
    • “Creates such an atmosphere that is hard to forget.”
  • stability43 mentions

    The stability of the game has received mixed reviews, with many users reporting frequent freezes and bugs that hinder gameplay, particularly after reaching certain levels or scenes. While some players experienced minimal issues and enjoyed smooth performance, others faced significant glitches that led to frustration and unplayability, prompting requests for refunds. Overall, the game's stability appears to be inconsistent, with a notable number of players encountering serious technical problems.

    • “Runs great on my phone, and it's just as fun on a small screen as it was on my PC when I first played it.”
    • “No glitches or bugs on my side.”
    • “Excellent story, puzzles, and overall bug-free game experience.”
    • “The biggest problem is it freezes anytime I switch out of it (or lock the screen and come back).”
    • “I paid for it expecting it to be good. I enjoyed it very much until I escaped the prison in the game because then the glitches started and everything was black. I couldn't see a thing. I uninstalled it and then downloaded it again, but that didn't help.”
    • “This game was amazing until I got to the city, and now every time I click on the app to open it, it freezes and then a pop-up shows up saying that Machinarium has stopped working.”
  • emotional20 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game is widely praised for its heartwarming and touching storyline, complemented by stunning graphics and an incredible soundtrack. Players describe the experience as magical and meaningful, often evoking feelings of joy and sadness, akin to an emotional breakup upon completion. Overall, the game is celebrated for its ability to engage players on a deep emotional level while providing a clever and enjoyable adventure.

    • “Such a beautiful game, lovely graphics, fantastic soundtrack, and a heart-touching story.”
    • “Now that I've finished the game, it feels like an emotional breakup.”
    • “Incredible soundtrack and absolutely gorgeous artwork to go with a lovely, heartwarming story.”
  • monetization14 mentions

    The monetization model of the game is highly praised, as it features no in-app purchases or intrusive advertisements, allowing for an uninterrupted gaming experience. Players appreciate the developers' commitment to a fair pricing strategy, emphasizing that the game is enjoyable and user-friendly without the typical microtransaction pitfalls found in many mobile games. Overall, the absence of monetization gimmicks has contributed to a positive reception among users.

    • “I like how there is no in-app purchases to see the walkthrough and the arcade mini games are cool.”
    • “No annoying in-app purchases - I think that's the way smartphone games should be!”
    • “Finally a game without in-app purchases.”
    • “It's like you need to watch advertisements to get the clue.”
    • “I'm so tired of in-game purchase games!”
    • “Glad to pay with my money to support a development team that doesn't trick or scam paying customers with in-app purchases or advertising in paid apps.”
  • grinding11 mentions

    Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious and frustrating, particularly due to issues with touch controls and bugs that disrupt gameplay. Many reviewers noted that the repetitive nature of the puzzles and the lack of intuitive interaction made the experience feel laborious, detracting from the game's enjoyment. Despite some initial appeal, the combination of these factors led to a generally negative perception of the game's grind.

    • “Clicking on the star and dragging the items from the top corner is rather tedious, especially when I'm playing on a tablet.”
    • “The puzzles themselves seem pretty okay (a bit too tedious for my taste), but it's nearly impossible to accurately click on the right objects to properly interact with them.”
    • “Good at first, then annoying bugs creep into gameplay, making the whole game tedious and useless... ho hum... snore... snore.”
  • replayability9 mentions

    Overall, the game is criticized for its low replayability, with many players noting that once completed, there is little incentive to play again. While some enjoy the challenge and fun of the gameplay, they acknowledge that the experience is largely a one-time affair, leading to feelings of wasted investment due to its short length and lack of additional content.

    • “No, it isn't super easy, but that's why I like it. You have to get creative and think outside the box. It's silly and lots of fun. Not super long, but personally, totally worth it. I keep playing it anyway, even though there's no real replay value.”
    • “Not sure how much replay value there is.”
    • “I have been trying to finish this game for months, but a bug led me to having to restart the game completely multiple times, which was kind of tedious since it doesn't have a lot of replay value.”
    • “There isn't any replay value once you've made it through, so it's one and done.”
    • “Also seemed rather short, and given the limited replay value, seemed a little expensive.”
  • optimization8 mentions

    The game is visually stunning and runs smoothly on mobile devices, but many users report that the controls and overall optimization are better suited for tablets rather than phones. This has led to frustrations with gameplay, as the action buttons and controls do not function as well on mobile. Overall, while the graphics and performance are praised, the lack of mobile-specific optimization detracts from the experience.

    • “Nice game, really nice performance, nice graphics as well. I like the story and puzzles too. Please make a tablet version of Somorost 1, 2, and the upcoming 3.”
    • “The graphics in this are flawless and just beautiful. It doesn't lag or anything; it runs smoothly and is a very cute game.”
    • “Beautiful game but not optimized for mobile at all!”
    • “The controls don't work very well; it feels optimized for tablet, and not as optimized on phone.”
    • “Not 5 stars because the controls were apparently not optimized well for mobile, and because the background story is a bit empty.”
  • character development4 mentions

    Character development in the game is noted for its initial promise, showcasing great depth and humor, but some players feel it falters as the gameplay shifts towards a less engaging experience. Overall, the character design and evolving storyline are praised, contributing to the game's status as a masterpiece in its genre.

    • “This is an absolute masterpiece of the genre, with beautiful graphics, an evolving storyline filled with exquisite humor, character development, and challenging puzzles. It is absolutely worth every cent.”
    • “Love the steampunk look and the character design.”
    • “The character development feels shallow and lacks depth, making it hard to connect with the characters.”
    • “I found the character arcs to be predictable and uninspired, which detracted from my overall enjoyment of the game.”
    • “Despite the interesting premise, the characters don't evolve in a meaningful way, leaving their stories feeling flat.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Buy Machinarium

Play time

8hMedian play time
6hAverage play time
5hMain story
6hCompletionist
2-10hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs

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