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Machinarium – Immerse yourself in rich visual and aural artistry
By Ryan McGee | October 20, 2009
like Michael Abbott said, Hand-drawn nirvana
Ironically, it wasn’t the visual splendor that struck me first about Machinarium. Perhaps it was the gathering haze in my head brought on by a late night and busy weekend’s end, but as I clicked around the beautifully dystopic vistas of Amanita Designs’ latest masterpiece, the background music and sounds were almost hypnotic… minimalist, atmospheric… beautiful.
For me, it was one of those stumble upon awesomeness moments where you ask yourself, “What else have I been missing?”
Thank you Griffin McElroy of Joystiq. If it wasn’t for your post, I might not have found this gem.
In order to fully enjoy, I’d recommend you wait ’til you’re in the comfort of your own home. That way, you can give it it’s due time, and blast the sound. Stunning artistry, sounds, and subtle design. Tasty.
Other exquisite examples of charm and style abound. Be sure you wait for a minute and see our mute robot protagonist’s daydreams; there are at least a couple different ones. Comedic genius.
If you have the patience and curiosity, don’t miss Machinarium. At the very least, play the demo.
So what I wanna know is… why isn’t this on PSN, XBLA, or even WiiWare? WiiWare might work best presently given the point and click controls… but I envision Machinarium as an awesome launch title on PSN and XBLA for a couple new peripherals (or paradigm shifts if you’re buying into the vision) on the horizon…
…Where you at Xbox ‘Natal’ and PlayStation ‘Sphere’?
This game deserves a HD console release. Alas, it’s probably not meant to be. You reading this Amanita Design? Make me eat my words!
Machinarium arrives amidst a few other examples of illustrative brilliance in recent games. Hopefully, time will prove the proximity of these games’ releases are more than mere coincidence and also signify a renaissance of 2D illustrative excellence in the medium… I’d even be content if it’s only a new and healthy niche. ;-) An awesome blog I like to frequent, The Brainy Gamer, touched on Machinarium as part of a post you all need to read: “Hand-drawn nirvana“. Indeed Mr. Abbott. Indeed.
***Interested in the soundtrack? In a nice touch, Amanita Design includes Machinarium’s tunes with any purchase made directly through them. Soon, it will also be available separately!
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- like Michael Abbott said, Hand-drawn nirvana
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- like Michael Abbott said, Hand-drawn nirvana
Topics: PC - Games, PS3 Games, XBox 360 Games | 4 Comments »
October 21st, 2009 at 2:07 am
Great article Ryan. Thanks for introducing me to this game, swooped through the first 3 demo levels and seriously considering buying the game. Gona sleep on it though.
October 22nd, 2009 at 1:27 am
I have you to thank for prompting me to take a step ‘out there’. It’s past time I honored the opportunity you’ve afforded me. So, thank you sir. :-D
October 23rd, 2009 at 1:22 pm
Wow Ryan. This is excellent. Well written and full of life. I can’t wait to see another one! I also need to get Machinarium going! Perhaps this weekend; Uncharted 2 will have to wait.
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