Machinarium, Sale

There has been a slight resurgence as of late in the point-and-click adventure gaming world. With TellTale Games pumping out their third season of the incredibly successful Sam and Max series, Zombie Cow Studios blessing us with Time Gentlemen, Please, and Monkey Island re-releases coming out on every console that turns on, it's a good time to be an adventure gaming fan. A little studio called Amanita Design unveiled their largest game yet, Machinarium, last October, and what a game it is. Unfortunately, PC gaming being in the state it is, the developers have finally let their fans know that only about 5-15% of the copies of Machinarium were obtained legally.

This is sad for many reasons. First of all, it goes to show why PC gaming has swiftly fallen into the back burner of developers' minds. DRM has become a joke within the pirating community, and the companies that put faith in their fans to purchase a game without DRM end up eating the potential profits of a game that is harder to crack.

Machinarium (as with their other two releases, Samorost and Samorost 2) is a beautiful game. If you enjoy discovering games with original art styles, look no further, because even triple A titles like Red Dead Revolver and Final Fantasy XIII aren't able to compete on a purely artistic level with Machinarium. In fact, I would be willing to say this game has some of the most astounding environments in any video game.

Beyond the art direction, the puzzles are imaginative and never so difficult that with a little trial and error even the most careless player can stumble across the answer without too much of a headache. Plus, the music is pitch-perfect. It doesn't overstay its welcome but has you begging for a little bit more, as any good game should. A perfect value, and a steal at 5 dollars.

As you can see in the picture, the sale only lasts until tomorrow, so if you want an amazing, original, cheap point-and-click adventure title, do yourself a favor and visit the Machinarium homepage and buy yourself a copy before time runs out. It even comes with a copy of the brilliant soundtrack! Even if the sale has ended by the time you read this, I still highly recommend picking up the game.

Source: Machinarium.net