From 2008 to 2009 The Independent Games Festival has proven to spotlight the best of the best in the independent games world. Today I got the chance to get check out Machinarium, a point and click adventure where you play as a small outcast robot who must defend a city that hates him. Machinarium comes from the great team at Amanita Design, the creators of the point and click series Samorost 1 & 2.

　　Right from the start, the interactive world of Machinarium had me clicking everywhere from clock towers to sewer pits. The art design has beautiful depth of field with an avant-garde look, as the color pallet through out the game stays within the grays and oranges, making any bright colors stand out flawlessly. You could take a twisted Wizard of Oz book, throw it onto a neo avant-garde painting, and you would get this amazing world of Machinarium. I sometimes found myself starring at the screen looking at all of the activity that was going on, instead of playing the game.

　　The level design never gets frustrating as the controls are simply pointing and clicking, the only hard part is finding where exactly you're supposed to go. Through out each level your robot collects items paring them together helping you solve puzzles and make your way through each level. The puzzles never become redundant as they're each unique and different. Machinarium is shaping up to be an amazing game. I hope to return tomorrow to get in a couple more levels, and update with you with my findings.

　　Till tomorrow, and as always, download, download, download.

　　-MAM