【2023 Archives】

You023 Archivesa robot vacuum cleaner.

That's the premise of Rumu, a point-and-click game developed by Sydney-based indie studio Robot House. Set in an intimate, dollhouse-like smart home, you control RUMU, a robot vacuum cleaner which becomes self-aware.

SEE ALSO: Robot ants are here to terrify and impress you

Guiding RUMU on its journey is Sabrina, the home's artificial intelligence, a cast of semi-intelligent devices, and Ada, the cat. Something draws RUMU away from cleaning up after its owners David and Cecily, leading to it exploring the house, and examining the question of life itself.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

"The question the game keeps asking you is if it's right to give something feelings, to give something emotions," Rumu'sgamerunner Ally McLean explained to Mashable.

"Is it a burden or is it a privilege? There are multiple situations throughout the game where you are given a choice, and that teaches a lot about yourself."

Mashable Light Speed Want more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories? Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

Taking inspiration from games like Firewatchand films like Ex Machinaand Westworld, Rumufeatures an adorable little robot that could easily fit in Pixar's repertoire, a la Wall-E, but the story takes an arguably more serious bent as you discover the truth about RUMU's family.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

"When we first pitched Rumu... there was a lot more comedy in it than there is now," McLean said. "It was this branching narrative where this robot vacuum was trying to subvert what the owners of the house wanted, challenging its cleaning mechanics and warring with the cat."

"There are still elements of that in this, but as we worked with someone like Dan McMahon (the game's writer, who also worked on L.A. Noire), who could tell the best version of the story, it became a lot more about the relationship between RUMU and Sabrina.

"That complex dynamic between them is really how you learn about the story of the family."

An early version of the game displayed at PAX Australia, set for release on Dec. 13 on Steam. Much of Rumu's gameplay is puzzle oriented, but it's the story McLean hopes sticks with players.

"People are going to take lots of different things from the narrative, there are things that left unsaid or are open to interpretation. Ultimately, it would be great if the narrative stays with people," she said.

---

Featured Video For You

---

Industrial robots weave a metal bridge as they move in mid-air

---

Topics Artificial Intelligence Gaming

• Life
• Social Good
• Entertainment
• Tech
• Digital Culture
• Science
• Shopping
• Deals

• Best headphone deal: Take 22% off the Sonos Ace at Amazon
• “Purple Elegy”: A Poem for Prince, by Rowan Ricardo Phillips
• Staff Picks: Joanna Walsh, Benjamin Hale, Colin Barrett
• Don't Use “I Feel Like,” and Other News
• Best portable power station deal: Save 44% on the Jackery Explorer 100 v2
• Bears, Abortion, Mechanical Pencils—All at the County Fair
• Glen Baxter Week, Day Three: Sex, Trees, Florists, Progress
• Timbuktu’s Massive Book Heist
• Creator job opportunities grew 7x in recent years [April 2025]
• Jim Comstock’s “West Virginia Hillbilly,” A Newspaper for the Ages

• You can now buy a paperclip from Prada for the low, low price of $185
• Ron Howard is a solid choice for Han Solo director. Here's why.
• A new hotline in Kenya helps protect women and girls from violence
• Chicago's new Apple store has a MacBook Air for a roof
• After 8 years, Owl City finally explains that weird lyric in 'Fireflies'
• 'Jurassic World' has a dumb new title and a really familiar tagline
• These headphones will put Alexa in your head at all times (if you're into that sort of thing)
• Trump's terrible handshakes are given the ‘Mortal Kombat’ treatment they deserve
• Tesla may launch its own music streaming service because, well, why not
• Amazon could fill our cities with towering Echo

• Best headphones deal: Save up to 51% on Beats at Amazon
• Coins, Pincushions, Stagecoaches—They’ve All Starred in Novels
• “Be Bold with Bananas” and Other Awful Library Books
• In Defense of “Moist”
• Apple is reportedly still working on smart glasses of some kind
• Francis Buckland Wanted to Save (and Eat) Every Animal
• Cancel Your Plans—the Guggenheim Has a Solid Gold Toilet
• Why “Mad Ducks and Bears” Is Plimpton’s Best Sports Book
• Operation Mensch
• Last Chance: Subscribe to The Paris Review and Lucky Peach

• Trump's new tariff plan spares some smartphones, laptops
• “Be Bold with Bananas” and Other Awful Library Books
• Lisa Hanawalt: Hot Dog Taste Test
• “Purple Elegy”: A Poem for Prince, by Rowan Ricardo Phillips
• Best headphones deal: Save up to 51% on Beats at Amazon
• The Joys of Eating a Hot Dog Standing up at the Airport
• Echo: Five Digital Paintings by Miao Xiaochun
• Branded Man: The Long Tradition of Outlaw Poets
• Japan orders Google to stop alleged antitrust violations
• The Political Novel: An Interview with Édouard Louis