TL;DR Amanita Design has announced Machinarium 2, the sequel to its 2009 point-and-click classic. Josef the little robot is back, this time with Berta, and the original core team has returned. It’s coming to PC via Steam, with no release date yet, and you can wishlist it now.
Some games you remember because you beat them. Others you remember because of where you were when you played them. For me, Machinarium is the second kind.
Back in the computer shop days
Back in 2009, I still owned a computer shop. Most of my patrons were there for the usual online games, but a few would sit down with Machinarium and not leave for hours. No guns, no leveling, no PvP. Just a tiny rusty robot, a beautiful hand-drawn city, and puzzles that could keep you stuck sa iisang screen for what felt like forever.
I got into it because a close friend kept telling me to try it. I did, on PC, and honestly I didn’t get very far. Pero kahit ganun, it stuck with me. You don’t need to finish Machinarium to see why it’s a classic. You just need to see one screen of it.
Why Machinarium was special
- No dialogue at all. Characters “talk” through little animated thought bubbles, so anyone could follow the story, whatever language you speak.
- Every screen was hand-drawn. It looked like a picture book of rust, pipes, and gears.
- That soundtrack. Tomáš Dvořák’s music gave Machinarium much of its atmosphere. It was even recognized as PC Gamer’s Best Soundtrack of 2009.
- It proved indie games could go big. Machinarium eventually sold more than five million copies across various platforms, while earning recognition for its outstanding visual art and soundtrack.
What we know about Machinarium 2
Amanita Design revealed the sequel on October 8 at the Triple-i Initiative indie showcase, 17 years after the original.
- Story: Josef and Berta escape the city of Machinarium by helicopter, then crash-land in a barren wasteland with a hidden valley whose power is failing.
- New mechanic: you can switch between Josef and Berta to solve puzzles together.
- Same team: founder Jakub Dvorský is back as director, with Adolf Lachman, Václav Blín, and composer Tomáš Dvořák also returning.
- Platform: Windows and macOS via Steam. Additional platforms may be announced later.
- Release date: none yet. Wishlisting on Steam is the best way to get notified.
Seventeen years later
Fun fact: Amanita’s own Discord had a joke channel called “Machinarium-2-when,” as if a sequel would never happen. Now it’s real.
If you were one of those players who spent hours on a single puzzle in a computer shop (or watched someone else do it), this one’s for you. Kung hindi mo pa natatapos yung first game, now’s a good time to start. Machinarium 2 will be waiting.
Did you play Machinarium back in the day? Which puzzle got you stuck? Share your stories in the comments, mga ka-PGN.
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