The puzzle genre, (in my humble opinion,) is one of the most versatile genres out there. The reason for this is that there are so many ways in which we can tax our brains. At one end of the spectrum we have the word games and number puzzles which people have been completing forever and at the other the likes of Myst. If any of you completed Myst and Riven without help you’re either a genius or telling fibs, both of those games were maddeningly difficult. The same applies to the Witness, actually, for those of you who count the past five years or so as “old.” All this being said the puzzle genre is one of my favorites and it’s always nice to see a new entry into its storied ranks. In this particular case, I’m referring to Retro Machina which is destined for your screens this Spring.
Retro Machina casts you in the role of a tiny robot in a world that is devoid of humanity. This is a world where other automatons dutifully perform their tasks for a race that no longer needs them. It will be your quest to find a way to repair yourself and find the answer to the great mystery of, “who build this place and why?”
Retro Machina sees you return to Endeavor City. Here, you will try to get to the bottom of things as your new robotic friend takes control of his mechanical kin. In doing this you will hack your way through five beautiful and unique biomes, solving puzzles, evading traps, and avoiding injury … or worse.
Speaking of hacking, this will not be an adventure that you can you completely alone. You will need to hack into other robots and either use them as puzzle-solving allies or as extra help against some of the more dangerous adversaries you’ll face along the way. As I’ve just mentioned, some puzzles simply can’t be solved on your own and you’ll need to use your skills in acquiring help from better-equipped pals to surpass them.
The locations you’ll be navigating in Retro Machina are as beautiful as they are unique. The biomes you’ll explore comprise of the abandoned Nucleonics Labs, the run-down Atomic City, the Wet-and-Wild, (way wetter than it used to be,) Marine Nation, and finally the mysterious and imposing Serendipity Mountain.
To say a little about the sound and aesthetic, Retro Machina is staying pretty true to its name. This game is inspired by sci-fi royalty such as Arthur C. Clarke, Isaac Asimov, and the legendary futurist concept artist, Jacque Fresco. The soundtrack has been compiled by the electronic music project known as Scandroid. The hybrid 80s/Synth sounds should be very fitting for the style of the game.
If a bit of action puzzling is something that you fancy getting involved in, but you aren’t sure whether you want to spend hard-earned cash just yet; why not give the demo a go? The demo for Retro Machina is available over on Steam for those of you that might be looking for a PC copy. PS4, Xbox One, and Switch owners will see their iterations appear along-side the full PC release later in the spring.
