Let Me Introduce You to Monochroma

If you’re not familiar with Monochroma, allow me to give you an introduction. I got a chance to see this game at the Game Developer’s Conference last week and I’m a wonderfully blended mix of intrigued and impressed. Good job, Nowhere Studios.

What immediately caught my eye and drew me to the booth was the atmospheric visual of the game where everything is black and white with a splash of red. Personally, images like this have always fascinated me so it was a no-brainer to give Monochroma a closer look.

The game itself is a platform/puzzle style game that takes place in the 1950’s industrial era with a pinch of dystopia thrown in for good measure. You play the role of a young boy who is caring for his injured brother (who’s also afraid of the dark). The story is told visually with no words or dialogue, which makes for a very interesting approach and will rely heavily on audio and visual queues to advance the tale, while establishing an emotional connection to the player.

If you immediately make comparisons to the previously released Limbo, no one would call you crazy. Both games feature young protagonists, both are leveraging the same (lack of) color scheme. They are quite similar. But I don’t look at this as a bad thing, but instead an opportunity to give you more of what you liked with a little different flavoring. In fact, if you liked Limbo, I’d recommend giving Monochroma a try when it releases.

One of the things I love about video games is when you take a step back and look at the artistic design of a game. When you get past the pixel count and key features found on the back of the box, but really look at the game from an artists perspective from color to character design to environment. The way the entire project is assembled from start to finish is always intriguing. I’m a huge fan of what Nowhere Studios is doing with Monochroma and I’m excited to get more time with the game.

Check out the full trailer of the game to take your first step into a very different world.