Monowave PC Review: An Emotional Indie Puzzle Platformer

Review by Chris Law, originally published on Apologies for saying too much.

Disclosure: Chris was provided with a review code by the game's PR company. All opinions are his own.

Emotions are a funny old thing. They can make you feel both powerful and weak, terrified and brave, and when it comes to Monowave, they can also give you an impressive vertical leap and protection from spikes.

What is Monowave?

Mono is a newborn guardian spirit who must return the avatars of happiness, sorrow, anger and anxiety to their rightful place to restore harmony to the world. With the ability to embody each of these emotions, along with drawing them out of the various inhabitants of the world. Mono sets out on their journey to find the emotion shards in the hopes of fixing all the problems that arose when they were stolen from the Prism Tree.

Monowave gameplay: four emotions, four skills

In this 2D platform puzzle game, you make your way through various biomes that draw their aesthetic from the main emotion shard from that area. Each emotion also changes how Mono looks; each emotion provides a specific skill that is needed for traversal and puzzle solving. Happiness lets Mono jump, Sorrow can deflate Mono so they can fit through small gaps, Anger lets Mono wall-jump, and Anxiety protects against environmental hazards.

Worlds, levels and puzzles

The world of Monowave is split into four main hubs comprised of ten levels. Within each, there is a large creature that is struggling with an overwhelming amount of one emotion, and because of that, the world around them is infused with that emotion. That being said, it doesn't mean that is the only emotion you will interact with in that area. Mono has the ability to pass any emotion they are currently embodying into the local fauna via song, and this is essential for solving puzzles. Some creatures attack when infused with anger, whereas others will break down walls; some, when anxious, will lash out, acting like a springboard for Mono to use.

Music and presentation

Emotions are tied into every thread of the game. Whenever you are infused with an emotion, Mono's expression changes and the music in the area becomes a variation of the current level's music that draws from styles associated with that emotion. Majors become minors, and instruments change to add playful aspects or aggressive undertones.

Difficulty: is Monowave worth it?

Monowave is a fun and reasonably accessible platformer that has a steady learning and difficulty curve until the very last level, when it jumps up drastically all of a sudden. The skills are taught throughout the game, but I genuinely thought I might not complete the game. It was fun and satisfying when I did, but it was definitely touch and go near the end. Like most platformers, there are minor issues with jumps falling short sometimes, and other times, midway through using an emotion skill, you can trigger a switch in emotions that will cause you to drop out of the sky mid-jump. This is not game-breaking and often just requires you to re-evaluate the route you are taking, but it can be frustrating when it happens.

This review was written by Chris Law. For more of his reviews and writing, follow him on Substack at @theapologeticnerd.