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Machinika: Atlas

76%Game Brain Score
story, graphics
stability, optimization
76% User Score Based on 230 reviews

Platforms

PCPCWindowsWindows
Buy Nowfrom $5.75
Buy NowGet on Steam€11.99

About

In Machinika: Atlas, find yourself stranded on Saturn's moon, Atlas, inside a crashed alien ship. As a museum researcher, solve cryptic puzzles to navigate the labyrinth of the mysterious vessel and uncover its secrets, even if you haven't played the preceding game, Machinika: Museum. Engage in a captivating sci-fi adventure that challenges your logic and observation skills.

Genres & Tags
Play Modes
Machinika: Atlas screenshot
Machinika: Atlas screenshot
Machinika: Atlas screenshot
Machinika: Atlas screenshot

76%
Audience ScoreBased on 230 reviews
story22 positive mentions
stability34 negative mentions
  • The game features a variety of puzzles that are fun and challenging, providing a satisfying experience for puzzle enthusiasts.
  • The continuation of the story from the first game is engaging, with well-crafted environments and a nice sci-fi ambiance.
  • The introduction of free movement adds a new layer of exploration, making the gameplay feel more immersive compared to the first installment.
  • The game suffers from numerous bugs and glitches that can disrupt gameplay, including soft locks and unresponsive puzzles.
  • Some puzzles are overly simplistic or frustratingly obtuse, leading to confusion and reliance on a lackluster hint system.
  • The dialogue and writing are often criticized for being cheesy and detracting from the overall atmosphere, which was stronger in the first game.
  • story
    66 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story continues directly from the previous game, incorporating new elements like letters and a walkie-talkie to enhance the narrative experience. While some players appreciate the fun and engaging plot, others find it lacking in depth and coherence, with a resolution that feels unsatisfying. Overall, the story is seen as a competent backdrop to the puzzles, though it may not resonate as strongly as the first installment.

    • “The plot picks up where the last story ends and is mostly followed via letters and the walkie-talkie, which is a new feature.”
    • “I also like it that this one has a proper story (the first one was very sparse in that respect) and you even get to have some discussions with people using a radio.”
    • “The story enfolds with letters you can find and info you get via your walkie-talkie.”
    • “The plot also lost a lot of the whimsy that the first game possessed, instead exchanging it for a wispy visage that's trying to be a 'humanity is inherently barbaric and always shoots first' plotline that resolves extremely unsatisfyingly and with no true sense of stakes, even when the ship is supposed to be actively bombarded by missiles.”
    • “The wrap-up of the story at the beginning is quite bad.”
    • “There is a plot with an ending, but to me, it was more of a background thing, reasoning you're given as to why you're going here or there (but hey, the story wasn't depressing nor the ending pointless, so, yay).”
  • graphics
    45 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players praising the unique art style and overall aesthetics, while others criticize the visuals as outdated or glitchy, resembling a mobile port or a game from the early 2000s. Despite some graphical issues, many players find the graphics to be satisfactory, especially in comparison to the original game, though there is a desire for more advanced rendering techniques. Overall, while the graphics may not be groundbreaking, they are often described as pleasing and fitting for the game's atmosphere.

    • “The art style is slick, pleasing, and unique, but I wish they had used more advanced rendering techniques to create it.”
    • “Love this game! It has awesome graphics and the puzzles are great; would highly recommend.”
    • “Gorgeous graphics, moderately interesting puzzles...not a brain-killer.”
    • “It's not graphically much better than the first game, still looking like it's either a mobile port or decades old, but you know that just from the store page, and that's not where the meat of the game is anyway.”
    • “Graphics: so basic it will appeal to cryogenically unfrozen from the year 2003.”
    • “Despite what the trailers show, even on the highest settings, there are some key visuals that appear flat and even untextured; it feels like an afterthought in the face of the prior game.”
  • stability
    34 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's stability has been widely criticized, with players reporting numerous bugs, softlocks, and glitches that disrupt gameplay, even after multiple patches. Issues such as non-responsive controls, problematic puzzles, and visual glitches are common, leading many to find the experience frustrating and not recommend the game in its current state. While some players note that the developers are addressing these problems, the overall consensus is that the game remains too unstable for a smooth experience.

    • “Even today, after multiple patches, the game is still a pain to get through, softlocks, glitches, non-responsive UI, and so on.”
    • “The game glitches out every chapter or so, mostly during chapter transitioning animations, softlocking your game.”
    • “The last chapter glitched out, wasting 45+ minutes of my life trying to solve the buggy puzzle.”
  • gameplay
    24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay in "Machinika: Atlas" expands on the escape room style introduced in its predecessor, offering a mix of casual yet ambitious puzzle-solving experiences. While the introduction of a walking mechanic adds a new dimension, it doesn't significantly alter the core point-and-click gameplay. Overall, players appreciate the challenging puzzles, charming atmosphere, and smooth mechanics, despite some concerns about repetitiveness and minor bugs.

    • “The gameplay besides that is a solid 10/10, and I definitely enjoyed the experience after the original game.”
    • “If you played Machinika Museum and enjoyed it, buy Atlas; it's a great continuation with the addition of free movement. The game is relatively short but charming, gameplay is interesting, and the puzzles are challenging. You learn more about the tech you were provided with in the museum and about the group that made them.”
    • “This was a fantastic game for mechanically oriented players like me.”
    • “That's another issue I have with Atlas... the mechanisms are no longer completely indecipherable, and look more like 19th century steampunk technology; lots of gears, pistons, electrical conduits, etc. Why does this hyper-advanced alien spacecraft still use gigantic gears to transfer mechanical energy?”
    • “After the first few levels, I was afraid the gameplay might become repetitive, but the game manages to reinvent itself as you progress.”
    • “But besides chapter 7, I do like this game a lot; it's almost like The Room series of games, but you can personally walk around in the area. Now sadly, this doesn't affect the gameplay much, as you're still allowed the usual point-and-click style, which also means that there's nothing that inherently takes advantage of the ability to walk around.”
  • atmosphere
    20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The atmosphere of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players noting a significant decline in the eerie charm and mystery that characterized its predecessor, particularly due to the inclusion of dialogue that detracts from immersion. However, others appreciate the sound design and visual elements, which enhance the atmosphere and create unique moments of depth. Overall, while some aspects of the atmosphere have improved, many feel it lacks the compelling unease and intrigue found in earlier installments.

    • “The sounds and atmosphere worked and felt perfect.”
    • “I found this game interesting and surprisingly deep in terms of its atmosphere, which is quite unique and a strength for this genre.”
    • “The sound design is immersive without being overwhelming, which complements the atmosphere well.”
    • “While the letters and notes from the previous game provided a lot of the unique charm and mystery while contributing to the somewhat uneasy atmosphere, every time there was dialogue or notes in this game it took me out of the experience completely.”
    • “That's right, there's dialogue in this game, with other living things, which seems totally out of genre, and spoils the atmosphere and tone.”
    • “The environment is severely lacking in atmosphere.”
  • optimization
    10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with some players noting fast performance but also highlighting various performance issues and a lack of polish. While it runs well on a range of hardware, it does not match the optimization of its predecessor, "Machinika Museum," and suffers from visual inconsistencies and reused assets. Overall, despite some shortcomings, it remains playable and enjoyable for many users.

    • “Performance is fast, though!”
    • “- a more optimized, polished game, which will run on almost any hardware in high quality (the first part itself ran at 30-50 fps due to the lack of a discrete video card), which can not help but please.”
    • “- a more optimized, polished game, which will run on almost any hardware in high quality (the first part itself ran at 30-50 fps due to the lack of a discrete video card), which can not help but please.”
    • “Various performance issues.”
    • “It is not optimized like the first part 'Machinika Museum'; even with 144fps, there are some issues with smoothness.”
    • “But even that wouldn't put the game in a non-recommended state: stretched textures across longer walls to avoid making a second one, reused assets not only inside the game but from the first game too (shoutout to the anti-gravity machine XXL), lack of polish, bad performance, and most of all, a complete lack of logic in its world-building.”
  • replayability
    6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game has been criticized for its lack of replayability, with players reporting only about four hours of gameplay and expressing disappointment in its short length and clunky mechanics. Many feel that the absence of engaging content and unresolved bugs detracts from the overall experience, making it hard to recommend at its current price. In contrast, the previous installment was appreciated for its replay value.

    • “I played the first game several times and enjoyed its replay value.”
    • “I played the first game several times and enjoyed its replay value.”
    • “I got about 4 hours of play from this with no replay value.”
    • “As of now, I can't recommend the game for its current pricing. It's short, has no replayability, and while the museum was fun, it seems clunky and poorly thought out. Some puzzles just don't work properly and are bugged, which led me to check an online walkthrough and see that I did exactly what was supposed to be done.”
  • humor
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's humor is highlighted in the ending script, which, despite feeling rushed, delivers comedic moments that players found amusing. While the abruptness of the cutscene's conclusion is noted, it does not detract from the overall enjoyment of the humor.

    • “The ending script of the game felt a bit rushed, but it was funny.”
    • “It stops when the cutscene is supposed to stop, so it's not game-breaking, but I just found it funny.”
  • music
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game is highly praised, with users highlighting it as an excellent complement to the overall experience, alongside impressive graphics.

    • “Excellent riddle game with very good graphics and soundtrack.”
  • grinding
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and boring, leading to a negative perception of this gameplay element.

    • “Some of the grinding aspects were tedious and boring.”
    • “The grinding felt repetitive and lacked excitement.”
    • “I found the grinding to be a monotonous chore.”

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