When comparing Machinarium vs GTA: Chinatown Wars, the Slant community recommends Machinarium for most people. In the question“What are the best Android games without in-app purchases/paywalls?” Machinarium is ranked 17th while GTA: Chinatown Wars is ranked 58th. The most important reason people chose Machinarium is:
The player is forced to move their character across the map in order to find objects of interest. This, coupled with the great sound design and soundtrack which also do their part in giving cues as to where the objects are and if the player is close, really help you immerse into the atmosphere and art style of Machinarium.
Specs
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Pros
Pro The gameplay is perfectly interwoven with the overall aesthetic and atmosphere of the game
The player is forced to move their character across the map in order to find objects of interest. This, coupled with the great sound design and soundtrack which also do their part in giving cues as to where the objects are and if the player is close, really help you immerse into the atmosphere and art style of Machinarium.
Pro Beautiful art style
Machimariums hand drawn graphics exude a very steam punk style that definitely has a very unique look by being all hand drawn.
Pro Challenging puzzles
The puzzles are quite challenging to the point of frustration but in the end give a sense of immense reward when figured out.
Pro Interesting protagonist
The main character and the one controlled by the player is just a normal, average, everyday robot. He doesn't have any special powers or abilities other than being able to slightly extend his midriff in order to reach high ledges or making his body shorter. He's pretty much an ordinary robot thrust into an extraordinary situation.
Pro Built-in hint system
For those that do find some of the puzzles too challenging there is an inbuilt hint system shown through "thought bubbles" on top of the playable character.
Every level has its own hint when pressed and it's usually a hint on where to go or what kind of object you need. Although it's advised not to rely on the hint system too much since it takes away from the experience of actually enjoying the game.
Pro The well-designed gameplay mechanics avoid making the game boring to the player
Unlike most point-and-click games, objects of interest in Machinarium light up only when the main character is close to them; this completely changes the way the game is played. In point-and-click games where this is not the case, the gameplay is usually reduced to aimlessly flailing the cursor around waiting for something to light up.
Machinarium on the other hand completely avoids this, keeping levels interesting and the player interested to the game.
Pro Compelling events make the story interesting
The power struggle between gangs has resulted in the death of your father. You have flown from Hong Kong to avenge your father's death. The missions vary, and all could be plausible making it easy to get lost in the story.
Pro Local multiplayer is more fun than you'd think
The local multiplayer takes advantage of this open-world game in the best ways possible. You can challenge another player to different activities - including Death Races (last alive or first to the finish wins), Stash Dash (get to a delivery van first and make deliveries while the other player tries to stop you), Liberty City Survivor (1v1 battle against your opponent with many police around), and Defend the Base (co-operatively protect targets from incoming bad guys).
Pro Decent graphics
The graphics and lighting effects have been improved over the original version (on the Nintendo DS) to a point where they're good enough for modern mobile gaming.
Pro Controller support for improved controls
GTA: Chinatown Wars has built in controller support which means it is compatible with the Google Nexus Player as well as the Amazon Fire TV. This means you can play it on your phone/tablet with a Bluetooth controller, or on an Android console on the big-screen TV with a Bluetooth controller for an even more console-like feeling.
Note: not all Bluetooth controllers are supported
Cons
Con Items may be difficult to find due to similar colors
At points in the game there are needed items that blend in too well with their surrounding making it quite difficult to actually see them.
Con Controls on touchscreen are not that good
Driving can be pretty difficult with the touch screen controls, though there are two different settings, so one may work better than the other.
Con Not an original game
While not a con for everybody, this game has virtually nothing new about it. It was originally launched for the PSP (PlayStation Personal) and Nintendo DS (dual screen - new generation of GameBoy). The tutorial is borrowed from the PSP version, while it retains the mini games from the DS version.