You can play it on pc using a gameboy emulator but since it can already be played with an emulator it's not a high priority to port it to pc right now.
Bruh you can't do the job fair? If you pass the test it deducts 50 points for being on the demo, and if you get a 50 or less you can't do the job fair.
Having so much fun with this on my GBC (IPS modded; I am not a psychopath to play on the original screen). Component-wise, the box is sturdy and looks like it has quality finish on it and the sticker sheet is quite thick and looks really nice as well (not the usual cheap thin sticker sheet). The black cartridge looks really too.
The art and graphics in general are beautiful and the environment is nicely interactive. I've finished a couple different story-lines (or runs) and still feel like I have no idea about the various parts, floors and buildings of the machine. I like how Girt changes his uniform depending on the job / task he does. I also like that the perspective changes in larger areas. Needless to say this game 100% pushes the system to its limits (after all, the last GBC game was released more than 20 years ago).
The best thing about the game is to continuously revealing more about the machine while discovering where each path takes you. I feel like this could've easily been released as a PC game on Steam!
The only personal remark I have is regarding the soundtrack. It's certainly not bad and fits the theme well, but I feel like it can be overly dramatic in many cases (and so far in my playthrough it was played for the majority of the game). Also, I can see the game becoming slightly repetitive (especially at the start of each run) after you've done like 10 paths, but that seems inevitable and it's a great trade-off for having this many different endings and story-lines (25+ is what the website states).
Amazing game and I recommend it to everyone reading this comment section.
I should warn you that its intended to learn the answers as you play so having them all right on your first playthrough might spoil the natural game progression.
Thanks for the feedback but question 10 definitely has a right answer that works. I've gotten a perfect score on the test hundreds of times while testing.
oh my god ı wasnt expecting that. I discovered this game about 4 hours ago and was playing the demo for 4 hours. I thaught this is a short comedy game but then I figured out that this is one of the best games ıve discovered in itchio. I wish it was cheaper so I could buy It. 10 dollar is fricking expensive in my country :/ anyway, that was awesome!
I've been playing the full digital version for a few days and loving it. It feels like there is so much depth to the world and possible story lines, plus the great art, humor, world building and all the little clues that keep you poking around for how to unlock and discover more.
Highly recommended.
(As Athanasius mentions in another comment, the Send Owl digital distro the publisher uses is kinda junky. Not something a developer usually has much control over though. If you have any kind of javascript blocking make sure to turn it all off before trying to access your downloads, otherwise you might run out of downloads without getting the file. I had 1 left by the time it worked.)
I'm really glad to hear that you like the game so far! I definitely get what you're saying about the digital distribution. I will see what I can do. If anyone loses access to the game after paying for it I will make sure to get it sorted out though.
Hey I'm new to itch.io and i just purchased the digital edition but I'm not sure how to play it? Do people download emulators? Maybe I should purchase a GBC so I can buy the physical edition? (Sorry I'm new to this but I love indie games)
* Emulator (most will probably work, Emulicious, SameBoy, BGB are among the most accurate). You can often use gamepads with them. Or emulators running on other handhelds / gaming systems.
* On real GameBoy / Color + Everdrive (or equivalent flash drive) which you can load the digital ROM onto
Just purchased the full version. But I wonder: Why is it that there is such a rigid limitation of possible downloads? Why can I only download the game three times? If I purchase something I do expect to have unlimited access to it. Especially as I assume that there will be updates to the game it seems rather unwise to limit downloads in such a way. What happens if I don't have any downloads left and an updated version of the game is released?
I'm sorry, I'm not familiar with the method that my publisher is using for distribution. If you have any problems with downloading the game you can reach out to Incube8 and they will fix it for you. This game is pretty old-school in the sense that since it's being published on a cartridge it was extensively tested before release. It's unlikely that we will have updates unless there is a major bug that was somehow missed.
Thank you for your reply Ben. That's a relief to hear, thank you. I'll ask the publisher then. By the way: I'm very much enjoying the game on my good old GBC (thanks to EZ Flash)! The atmosphere is impressive, the story original and the production values top notch. You've created a very unique game here!
I'm glad you are having a good time with it! It's really exciting to see it out in the wild. Original hardware is so beautiful if you have a good light source.
Oh yes, the light source is the main problem with the original hardware. But it's just something very different to play these games on their intended hardware than playing them of any one of the many retro portable devices (Anbernic, Pocket GO etc.).
Fantastic demo! The art style was good an I really loved the walk of the characters. Besides that the storyline was interesting and fun too, I’m kind of sad I can’t download the entire game.
I've always enjoyed the GBC because it was easy to distinguish the games that seemed to push the limits of the system. This is certainly one of such games, and I absolutely love it! Just like the other comment, I can't get myself to play more than a few minutes of the demo as I don't want to spoil the experience of playing the full game.
this is incredibly incredible cool. I love what you're doing with it, I made myself stop playing the demo because I want to wait for the full game. The design of how the world is connected is just incredibly cool and feels very real, that mixed with the aesthetic is really an amazing thing.
Probably my favorite Gameboy game so far, and I mean that out of all games I've ever played. Your work is excellent man! Cannot wait for the full version. Such an innovative concept! I also really liked Opposum Country, please keep up your work.
this is amazing! Is there I way to preorder the digital version? Or will it be available here on itch? I don’t want to forget to grab it once it’s out also did you make dedeus and pine creek as well? Please keep up the great work hope you get tons of support you can count on mine for one
Deadeus and Pine Creek are by IZMA and Carmelo Electronics. I think we all have the same publisher so that might be the cause for confusion. A digital version should be available at some point.
thank you for taking the time to reply, will be waiting for the digital, woke up this morning thinking how cool the final game is going to be, good luck and be well
Please tell me this will be released as a rom download when it's finished? It would be such a shame to limit to physical only...I'm willing to bet you'd make much more money selling digital as well as physical too, as well as getting your game played by way more people. Thanks!
edit - I should read all the comments before posting :) Looks like digital release is coming, hurray!
I'm hooked! I can't wait to play the final version. I love the bleak setting. The graphics and music go so well together. I got one win at the horse races and then was immediately robbed lol.
ive got an issue where i cant seem to buy any drinks from the bartender. i just finished the first day of my factory job and received my paycheck. i can bet on the horses fine though haha (a DUMPY win!!)
no worries!! just wanted to make sure you knew lol. i hope the release goes well, i preordered the collectors edition, and cant wait for it!! n_n this feels like itll be a very special game!!!
A bit buggy on the web end however, it keeps saying the Demo finishes in the third act, and sends me to the end screen, then restarts and bugs back to where progress was in the story. I only managed to finish it once as a result, there were numerous cases when I got softlocked playing. Still, with my limited experience, the game was bloody amazing, and keep up the good and hard work Ben!
Yeah sorry this was an oversight in how I put the demo together. You may be able to play again if you erase your save file on the main menu. The final version is being much more rigorously bug tested. Thanks for playing! Glad to hear that you liked it.
Amazing game! I can't believe you've done all this with GB Studio's limitations. Is the full game going to have both physical and digital editions? Can't wait!
I enjoyed playing various scenarios. I like pixel graphics, depressing colors and music which allows to tune my brain to the mood of machine. The whole idea of machine as a micro-society which is deforesting the planet to live is fascinating.
The only thing I worry is that personal views of author may influence game play too much. The most visible example of this is narrator comment, when you aquire a gun after police training. The message is "You got a gun. Now you can murder people". When I hear such a comment from a narrator - which I expect to be objective - I have a funny feeling in my stomach.
I hope final version won't try to moralize people playing this game. Some simplifications are needed for the game to be playable, but I would like to blend a bit such a visible contrast between Mava (left-wing party, strongly positive) and Volf (right-wing party, strongly negative). Maybe final version of the game would show that every power corrupts, no matter if socialist or capitalist?
I wait for the full game to be released. Thank you for such a good experience!
I take that as a commentary on police brutality rather than a glorification of violence. In the real world, Police have murdered people in the past, so the game is pointing out that Girt now has a license (his badge and gun) to brutally punish citizens without fear of punishment from the state - like many Police Officers in America. So, to me, its a sarcastic piss-take on those Officers that think they can get away with murder now that they are a member of the force. To me, this dark joke is the opposite of glorification of violence.
i really like this game! story based games like these have always been my thing and im invested in all the different storylines. i havent played through them all, but everything i have seen so far has been fun (yet tedious where it needs to be - the quota of 15 that was my fault lmao) gameplay and contains interesting plotlines. there are only a few issues ive noticed (mostly dialogue):
when youre living with hud, duo asks if you can take some mapota to the arcade owner. if you take it yourself, right in front of him, then speak to him, he thanks you for the delivery
in one playthrough i got caught cheating to see what would happen. the first time, the cop uncle says he “heard you left the job fair” (despite girt having just been banned by the teacher) but the second time he said he “heard you flunked.” the first time, the factory worker (gary?) skipped his usual dialogue and said “hope you made the right choice” instead of asking about the factory job. the second time, he used his usual dialogue - and trying to directly recreate the first cheating scenario hasnt worked (the teacher says “im disappointed in you” instead of “cheating was your own decision” like in the first run?)
in the vote sorting game, occasionally the votes and boxes disappear but a point is still tallied. this rarely happens and the game progresses as usual afterward, but with one free point
the replayability of the demo alone is huge and im excited to see where this project goes! you are a talented author and creator and i want to wish you luck in completing it :)
Thanks for reporting these bugs. I think that the one for your second run is unique to the demo because its not going through the normal ending logic to get back to the start of the game. The demo should have less bugs if you erase your save.
Thanks for reporting this! What was the last thing you did before getting skipped forwards and what was the first thing that happened after getting skipped forwards?
I had just agreed to be a hitman for the police trainer, and then went to level L then the policee trainer staerws ralking about volf and stuff. Then I had assasination practice.
I think I've found a bug. If you play as an officer and go on the broken rails at level B2, the dialogue with Kalt automatically starts and you go directly to the third act.
I also find it odd that as a policeman I can't try to use my gun when someone tries to rob me (after winning the horse race).
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wow this demo is sooo good, 25 ending you say? even the demo are this good, the full game will be awesome
Its out now if you are interested! TheMachineGame.com
will there be a pc version? just curious..
You can play it on pc using a gameboy emulator but since it can already be played with an emulator it's not a high priority to port it to pc right now.
Bruh you can't do the job fair? If you pass the test it deducts 50 points for being on the demo, and if you get a 50 or less you can't do the job fair.
Yeah its a demo so it doesnt have the full game.
Makes sense. Demo is awesome though cant wait for the full game :D
Thanks! The full game is actually out now. You can get it at themachinegame.com
Thanks! Cant wait
My favorite time is 4:20 now i guess
Can you reach the upper floor in the full game, after the “1”? Is it possible to get to the roof, where the city is?
I don't want to spoil too much but yes in the full game you can access the 1 floor.
Thank you!
OMG IT'S OUT I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR MONTHS SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY!!!
P.S. — thank you for releasing the digital version right away!
Thanks for the support! Glad we were able to do a proper digital release so the most possible people could play it.
Having so much fun with this on my GBC (IPS modded; I am not a psychopath to play on the original screen). Component-wise, the box is sturdy and looks like it has quality finish on it and the sticker sheet is quite thick and looks really nice as well (not the usual cheap thin sticker sheet). The black cartridge looks really too.
The art and graphics in general are beautiful and the environment is nicely interactive. I've finished a couple different story-lines (or runs) and still feel like I have no idea about the various parts, floors and buildings of the machine. I like how Girt changes his uniform depending on the job / task he does. I also like that the perspective changes in larger areas. Needless to say this game 100% pushes the system to its limits (after all, the last GBC game was released more than 20 years ago).
The best thing about the game is to continuously revealing more about the machine while discovering where each path takes you. I feel like this could've easily been released as a PC game on Steam!
The only personal remark I have is regarding the soundtrack. It's certainly not bad and fits the theme well, but I feel like it can be overly dramatic in many cases (and so far in my playthrough it was played for the majority of the game). Also, I can see the game becoming slightly repetitive (especially at the start of each run) after you've done like 10 paths, but that seems inevitable and it's a great trade-off for having this many different endings and story-lines (25+ is what the website states).
Amazing game and I recommend it to everyone reading this comment section.
I have found all the answers in the demo playthrough, do you guy want to know
I should warn you that its intended to learn the answers as you play so having them all right on your first playthrough might spoil the natural game progression.
sorry about that
No problem it's an experimental game format so approaching it like a normal game can have unintended consequences
Yes please give the answers
Can you play the gameboy version on super gameboy for snes?
Yes you can but it doesnt have Super gameboy features like a border etc.
With the Union, I got paid 4 dollars to sort 3 boxes.
can you find all the answers in the demo playthrough?
No, I don't think that's possible.
I figured out most of them by trial and error.
It seems like Question 10 in the quiz is impossible to get the right answer to.
Thanks for the feedback but question 10 definitely has a right answer that works. I've gotten a perfect score on the test hundreds of times while testing.
I've tried all 4 of the possible answers and still got 90 / 100 as a score
It must be that you are getting one of the other questions wrong in that case.
oh my god ı wasnt expecting that. I discovered this game about 4 hours ago and was playing the demo for 4 hours. I thaught this is a short comedy game but then I figured out that this is one of the best games ıve discovered in itchio. I wish it was cheaper so I could buy It. 10 dollar is fricking expensive in my country :/ anyway, that was awesome!
This is soooo good! I ended up playing all of your games available here. All of them are great!
I've been playing the full digital version for a few days and loving it. It feels like there is so much depth to the world and possible story lines, plus the great art, humor, world building and all the little clues that keep you poking around for how to unlock and discover more.
Highly recommended.
(As Athanasius mentions in another comment, the Send Owl digital distro the publisher uses is kinda junky. Not something a developer usually has much control over though. If you have any kind of javascript blocking make sure to turn it all off before trying to access your downloads, otherwise you might run out of downloads without getting the file. I had 1 left by the time it worked.)
I'm really glad to hear that you like the game so far! I definitely get what you're saying about the digital distribution. I will see what I can do. If anyone loses access to the game after paying for it I will make sure to get it sorted out though.
Just confirmed w Incube8 that the download limit has been removed :)
Thank you, glad to hear it!
Hey I'm new to itch.io and i just purchased the digital edition but I'm not sure how to play it? Do people download emulators? Maybe I should purchase a GBC so I can buy the physical edition? (Sorry I'm new to this but I love indie games)
The main options are:
* Emulator (most will probably work, Emulicious, SameBoy, BGB are among the most accurate). You can often use gamepads with them. Or emulators running on other handhelds / gaming systems.
* On real GameBoy / Color + Everdrive (or equivalent flash drive) which you can load the digital ROM onto
* On real Game Boy + the physical edition cart
Just purchased the full version. But I wonder: Why is it that there is such a rigid limitation of possible downloads? Why can I only download the game three times? If I purchase something I do expect to have unlimited access to it. Especially as I assume that there will be updates to the game it seems rather unwise to limit downloads in such a way. What happens if I don't have any downloads left and an updated version of the game is released?
I'm sorry, I'm not familiar with the method that my publisher is using for distribution. If you have any problems with downloading the game you can reach out to Incube8 and they will fix it for you. This game is pretty old-school in the sense that since it's being published on a cartridge it was extensively tested before release. It's unlikely that we will have updates unless there is a major bug that was somehow missed.
Thank you for your reply Ben. That's a relief to hear, thank you. I'll ask the publisher then. By the way: I'm very much enjoying the game on my good old GBC (thanks to EZ Flash)! The atmosphere is impressive, the story original and the production values top notch. You've created a very unique game here!
I'm glad you are having a good time with it! It's really exciting to see it out in the wild. Original hardware is so beautiful if you have a good light source.
Oh yes, the light source is the main problem with the original hardware. But it's just something very different to play these games on their intended hardware than playing them of any one of the many retro portable devices (Anbernic, Pocket GO etc.).
Just amazing, looking forward to the full version.
The full version is available now.:)
is there a wiki or something for this game? its facinating.
Not yet but maybe someone will make one when the full version comes out
Fantastic demo! The art style was good an I really loved the walk of the characters. Besides that the storyline was interesting and fun too, I’m kind of sad I can’t download the entire game.
Now you can download the whole game!
I've always enjoyed the GBC because it was easy to distinguish the games that seemed to push the limits of the system. This is certainly one of such games, and I absolutely love it! Just like the other comment, I can't get myself to play more than a few minutes of the demo as I don't want to spoil the experience of playing the full game.
Thanks so much! Really excited to start getting the final game out there soon.
this is incredibly incredible cool. I love what you're doing with it, I made myself stop playing the demo because I want to wait for the full game. The design of how the world is connected is just incredibly cool and feels very real, that mixed with the aesthetic is really an amazing thing.
I am very glad you liked it! I can't wait to get the final cartridges in.
Same! Super excited to be able to play the full thing!
Probably my favorite Gameboy game so far, and I mean that out of all games I've ever played. Your work is excellent man! Cannot wait for the full version. Such an innovative concept! I also really liked Opposum Country, please keep up your work.
Thanks so much! That really does inspire me to make more stuff.
this is amazing! Is there I way to preorder the digital version? Or will it be available here on itch? I don’t want to forget to grab it once it’s out also did you make dedeus and pine creek as well? Please keep up the great work hope you get tons of support you can count on mine for one
Deadeus and Pine Creek are by IZMA and Carmelo Electronics. I think we all have the same publisher so that might be the cause for confusion. A digital version should be available at some point.
thank you for taking the time to reply, will be waiting for the digital, woke up this morning thinking how cool the final game is going to be, good luck and be well
Please tell me this will be released as a rom download when it's finished? It would be such a shame to limit to physical only...I'm willing to bet you'd make much more money selling digital as well as physical too, as well as getting your game played by way more people. Thanks!
edit - I should read all the comments before posting :) Looks like digital release is coming, hurray!
amazing!
I’m excited to play the full game! Went to preorder the digital edition, but it says it’s sold out. When will more be available?
Can you post the link you are using? As far as I know theres only a physical edition?
I must have been mistaken, because you’re right I only see options to get a physical edition. Sorry for the confusion!
No problem! Thanks for getting back to me about it.
I'm hooked! I can't wait to play the final version. I love the bleak setting. The graphics and music go so well together. I got one win at the horse races and then was immediately robbed lol.
Very impressed with this game. Good luck with the full release!
Thank you!
hello!! cant wait to play the full version!
ive got an issue where i cant seem to buy any drinks from the bartender. i just finished the first day of my factory job and received my paycheck. i can bet on the horses fine though haha (a DUMPY win!!)
I think that is a bug that I fixed for the final version. Sorry about that!
no worries!! just wanted to make sure you knew lol. i hope the release goes well, i preordered the collectors edition, and cant wait for it!! n_n this feels like itll be a very special game!!!
I really love it, Can't wait for the full release! (9/10)
Thank you for the kind words!
Very, very high quality demo!
A bit buggy on the web end however, it keeps saying the Demo finishes in the third act, and sends me to the end screen, then restarts and bugs back to where progress was in the story. I only managed to finish it once as a result, there were numerous cases when I got softlocked playing. Still, with my limited experience, the game was bloody amazing, and keep up the good and hard work Ben!
Yeah sorry this was an oversight in how I put the demo together. You may be able to play again if you erase your save file on the main menu. The final version is being much more rigorously bug tested. Thanks for playing! Glad to hear that you liked it.
will the final game cost money?
Yes it will. We will have a physical and digital edition.
Ah, okay now i know what to blow off my money on!:D
Amazing game! I can't believe you've done all this with GB Studio's limitations. Is the full game going to have both physical and digital editions? Can't wait!
Yes physical and digital! You can preorder from the website on 2/16. Thanks for playing!
Awesome, thank you!
Obsessed with the music, incredible work ! Can't wait for the full game !
Thanks so much! Lunchz was super happy to read your comment.
I enjoyed playing various scenarios. I like pixel graphics, depressing colors and music which allows to tune my brain to the mood of machine. The whole idea of machine as a micro-society which is deforesting the planet to live is fascinating.
The only thing I worry is that personal views of author may influence game play too much. The most visible example of this is narrator comment, when you aquire a gun after police training. The message is "You got a gun. Now you can murder people". When I hear such a comment from a narrator - which I expect to be objective - I have a funny feeling in my stomach.
I hope final version won't try to moralize people playing this game. Some simplifications are needed for the game to be playable, but I would like to blend a bit such a visible contrast between Mava (left-wing party, strongly positive) and Volf (right-wing party, strongly negative). Maybe final version of the game would show that every power corrupts, no matter if socialist or capitalist?
I wait for the full game to be released. Thank you for such a good experience!
"You got a gun. Now you can murder people".
I take that as a commentary on police brutality rather than a glorification of violence. In the real world, Police have murdered people in the past, so the game is pointing out that Girt now has a license (his badge and gun) to brutally punish citizens without fear of punishment from the state - like many Police Officers in America. So, to me, its a sarcastic piss-take on those Officers that think they can get away with murder now that they are a member of the force. To me, this dark joke is the opposite of glorification of violence.
To me this was a joke which I laughed at, and also an indicator that now I have an option of killing
i really like this game! story based games like these have always been my thing and im invested in all the different storylines. i havent played through them all, but everything i have seen so far has been fun (yet tedious where it needs to be - the quota of 15 that was my fault lmao) gameplay and contains interesting plotlines. there are only a few issues ive noticed (mostly dialogue):
the replayability of the demo alone is huge and im excited to see where this project goes! you are a talented author and creator and i want to wish you luck in completing it :)
Thanks for reporting these bugs. I think that the one for your second run is unique to the demo because its not going through the normal ending logic to get back to the start of the game. The demo should have less bugs if you erase your save.
can you only do the cop or factory stories
In the demo you have to start with one of those two paths but they branch out from there. You can quickly get to a third path by quitting your job.
so can I get in demo that job which is only for students with remarkable test score?
No, not in the demo. Sorry!
I sighned up to be an asasion the police officer, and when I went to the level L it skipped me forward in the story.
Thanks for reporting this! What was the last thing you did before getting skipped forwards and what was the first thing that happened after getting skipped forwards?
I had just agreed to be a hitman for the police trainer, and then went to level L then the policee trainer staerws ralking about volf and stuff. Then I had assasination practice.
Do you remember where you were on the L floor?
the houses
I think I've found a bug. If you play as an officer and go on the broken rails at level B2, the dialogue with Kalt automatically starts and you go directly to the third act.
I also find it odd that as a policeman I can't try to use my gun when someone tries to rob me (after winning the horse race).
Great demo, I really hope for digital release.
I found it and fixed it. Thanks so much for your contribution!
Great story, atmosphere and dialogs. I’ll be waiting for the full game!