Designed by German Tikhomirov and published by CrowD Games, City of the Great Machine is a highly strategic cat-and-mouse game in a steampunk setting. The 'Great Machine' is an artificial intelligence network designed to enhance mankind but (as normally happens with this kind of thing) it has gone too far and needs to be stopped by a team of brave Heroes. The Great Machine can be controlled by one of the players or by a well-designed automa, and 1-3 players can control the three Heroes.
Each side is racing to complete its goal first: the Heroes must successfully incite three riots in order to start the Revolution, while the Great Machine is trying to speed its Master Plan to completion. To achieve their aim, the Heroes will move around the mobile platforms of the sky City trying to gain support and seek advantages. The Great Machine will be trying to thwart them by anticipating their moves and sending Servants to arrest them.
Thinking one step ahead is invaluable, but not everything: the Great Machine certainly benefits from intercepting the Heroes but it's not game over if either side gets lucky a couple of times. With many options to choose from and different events providing unique opportunities to consider each round, both sides will have many options, so it's good that the main decision-making phases happen simultaneously. Even so, it's a big game that needs a long time to play: as is often the case, the advertised 45-90 minutes is about half of what you'll probably need! Unlike some cat-and-mouse games, this stays exciting and close to the end, thanks to its self-balancing mechanics: as time goes by, things will get easier for the Heroes but as they get more successful it will become harder for them to incite the last riots that they need to ignite the Revolution.
The game is beautifully presented, with detailed miniatures that can be easily distinguished, and the lavish artwork from Maya Kurkhuli, Anna Laryushina, Nikolai Mitrukhin and Nadezhda Penkrat sets the tone without confusing the gameplay. The player aids are very clear. It's not all about the aesthetics tho': this game tells a story through the events that unfold, and with six different Heroes from which to choose three, and many other setup variations, there is no shortage of stories to be told.
(Review by Matt Young)