The Music Machine
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The Music Machine (1983 on Atari 2600)
Haley, an eccentric 13 year old girl, has a complicated relationship with her old friend Quintin. He's a ghost now, and he's puppeting her body with the intent of finding a satisfactory way of killing her. This dubious quest has led them to a mysterious abandoned island, where several people were recently murdered. And where, among the rotting cabins and dense trees, a strange new building hides a bizarre secret...
"He met a man an eyeless man a toothless man and he looked at the man and the man looked at him and he saw that the man was beloved and dearest of friends and the man spoke to him 'how long since you've tasted bone marrow' and he told him he told him truthfully and the man said 'come' and he came with the man and they vomited pure cold clean water into the endless eternal infinite sea and then, the end."
FEATURES
* Blend of non-linear exploration, puzzle solving, and narrative, similar to The Vanishing of Ethan Carter
* Horror based on an atmosphere and story rather than jumpscares or chase scenes
* This is not a Unity Asset Store collection. Modeling, music, environments, and programming were done from scratch. Sound effects were manufactured from creative commons samples.
+ Rich storyline that stands on its own, but also expands on the plot of The Moon Sliver
+ Stylish monochromatic visual style that enhances the feeling of mystery and unease
+ Atmospheric original soundtrack (which can be purchased as DLC, or purchased here)
+ A short but satisfying narrative experience that can be completed in one sitting
Source: Steam Store Description
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Critics
Average score: 71% (based on 1 ratings)
Players
Average score: 3.0 out of 5 (based on 1 ratings)
The Good
Unwelcoming, desolate worlds? Check. Surreal, uncanny landscapes? Check. Monochromatic palettes? Check. Two people stuck with each other against their will, isolated from mankind? Check. Remains of a cult-like community worshipping the moon? Weirdly specific, but check. Narrative-oriented exploration with minimal gameplay? Check. If you've played Pit, Fingerbones, The Empty World, and The Moon Sliver, you will find The Music Machine very familiar. It feels a bit like a "best of" compilation, borrowing narrative themes and presentation concepts from other early David Szymański games, except this time with a more noticeable gimmick. The game's colour palettes are entirely monochromatic and each location has a specific tint, which creates a highly unique, fascinating aesthetic. The visual style is definitely The Music Machine's main selling point.
The Bad
Unfortunately, other aspects of the game aren't quite as strong. The Penumbra-esque concept of two different entities sharing a mind and having silent conversations throughout the story is pretty interesting, but isn't really used as well as it could have been. The conversations between Haley and Quintin are mostly limited to one fact: Quintin wants Haley to suffer and die because of something that happened in their past. We only get very minor glimpses of their personalities, which in turn limits the character development. Their reactions to the bizarre locations they explore are rather basic. There's simply not much for the player to hold on to and connect with.
The worldbuilding feels underdeveloped as well. The pieces of information you get about locations your travel through and what happened in them before are fragmentized and purposefully vague. The developer probably meant to make the player use their imagination more, but with how little we know about both the characters and the world, The Music Machine just feels empty and underwhelming. Especially if you've played The Moon Sliver, as the link between between those two games is established, yet not properly explored at all.
One thing the worldbuilding in The Music Machine does get right, though, is the way some of the locations are designed. They have this uncanny air of some entity trying to recreate the human world without actually understanding it. This feeling is directly connected to one point towards the end of the story, which shows the game's world design can be genuinely smart and well-thought-out.
The Bottom Line
The Music Machine is a beautiful game with an unique, fascinating aesthetic, but it fails to properly explore its themes and concepts. 5/10
Windows · by Pegarange (216) · 2023
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Game added by Rik Hideto.
Game added May 15th, 2018. Last modified May 15th, 2018.