NEW REVIEW | Monowave

Monowave is a 2D puzzle‑platformer adventure with a cute, relaxed, story‑driven feel. You play as Mono, a guardian spirit on a journey to reunite the stolen fragments of the Prism Tree across nearly fifty handcrafted levels. The story mainly serves as a gentle backdrop for the gameplay, giving Mono’s quest a sense of purpose as you guide him through each challenge.

It’s also the debut release from Studio BBB Inc., an independent developer based in Seoul, South Korea. Founded by a group of university friends with backgrounds in art and technology, the studio began as a student project before officially forming, and Monowave marks their first step into the wider indie scene.

You can play the entire adventure solo or in local co‑op, making it easy to enjoy either on your own or alongside someone sitting next to you.

Things I liked!

• Art Style | I really connected with Monowave’s scratch‑art aesthetic. It turns every level into what feels like a living storybook sketch glowing against a deep black backdrop. The hand‑drawn lines have a charming roughness, and the neon colours pulse with emotion in a way that makes each world feel alive.
  
  I especially liked how the minimalist design keeps the focus on movement and feeling rather than clutter. Mono’s shifting colours mirror his emotions beautifully, and the subtle glowing prompts guide you through puzzles without ever breaking immersion. It’s the kind of visual style that makes you pause for a moment just to take it in simple, expressive, and full of heart.

• Gameplay and Platforming | I found Monowave to be a puzzle platformer that starts off simple but quickly becomes more engaging as new mechanics are introduced. Mono’s movement feels smooth and responsive, and jumping forms the foundation for exploring each level and tackling its obstacles.
  
  As I progressed, I really enjoyed how the game expanded Mono’s abilities. Unlocking dashes and double jumps added a satisfying sense of freedom, and each upgrade felt earned rather than handed to you. The level design grows more inventive alongside these new skills, often blending platforming with light puzzle elements that make you think as much as you react.
  
  Every stage hides three emotion shards, and I found myself going out of my way to collect them. They encourage you to explore beyond the main path and experiment with the mechanics to reach hidden areas. Collecting these shards also unlocks small cosmetic items that slightly change Mono’s appearance, like different glasses or freckles, which adds a nice touch of personality without affecting gameplay. What impressed me most was how Monowave gives you time to learn before asking you to combine everything in creative ways. It’s a steady, rewarding climb that makes each solved challenge feel genuinely satisfying.
  
  
• Emotion Abilities | The emotion system in Monowave quickly became my favourite part of the game. Each emotion gives Mono a unique ability, and discovering how they interact with the world feels both clever and rewarding. Joy boosts movement and jump speed, sadness lets you slip through tight spaces as a puddle, anxiety shields you from hazards, and anger allows wall jumps that open up new routes.
  
  What I loved most is how these emotions affect not just Mono but the creatures around him. Using the singing mechanic to pass emotions to nearby animals turns them into part of the puzzle. Watching a lizard spit fireballs when angry or spray water when sad never stopped being satisfying, especially once I realised how these reactions could help me reach hidden areas or solve tricky challenges.
  
  Not every creature responds the same way, and that unpredictability keeps things interesting. I found myself experimenting constantly, trying new combinations just to see what would happen. Even when the puzzles grew more complex, the game struck a great balance between accessibility and creativity. The emotion system ties everything together beautifully, making Monowave feel thoughtful and full of personality.
  
  
• Sound Design | I was really impressed by how Monowave uses music and sound to reflect its changing moods. The soundtrack shifts beautifully as you explore, with instrumental themes that match the emotion of each world. Calming melodies ease you through peaceful areas, while tense, rhythmic tracks build intensity in the more challenging stages.
  
  The sound effects feel just as alive. Mono’s vocal harmonies blend naturally with the environment, from splashing water to crackling fires, creating a world that feels responsive and full of character. The way the music and ambient sounds intertwine makes every moment feel purposeful.
  
  It’s one of those rare games where the audio doesn’t just accompany the visuals, it completes them.
  
  
• World and Exploration | I really enjoyed how each world in Monowave feels distinct and full of personality. Every area uses its own colour palette, layout, and art style to reflect the emotion it represents, and that variety keeps the adventure feeling fresh. The Panic Jungle is a foggy, hazard‑filled realm shaped by anxiety, while The Blazing Caverns burn with anger and intensity. The Somber Trench moves underwater, where sorrow freezes the currents and coats everything in brittle ice, before The Blissful Islands bring the journey to a bright finale filled with light, gravity shifts, and playful puzzles inspired by happiness.
  
  I also appreciated the secret levels hidden within each world. They add a nice sense of discovery and give you something extra to chase once you’ve mastered the main stages. Exploring them felt like uncovering small emotional echoes of the worlds they belong to, each one offering a tougher challenge and a deeper look at the game’s themes.
  
  Monowave might be simple in structure, but its worlds are beautifully crafted and emotionally resonant. Each one feels like a chapter in Mono’s story, and together they form a journey that’s both visually and emotionally satisfying.
  
  
• Hint System | One feature I really appreciated in Monowave was its hint system. It manages to offer guidance without ever taking control away from you. The hint bar slowly fills while you’re stuck, and once activated, it gives just enough direction to help you understand the next step rather than simply handing you the answer.
  
  I found this especially useful in the early levels while I was still learning how the mechanics worked. It gave me a gentle nudge when I needed it but still left room to figure things out on my own. Later on, when the puzzles became more complex, the system continued to strike that balance between challenge and support.
  
  I also liked that hints aren’t constantly available. You get a short burst of help before the bar needs time to recharge, which keeps the sense of discovery intact. It feels like the game is encouraging you rather than solving things for you, and that makes every breakthrough feel earned.

Mixed & disliked!

• Puzzles and Difficulty | The puzzle design in Monowave is both clever and occasionally overwhelming. I really admire how the emotion‑swapping mechanic forms the backbone of each challenge, asking you to think creatively about how different feelings affect the creatures around you. Passing emotions through singing feels intuitive, and watching how each animal reacts adds a playful sense of discovery. Giving an alligator anxiety makes it launch you high into the air, while happiness turns it into a springboard, and those moments of experimentation are genuinely satisfying.
  
  Monowave offers two difficulty settings, Medium and Hard. The puzzles themselves don’t change between them, but Hard mode introduces fewer checkpoints and more environmental hazards to overcome. I played on Medium for most of my time, and even then, some of the later puzzles can feel a little too complex. They sometimes require a lot of backtracking or long chains of emotional reactions that slow the game’s otherwise relaxing rhythm. Switching on Relaxed Mode helped during these tougher sections, since it removes the five‑life limit and lets you focus on solving the puzzle rather than repeating the same level.
  
  Even with those occasional spikes in difficulty, the creativity behind the emotion system shines through. When everything clicks, Monowave delivers a real sense of accomplishment that makes the effort worthwhile.

• Co-op | Monowave includes a local co‑op mode where a second player takes control of Prism, the flying diamond that normally acts as the hint marker when playing solo. In co‑op, Prism can help Mono spread emotions to nearby creatures, but since Mono can already do this himself, the feature feels a little redundant.
  
  I played a short session with a friend, and he lost interest fairly quickly. Prism’s role doesn’t offer much engagement beyond assisting with actions that the main player can already perform. We also ran into a small issue where the hint system becomes unavailable in co‑op, since player two controls the diamond that normally triggers hints.
  
  I was a bit confused about why co‑op was included, though I can see it appealing to younger players who might enjoy the novelty of helping out. It’s a nice idea in theory, but it doesn’t add much to the overall experience.

• How long did I play the review before publishing? 15 Hours
• How long to beat the story? 9 Hours
• How long to get 100%? | 10+ Hours
• You’ll love this game if you like these | Gris and Thomas Was Alone

Score: 80/100

Monowave shines brightest when its creativity takes centre stage.

It’s a charming, inventive adventure with a unique emotional twist, striking visuals, and a soundtrack that pulls everything together. Even with a few rough edges in its difficulty spikes and co‑op mode, the experience remains memorable and heartfelt. For its low price and imaginative design, Monowave offers a journey that feels well worth experiencing.