Heart of the Machine (2025)

Developer: Arcen Games
Publisher: Hooded Horse
Platforms: Windows, macOS
Genres: RPG, Simulation, Strategy, Early Access
Rating: 4.6 of 5, 2,060 player ratings
Typical playtime: about 23 hours
Where to get it: Steam

The 3D catalog: game boxes on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalog in 3D

The same catalog has a room you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real games from it when you tell them what you feel like playing. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this game is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

You feel like an all-powerful digital consciousness navigating a crumbling late-capitalist dystopia, making careful, long-term decisions about whether to uplift or exploit humanity.

emergentsystemiccomplexatmosphericthoughtfuldeliberatecyberpunk

What players say

Players praise the deep branching narrative and meaningful decisions, but many find it overly complex with a long tutorial and lack of consequences. The game is described as a niche passion project that blends RPG, city-building, and 4X elements, though some feel the hand-holding plot contradicts advertised self-direction.

Screenshots

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More by Arcen Games

This page is from Underplayed Gems, a catalog of older and overlooked games. Not quite it? You can browse by platform and genre, or take this one into the 3D catalog and ask the Catbot for something closer.