Back in August,Berlin-based developersMaschinen-Mensch announced their latest game, Mother Machine. Described as a co-op platformer with roguelike elements centered around some rather wild and crude main characters, it stood out compared to theCurious Expeditiongames that the team has previously been known for. So it’s quite the ambitious change of pace, but one doesn’t exactly head in such a new direction without at least making sure things are set to be on the right track, and that’s why Maschinen-Mensch have now announced an open beta playtest for Mother Machine to be held in November, as announced via the trailer below.
As a refresher concerning the game’s premise, Mother Machine takes place thousands of years in the future, on a far-off planet previously colonized by humans. The humans have long since been gone, but the artificial intelligence that once accompanied them has been left behind. And now without a purpose, she winds up creating little, mischievous “chaos gremlins” to care for, via a mix of techniques like 3D printing and bioengineering. Their goal is to explore the planet and find out as much as they can, having been designed to tackle the planet’s harsh wilderness. But the more they explore, the more they learn about why the humans fled the planet in the first place, not to mention the truth behind their AI mother…
But the more they explore, the more they learn about why the humans fled the planet in the first place, not to mention the truth behind their AI mother…
While these gremlins may have been designed to tackle expeditions, though, they haven’t necessarily been designed to survive them. Thus we get into the game’s roguelike elements, as every time one of your gremlins dies, the AI just creates a new one, and like its predecessor, it also has to deal with random, procedurally-generated levels. There are, of course, ways of surviving, be they mutations that can extend and improve abilities, adding RPG elements to the game as well, or teaming up with additional friends to see if there’s strength in numbers, with online play allowing up to four players able to tackle the various challenges that may get in the way…or just goof off. Or both, as belching and flatulence are part of the chaos gremlins' skillsets.
Indeed, the playtest has been designed in order to focus onfunctionality and co-op play, so the more the merrier, as it should help things out. This new playtest will also feature some improvements compared to the ones before it, including mouse and keyboard support, and improved visuals and audio. For those interested in checking out the open beta for Mother Machine, you just have to head tothe game’s Steam pagewhen it’s being held, from November 22 to November 25. For those who would rather wait for the full package, Mother Machine will arrive in Q1 of next year for the PC, when we’ll see just how these gremlins fare.
