Machinarium 2 in the works 17 years after the original

• Announcements by Jack Allin
• Published:

First details emerge for the sequel to Amanita Design's 2009 wordless robot masterpiece

Amanita Design likes surprising us. Whether it's through sudden launch announcements or utterly unique, imaginative worlds, you just never know what to expect from the acclaimed indie Czech studio behind the likes Samorost, Creaks and this year's  Phonopolis. Perhaps nothing's been quite so shocking, however, as today's reveal at the Triple-i Initiative Showcase that at long last we'll be getting a sequel to their most renowned adventure, Machinarium.

Seventeen years ago, we were introduced to the adorable little robot named Josef, who found himself unceremoniously kicked out of the titular city and dumped in a scrapyard beyond its walls. Determined to rescue his girlfriend Berta from the clutches of the nefarious Black Cap Brotherhood, Josef overcame (with a little help from players) all sorts of obstacles to finally prevail, only for the reunited couple's happily-ever-after moment to encounter an unfortunate mishap when leaving the city behind. What happened to our mechanical lovebirds after that has been left to the imagination... until now. Picking up right where its predecessor left off, Machinarium 2 rejoins Josef and Berta as they "crash-land in the barrens." There, after descending a cliff, they discover "a hidden valley home to two peculiar robot tribes: one living in the Elektrona monastery high on the rocks, the other in the city of Oilton below." The problem is that "both are slowly running out of power." And that's a very, very bad thing for a society of robots. 

Along with the main characters, everything else that millions of players loved about the original Machinarium will return in the sequel. It will once again feature jaw-dropping hand-drawn artwork that seamlessly blends the organic and mechanical "in a style inspired by old master drawings and Renaissance landscape paintings." Composer Tomáš Dvořák, aka Floex, will provide an all-new soundtrack that "keeps the robot universe and acoustic textures of the first game, now elevated by symphonic arrangements." There will still be no spoken or written language, with robots communicating solely through "animated comic-style bubbles, symbols and gestures." And there will of course be many puzzles to solve, only this time you can – and must – switch freely between Josef and Berta to combine their abilities, working together to face challenges that "neither could solve alone." You'll have your choice of control methods as well, as the world can be navigated either with a gamepad to "move the robots directly without a cursor," or with a mouse "for players who want the classic adventure feel."

As is their wont, Amanita is keeping mum about when we can expect Machinarium 2, but the game can already be wishlisted on Steam, where it will launch for Windows and Mac, with full Steam Deck support, along with other as-yet-unannounced platforms. If you're one of the three adventure game fans who have yet to play the original Machinarium, now's a great time to catch up, as it's currently on sale at Steam for a heavily discounted price. 

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