The Music Machine is a game about a 13-year old girl that shares the body with a ghost.
In the game, youâre Quintin and Haleyâtheyâre both inhabiting Haleyâs body. Itâs not clear why Quintinâs taken up residence in Haleyâs body, but it appears thatâs been the awkward situation for months now. Haleyâs mind remains present, but Quintin is in complete control of what Haley does. At one point, when Haley protests about a decision, Quintin uses his omnipotence to smack her.
The story opens with our bizarre pairing arriving on an island where a series of murders have occurred. As with most everything else in The Music Machine, the reasons behind this are fuzzy. The opening moments are spent watching the two establish not only their dynamic but the stakes:
Haley: You donât actually want to kill me.
Haley: You havenât thrown me in front of a bus. You havenât had me stab myself. Or shoot myself. You havenât had me jump off a cliff. Or anything like that. Youâve just been dragging me around. To places like this. I mean, what are you hoping to find?
Quintin: Iâm hoping to find whoever poked those people full of holes and left them in a pile.
We also learn about how this metaphysical kidnapping takes its toll on each person. For example, Haley was a smoker. She constantly wants a cigarette, as sheâs going through withdrawal. But Quintin isnât a smoker, and despite Haleyâs repeated requests to have a cigarette, he denies her.
Haley: I am -dying- for a cigarette, Quintin.
Quintin: I would have thought after three months youâd be over that.
Haley: Well, Iâm not. Just go away, let me smoke, and in thirty or forty years Iâll die of lung cancer. You get your revenge and I donât have someone else controlling my body for the rest of my life.
Quintin: Girls your age shouldnât smoke, Haley.
Haley: Well, girls my age shouldnât be puppeted by vengeful ghosts, either.
P.S. Once again, all quotes and information taken from Kotaku
