I love an existential robot – and Times & Milky Wayan indie adventure game, has a lot of them.
At first glance, the term “existential robot” seems like an oxymoron. After all, existentialism is a philosophical inquiry into human existence—the meaning, purpose, and value of humanity. In other words, “Who are we, and why do we exist?”
But the link between robots and existentialism is clearer than it seems at first glance. After all, they are a product of their maker. Over the years, there have been numerous Article, Podcasts, conversations, booksAnd research papers about robots and humanity. One neuroscientist even wrote that depressed robots can teach us about mental health.
I’ve always enjoyed philosophical discussions and conversations about mental health, so it’s no wonder I was drawn to Times & Milky Way‘s existential — and often depressive — robots.
In many ways they remind me of Marvin van The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Milky Way — another favorite robot of mine.
In Times & Milky WayYou play as the first robot reporter, starting your internship at the eponymous newspaper in the universe. You live on the newspaper’s spaceship with the other employees; while the other editors are both human and alien, many of the subordinate employees on the ship are robots, just like you.
In between reporting your stories on the ground, you can explore the ship and interact with its many inhabitants (and inanimate objects).
I quickly fell in love with Janitorbot because he constantly questioned his never-ending task of cleaning the ship. His sharp remarks and blunt language make him very endearing – and if you so desire, you can have a romantic relationship with Janitorbot in the game by flirting with him.
Janitorbot is in many ways the complete opposite of Hirayama from the 2023 film Perfect dayswho works as a toilet cleaner in Tokyo, but spends his time enjoying the little things. For Janitorbot, the task is never complete, but instead a source of Sisyphean anxiety; meanwhile, Hirayama seems unfazed by having to clean the same toilets every day. Janitorbot won’t do that, and indeed can notresting while there is dirt on the ship — an impossible task with reporters constantly coming and going.
Meanwhile, the aptly named Watercoolerbot sits in a corner of the bunk room, depressed about the lack of meaningful connection. As the saying goes, everyone has conversations all around Watercoolerbot — as superficial as they may be — but no one ever talks to them directly.
Just playing the vending machine, checking out the games available onboard the ship, and collecting in-game collectibles like seeds can be an existential experience.
Sure, running around reporting intergalactic stories was fun, but my favorite part of the game was interacting with these sad, strange robots. I felt a kinship with them that had absolutely nothing to do with the existential angst that journalists face in real life.
Image: Copychaser Games via Polygon
Times & Milky Way is available to play on Windows PC via SteamGOG, and Humble Bundle. It is also available on Nintendo SwitchXbox One and Series X|S, and PS5.