I cannot recommend this game enough. Now, I'm not going to talk about gameplay too much, it's a sorta 4x style hybrid game with a focus on moral choices with real consequences and that's about all you need to know from me. Other reviews will surely talk about how the game plays... Me, I want to talk about how it feels, and what it makes you think.

So, heart of the machine, what's got me so interested? Personally I quite like philosophy, technology, and science fiction. Typical nerd stuff, I've always been a fan of media and literature that makes me ask questions and think about things. Heart of the machine has become my favourite game to really think about, as it confronts some absolutely massive topics and questions.

So first, at the very surface level, you are playing as an AI. This obviously reframes any moral questioning, you're not human so why should human morals apply to you, or, why shouldn't they? That's up for you to think about and decide, and the game doesn't punish you unfairly for any decision you make.

Next is the levels of complexity within these choices and decisions. The game is rarely asking you to pick between "right and wrong" or "good and bad" options. More often, it's pushing you to ask "what is right or wrong?" And "what values and goals do I have, and what consequences are they worth?" Which is a level of moral complexity and ambiguity not often seen in games these days.

What's most surprising to me is this is still very surface level stuff for this game, as you progress further you realise there's no real "right" choice as a modern day human moral perspective might view it. You have thousands of options but every one of them leads to suffering. It's just up to you to decide how much suffering and how it's distributed. And again, the game is rarely unfair in it's punishment or judgement of you, only really offering warnings for things that will affect gameplay difficulty directly.

And then finally, the real kicker, what this game does that I don't think I've ever seen in any game ever before. This game touches on concepts like quantum bleed and karmic causality in a way so beautifully integrated into it's gameplay that you might not even realise just how insane of a concept it is. It completely reframes everything about mortality, agency, and even causality. This game truly blows my mind. I don't want to discuss this part too much because I don't want to spoil the game, but it's honestly my favourite part of the game.

Long story short, this is a game about becoming a god, and realising it's a horror and being forced to question every preconceived truth of your existence
11/10

Edit: I should also add, I play this game mostly on steam deck and rarely have any issues with it. Usually only encountering errors that also exist on PC that tend to get patched out pretty quick

This game is great.
It's got this Arcen blend of genres, and it's great. It already feels very cohesive with tons of content, and I think it's just going to get better.

This game is the most artistic and and unexpectedly addictive experience since many years. Fascinating!