Turkish Indie development team Nowhere Studios has released this rather striking teaser trailer for their upcoming cinematic puzzle platformer ‘Monochroma’.
Whilst the 1950s dystopian setting and aesthetic is inspired by a number of iconic fictional sources, including the works of George Orwell and Fritz Lang, there are certainly hints that inspiration also came from much closer to home; a scene in which a dictatorial figure replaces a public park with a shopping mall is a tongue-in-cheek reference to last year’s Gezi Park protests, during which Istanbuli protesters clashed with and were violently oppressed by armed riot police over unpopular plans to redevelop the site.
Such parallels were entirely intentional; “A game might entertain players, make them feel good about themselves, or even help them socialize” says Monochroma’s producer Burak Tezateşer, “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”
The game was inspired by the protests, alongside the developers’ childhood memories of moving from the countryside to urban Istanbul and aims to question the societies of control, disinformation of media, destruction of nature, child labor exploitation and the liberal economy through a narratively led experience with no cut-scenes, text or spoken words. Ambitious!
Nowhere Studios have also announced that they are donating $1 to the “Save The Children” organization for every sale made via their own website. They are also donating 15% of their revenue made in Turkey to an organization for homeless children
Whilst no exact release dates have been stated, Monochroma’s Windows, Mac and Linux versions are expected imminently, with Wii U, PS3 and Vita versions due later in the year.
