Machinarium

Machinarium (2009) is a point-and-click puzzle game about a robot trying to save his girlfriend in a mechanical city. Play involves solving logical puzzles spread throughout the city and helping lost or broken robots you find along the way. It stands out for the beautiful hand-drawn visuals and how you use the robot’s extendable body to interact with your surroundings.

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Starting in a scrapyard, you play Josef, a robot set on freeing Berta, who was kidnapped by the Black Cap Brotherhood gang. As you explore, you collect mechanical parts and tools that help you solve puzzles, like fixing a security robot, repairing elevators, or using electricity to move obstacles. Along the way, you find robots attacked by the gang and help them gain information on where to go next.

As you progress, puzzles become more complex, requiring careful observation and memorisation. You might rewire a circuit, assemble a machine, or decode a musical pattern. Exploring every part of a scene is essential; sometimes the key to a puzzle is hidden in a background detail or a forgotten object. There’s also a built-in hint system where you can beat a mini-game to get guidance if you are stuck.

The result is a game driven by curiosity, where paying attention to tiny details enables you to move forward. You go from simply picking up objects to understanding how the city itself fits together, unlocking its secrets one clever puzzle at a time.

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Our examiner, Oli Hawkins, first checked Machinarium 2 weeks ago. It was re-examined by Jo Robertson and updated 2 weeks ago.