We take colour for granted. But maybe we wouldn’t had we been around in the ‘50s. Maybe you were around in the ‘50s, though, so my first sentence does not apply to you. You already know what I’m talking about. It was a monochrome world. Ask someone back then what their favourite colour was and they’d probably say “light grey”. Colour, seen as too garish, was simply banned.
Monochroma is set in an alternate 1950s, within a dystopian, corporate state. It’s all shades of grey punctuated by occasional bursts of red. Red’s always around. Two boys witness a terrible crime and end up needing to save the world from awful things like tyranny. Ugh. Tyranny, it’s the worst. Monochroma, despite being driven by its narrative, is without cutscenes, text or dialogue. It’s all about puzzles and eye candy. Take a look at the exclusive trailer below.
The four chapter puzzle platformer has the curious lads work their way through the grim city, from the sewers, up to multi-storied ghettos, and into the sky as they explore a city-sized zeppelin.
It’s inspired by the developers’, Nowhere Studios, childhood of moving into urban Istanbul from the countryside as well as more recent protests in Turkey. Media corruption, ecological problems, liberal economics and child labour are among the things Monochroma questions and explores.
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“Monochroma is a game that questions the essence of playing a video game,” says Monochroma’s producer Burak Tezateşer. “A game might entertain players, make them feel good about themselves, or even help them socialize; but a good game should also be able to satisfy players emotionally and intellectually, make players think about their lives, society and the system they are living in the same way a good movie or novel does.”
You can take the demo for a spin right blooming now.