Machinika Museum

I really wanted to like this game, especially after playing The Room series, but I found it more frustrating than fun. The biggest issue isn’t the difficulty of the puzzles—it’s the controls and lack of feedback. Many objects only respond if you touch or swipe a very specific spot, so I repeatedly tried the correct interaction, got no response, and naturally assumed the object wasn’t interactive. Several puzzles also give you almost no indication of what the rules actually are, so instead of logically solving them, you’re left guessing what the game wants you to do. Even worse, during the final puzzle we had everything set correctly and nothing happened. We finally redid the exact same settings, and then the ending triggered. I love challenging puzzle games and don’t mind being stuck because I haven’t figured something out. But being stuck because the game didn’t register the correct input—or because you have to guess the rules of the puzzle—isn’t challenging, it’s frustrating. There are some great ideas here, but the finicky controls and lack of intuitive feedback really took away from the experience.

Best game ever. Please continue with a 3 and 4 and more. Two is not enough. I hope to see a new game soon. Awesome, awesome game.