Machinarium 2 Characters: Meet Josef, Berta, and More

Meet the Robots at the Heart of the Sequel

Josef and Berta have escaped Machinarium, but their search for a home lands them in another world of trouble. The Machinarium 2 characters matter because their individual abilities shape how you solve puzzles, while the robots they encounter share a growing power shortage. Getting to know the Machinarium 2 characters starts with a meaningful change: you can now guide both returning protagonists and switch between them freely.

Their journey begins with a crash landing in the barrens. After climbing down a nearby cliff, they discover a lush valley inhabited by two robot tribes. One community lives in a monastery above the valley; the other occupies a city below.

That gives the adventure two connected concerns: Josef and Berta need somewhere to belong, and the valley’s inhabitants are gradually running short of energy. Their search for a new home takes them into the same valley where both robot tribes face a dwindling power supply.

Here is the central cast and the communities you will encounter:

Character or group	Role in the adventure	Key detail
Josef	Returning playable protagonist	Works alongside Berta using his unique abilities
Berta	Returning playable protagonist	Has her own abilities and can be controlled directly
Monastery robot tribe	Inhabitants of the valley’s elevated monastery	Their community is slowly running short of power
City robot tribe	Inhabitants of the settlement below	They face the same dwindling energy supply

Josef and Berta continue their journey together after escaping the city of Machinarium. Their new surroundings include the Elektrona monastery, the city of Oilton, and the valley around them. Two small robots are looking for a future in a place whose own future depends on power.

Josef and Berta: Two Playable Leads, One Shared Journey

The central change among the Machinarium 2 characters is Berta’s playable role. You control both her and Josef, switching between them at any time and using their different abilities to tackle puzzles that neither could solve alone.

That makes their partnership part of the actual puzzle design. Understanding a scene means considering what each robot can contribute, rather than looking at every obstacle through a single protagonist.

Josef’s Place in the Story

Josef returns after escaping the city of Machinarium with Berta. Their crash landing carries him into unfamiliar territory, where the goal is to find a new home.

His role now sits within a shared adventure. When you examine a puzzle, keep Berta in mind alongside him. The game’s premise explicitly makes their separate abilities complementary, so looking at a problem from both characters’ perspectives belongs at the center of your approach.

Berta’s Place in the Story

Berta shares the search for a home and takes an active role in solving the valley’s puzzles. You can switch to her freely, control her movements, and use the abilities that distinguish her from Josef.

For anyone interested in the relationship between the two leads, that is a compelling change. Their cooperation becomes something you participate in through your decisions. You are responsible for understanding both characters and bringing their contributions together.

Partnership feature	What it means for play	Tip
Both leads are playable	You guide Josef and Berta	Give each character attention when examining a puzzle
Switching is available at any time	You can change the controlled protagonist freely	Switch perspectives when an obstacle leaves you stuck
Each robot has unique abilities	Their contributions differ	Consider each robot’s abilities before repeating an attempt
Some puzzles require their combined abilities	Neither protagonist can solve everything alone	Look for how their actions could complement each other

Keep that last point in mind when thinking about Machinarium 2 characters. Their importance goes beyond personality or appearance. Josef and Berta are also the means through which you engage with the adventure’s central challenges.

Elektrona and Oilton: The Robot Communities of the Hidden Valley

The new setting gives Josef and Berta two distinctive communities to encounter: the Elektrona monastery and the city of Oilton. Both belong to the hidden valley, with the monastery positioned high on the rocks and the city below.

The contrast creates a striking backdrop for meeting the valley’s robots. Josef and Berta arrive as outsiders searching for a home, while the local inhabitants already have settlements whose power is slowly dwindling.

Among the Machinarium 2 characters, these two tribes expand the story beyond the returning pair. Their shared energy problem gives the valley a concern that reaches across its separate communities.

Location	Position in the story’s setting	Connection to the characters
Barrens	Where Josef and Berta crash-land after their escape	The starting point of their search in unfamiliar territory
Elektrona monastery	High on the rocks above the valley	Home to one of the two robot tribes
Oilton	The city down below	Home to the other robot tribe
Hidden valley and surroundings	The wider region Josef and Berta discover	Connects the new settlements and their shared power problem

A Home Above the Valley

Elektrona brings a monastery into the series’ mechanical world. Its elevated position distinguishes it from Oilton and gives the journey a strong sense of vertical space: a cliff descent leads into a valley with a community perched above it.

The monastery’s residents belong to one of the two peculiar robot tribes. Their dwindling power supply places them within the same central situation as the city’s inhabitants.

A City Below

Oilton provides the valley’s urban setting. Its residents face the same gradual loss of power, linking life in the city with life at the monastery despite their different surroundings.

As you meet these communities, pay attention to the gestures and symbols used by individual robots. Those are the game’s means of communication, and they are how encounters can express more than a location name or a settlement’s appearance.

The story setup also gives the search for a home an interesting tension. Josef and Berta have discovered an inhabited valley, but its residents are dealing with an essential resource running low. Finding a place to settle carries a different weight when that place has needs of its own.

How Machinarium 2 Characters Communicate Without Dialogue

The Machinarium 2 characters communicate through animated thought bubbles, symbols, and gestures. Their conversations use visual expression rather than written dialogue, continuing the series’ wordless approach to storytelling.

That changes what deserves your attention during an encounter. A movement, an image inside a thought bubble, or a character’s response carries information that another adventure might put into a conversation window.

Watch the animation as part of the exchange. Reading the characters means following what they express visually and connecting that expression with the situation around them.

Visual element	Its role	What to watch
Animated thought bubbles	Communicate through moving images	Follow the full animation and the images it presents
Symbols	Convey meaning visually	Consider the symbol alongside the surrounding scene
Gestures	Let robots express themselves through movement	Watch how a character moves during an interaction
Expressive character animation	Gives the robots personality	Notice their reactions as well as their mechanical designs

The hand-drawn presentation supports this style. The environments include rusted pipes, weathered walls, and large structures, while the robots receive detailed animation and expressive movement. The visual style draws inspiration from old master drawings and Renaissance landscape paintings.

That combination makes the inhabitants part of the world’s texture. Buildings establish the setting; moving, reacting robots give it life. A scene can communicate something about a character through behavior without stopping for a written explanation.

Take your time with thought bubbles. Let an animated exchange finish before deciding what it means, and connect the images with the robot’s gestures. This follows directly from how the game communicates: the visual sequence is the conversation.

The returning composer, Tomáš Dvořák, also known as Floex, provides another layer of atmosphere. The soundtrack retains acoustic textures associated with the robot universe while adding symphonic arrangements and occasional Renaissance flavor. Alongside the animation and illustrated landscapes, that music helps frame the journey through the valley.

Getting Ready to Guide Josef and Berta

Knowing the Machinarium 2 characters gives you a useful starting point for the adventure: think about two protagonists, complementary abilities, and conversations that ask you to watch closely.

The game supports both a controller and a mouse. With a gamepad, you move the robots directly. Mouse controls are also supported for the classic adventure-game feel.

Choose the control method that fits how you want to interact with Josef and Berta. The underlying partnership remains the same: one player guides two robots and switches between them.

Keep these habits in mind when you begin:

• Consider both protagonists. When examining an obstacle, think about Josef’s contribution and Berta’s contribution.
• Use character switching deliberately. Change perspectives when you need to reconsider how their abilities fit a puzzle.
• Watch complete visual exchanges. Follow animated thought bubbles and gestures before moving on.
• Connect characters with their surroundings. Consider what a robot communicates within the context of the monastery, city, or wider valley.

These tips follow the adventure’s central features without requiring you to memorize a walkthrough. They focus your attention on the things the game asks you to understand: cooperation, visual communication, and the people inhabiting its mechanical world.

Machinarium 2 is in development, with its release date listed as “To be announced.” You can wishlist Machinarium 2 on Steam to keep it on your radar.

Josef and Berta’s next journey combines the search for a home with puzzles built around their unique abilities. Their search for a home supplies the personal stakes; their complementary abilities make cooperation part of solving puzzles. Around them, Elektrona and Oilton introduce communities whose dwindling power gives the valley a shared problem.

FAQ

Who are the main Machinarium 2 characters?

Josef and Berta are the two playable protagonists. After escaping Machinarium and crash-landing in the barrens, they discover a hidden valley inhabited by two robot tribes.

Can you play as Berta in Machinarium 2?

Yes. Both Berta and Josef are playable, and you can switch between them at any time. Each has unique abilities used in puzzles that require their combined contributions.

Is Machinarium 2 a co-op game?

Machinarium 2 is a single-player adventure. One player controls the two protagonists by switching between Josef and Berta.

How do the robots communicate?

The robots communicate through animated thought bubbles, symbols, and gestures. Character interactions use wordless storytelling, with expressive animation helping convey their meaning.