A truly marvellous piece of cinematic music that transports us instantly into the robotic and intriguing world of the Machinarium universe, an indie adventure game that has proven beyond a doubt that heartfelt computer games are still not dead despite the major studios continuing their seeming descent into mediocrity and innovation-stagnation.
The Machinarium soundtrack captivated me from the first track, it is a truly heartfelt composition of colorful imagery, high-tech remnants of a futuristic robot-society and a huge dose of heart that reminds us of our inner child wanting to explore the world and find out its secrets. I still get major goosebumps and teary-eyed whenever I hear it...
The soundtrack is an instant teleport into one of the most engaging contemporary fairytales I have ever come across.
From a pure sound-engineering standpoint the album is marvellously enticing as well.
Dvorak delivers high calibre audio design with literally any and all tracks on the album. It is versatile, it is spirited, it sounds like nothing else we have likely ever heard and yet it is almost impossible for me to turn it off once I get sucked into the world of cute robots and the worldclass level of meaningful storytelling through images, music and interactive puzzle solving.
The album can also greatly inspire us if we produce our own music, be it electronic or "handmade" - if only to leave our preferred style on the side for a while and discover what a great effect of listener-engagement can be created with a few simple tracks that make up each part of the journey.
After hearing it I have never looked at music production the same way as before. Bitcrushers are used thoroughly yet intelligently, the quality of the auditory storytelling is never sacrificed for the sake of showing off and the character of most tracks on the album is as diverse as it is memorable, and leaves us coming back for more.
If you feel like the spirit of exploration and storytelling has been lost in the industry, this game will probably stun you just as much as the marvellous soundtrack Dvorak has created for it. I will probably write an independent game recommendation for Machinarium in the future, it literally could be enjoyed by the whole family, down to the 5 year old kid who doesn't know how to read yet, as the game manages to deliver its awesome story by not using a single written word of dialogue. Wow.
You can buy Machinarium on sites like Steam and gog.com where it is often on sale for a few dollars, and I highly recommend it. It also makes for a great gift for people interested in solving puzzles in general, whether they be adventure game nerds or your non-computer-aunt who loves a good riddle ;)
There is also a great demo of the first few puzzles that simply runs in a flash window inside your browser, you can get the free demo at the official machinarium website
If you dig the soundtrack you really owe it to yourself to play through the game at least once. From the first time onwards, the spirit and devotion to detail that make up this game and soundtrack will become an instant classic and will still make you smile decades from now whenever you listen again to what magic has been captured here in this hour-long soundtrack.
This hour of music is something really special to me and has been for years. I hope it can enchant your life the same way it has mine. Despite the human diversity in music tastes, I have yet to find ANYBODY who can look me in the eyes and tell me that they do not like this music.
A perfect ambient-alternative as well, if you are willing to risk that the dinner table conversation comes to asudden halt as people find themselves to captivated by the music to continue listening to what someone just said. I am crying just listening again to this album now ahahaha. This is what good music is capable of!
Without further ado, here is Dvorak's musical masterpiece for you.
If you wish to buy the album and artbook you can do so at store.steampowered
You can also get the bundle of game + artbook + soundtrack for a better deal than buying them individually.
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