The Machine is an upcoming dystopian adventure for Game Boy Color with a playable live demo

Fans of retro games will be delighted to know that indie developer Ben Jelter has announced The Machine, an upcoming dystopian adventure game on the Nintendo Game Boy Color. Made in partnership with games producer Spacebot Interactive and published by Incube8 Games, the pixel art title now has a landing page where eager players can give the live demo a go.

With a win at the 2021 GameBoy Dev competition under his belt, Ben Jelter takes players on a journey in The Machine through different storyline paths. Players will discover the truths behind a massive machine and those who live in it. You'll have to go through an aptitude test in order to find your place in this hierarchical society - brilliantly, this kind of narrative will allow you to experience different tales as a hippie, a police officer, a factory worker, a secret agent and more.

"This world is hierarchical," the game's official description says. "It has always been - the powerful few atop the masses - but here, we embrace this infallible truth fully. In our society, we can find your place in the world with a simple test; we can determine where you fall into society with unprecedented efficiency, and we can put you there to ensure you may reach your full potential, however high or low that potential may be. This is what is good for the machine."

The game features over 25 possible endings and more than 20 hours of gameplay. You can get a taste of what's in store for you on the landing page with a live demo ahead of The Machine's official release. There will also be pre-orders for the standard edition and the collector's edition on February 16th.

If you're looking for more retro vibes, check out our list of the Best GameBoy emulators for Android!