Developer: Nowhere Studios
Publisher: Nowhere Studios
Platforms: PC
Monochroma – Review
Monochroma, brought to us by Nowhere Studios, is a puzzle platformer that features realistic locations and puzzles that make use of real-life physics. With its unique visual style of black and white graphics with a touch of red, it is a mixture of LIMBO and Sin City, except in Monochroma it is not about the gruesome gameplay. The game takes you on an emotional rollercoaster, one that you might have already experienced in life itself.
Story
In an alternative version of the 1950s, two brothers are playing around in the fields and rooftops of warehouses. The youngest falls through a rooftop of one of the warehouses and has injured his leg badly. As the oldest, you feel responsible for your brother and you decide to carry him back to safety. However, things are not as easy as they seem to be. With the weight of your brother on your shoulders, you can’t reach certain objects. That is why you must often leave him behind in the light, as he is scared of the darkness that surrounds him, in order to find a safe way to continue your journey.
Graphics
If you liked the black and white art style of LIMBO, you will certainly fall in love with the mysterious atmosphere you will find in Monochroma. The touch of red added to the dark, industrial setting of the game is similar to Sin City albeit with saturations that are less vivid. The visuals seem to come straight from a nightmare that has come to haunt you but it does so without an overabundance of violence.
Sound
The sound is obviously not as black and white as the game itself but it matches the overall eerie yet stunning feeling you will get from the graphics. No matter how small it is, the details of the sound are prominent. From the soft drops of rain that are falling from the sky to the sizzling sound of lit barrels that are now distinguished, it is all there. As Monochroma is a game that you should experience and feel, there are no written or spoken dialogues.
Gameplay
The puzzles in Monochroma are not extremely difficult but some will take some thought, while others are too simplistic. It is said that the puzzle designs are not made of the traditional trial and error gameplay but I feel that this is incorrect. While the majority of the puzzle designs are challenging but easy to solve once you’ve realized the path you have to take, some situations are only passable by trial and error. Luckily, the checkpoint system in Monochroma is not one that will agitate players. There are enough checkpoints throughout the entire game that make sure that your gameplay does not get disturbed by having to go through puzzles over and over again. What is slightly troubling is the loading time from death to respawn.
The rest of the gameplay is fine but not over the top enjoyable. The animations of the characters themselves are not smooth enough and while it is certainly not done poorly, it feels like a shortcoming compared to the visuals and audio design of the game. Figuring out where and when to solve a puzzle is rather straightforward as rays of light will indicate where you can leave your brother behind. However, you can’t leave him behind too far as the game will not let you continue your journey without your little brother on your back. There will be a couple of surprising elements in the game, some that may leave you uneasy. It is these moments, no matter how brief they are, that will leave an impact on your emotional state of mind.
Some will feel uncomfortable with the overall playstyle of the game and the way the controls work. While the controls are simple and easy to use, they are not always very responsive. This can lead to some frustrating moments where you wish you could defy gravity and logic.
Conclusion
While the gameplay is fine, it does get repetitive and dull after some time. However, by adding in surprising elements that will leave you on an emotional rollercoaster, the game does get more interesting. The storyline in Monochroma is a wonderful concept, one that will appeal many gamers that are looking for a game that has more depth. With unfortunate controls that feel less responsive than they should and animations that are not as smooth, the game falls slightly short. Other than that, Monochroma is a nice, relaxing game that is visually striking with an audio design that will surely give you goose bumps along the way.
Monochroma - Review,
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