By chance, I saw this Gamasutra article about the ten best independent games of 2009. That lead me to this little game by a Czech design studio.
Machinarium is about a little robot that has been kicked out of his robot city. The game itself is a simple point-and-click adventure game that has a good number of puzzles to bend your brain. What sets this game apart is how absolutely gorgeous it is. The characters are charming, the music and sound effects provide a great atmosphere and the artwork is something else. I can only imagine the time that went into rendering out each little part of the city. Every time I get to a new part of the game I have to stop and take in the artwork.
The game is currently on sale until Christmas for a mere ten bucks. It runs on Mac, Linux, PC and it comes with another game, some artwork and the soundtrack to both games. I am listening to the soundtrack right now as I write this.
Ten dollars well spent, I say, well spent!
