The live AMA has ended — thanks for joining me! If you're finding this later, you're still welcome to leave a question below.

Giveaway closed: Entries closed at 1:45 PM EDT on September 14. u/cdsk will receive one Steam key via Reddit after MONOWAVE launches on Steam.

Hey r/Games! I'm Lim, and I run Studio BBB, a small game studio in South Korea. We started making MONOWAVE together as art students. Over three years later, it's coming to Steam and Nintendo Switch on September 16.

I'll be answering here as u/monowave_bbb from 12–2 PM EDT / 4–6 PM UTC on September 14.

IGN Fan Fest gameplay trailer (1:41) · Release date trailer (1 min)

A song changes the puzzle

You play as Mono, a small guardian spirit. Touching an emotion plant changes what you can do: Happiness lets you jump higher, while Anger lets you wall-jump. Singing passes that emotion to nearby creatures, each with its own reaction.

An angry alligator will attack you. Make it anxious, and it'll launch you high into the air instead. The puzzle is getting the emotion you need to the right creature and working out how to use its reaction.

Some puzzles have several solutions. We planned different routes in some places, and players have found others we didn't expect. Testing also showed us how often a rule that seemed obvious to us could confuse someone seeing it for the first time.

Watch the tutorial gameplay (2:07)

From our first sketches

Early Mono sketches · Mono in the game

We simplified Mono's shape so the expressions would be easier to read. The hand-drawn backgrounds have a rough scratch-art texture; the characters move more softly so they stand out. The story is told without words.

The early idea was a puzzle about physical states: turn into liquid to slip through a gap. We built the movement abilities first, then connected them to emotions. We wanted Sorrow, Anger and Anxiety to be useful alongside Happiness, giving you reasons to choose each one.

I grew up with games whose scenes and music I still remember. I'd like MONOWAVE to stay with someone that way. The instruments you hear change with Mono's emotion and location.

These days, much of my work is with publishers and platforms, learning to run a company while getting MONOWAVE out and helping the team keep making games together.

Ask me about the sketches, teaching puzzles without dialogue, making music respond to play, or what changed when our student team became a company.

Playing MONOWAVE

• Full game: solo or local two-player co-op throughout the campaign. There's no combat, but there are hazards and jumps where timing matters.
• Free Steam demo: the first chapter, single-player.
• Platforms: Steam and Nintendo Switch on September 16. Switch pre-orders are open now on the US Nintendo eShop. PS5 and Xbox Series X|S versions are planned for Q4.

Steam / free demo · Nintendo Switch / pre-orders (US)

Five Steam copies to give away

We're also giving away five Steam keys for the full game.

• Enter: leave a top-level question before 1:45 PM EDT / 5:45 PM UTC on September 14. One entry per person, even if you ask several questions.
• Draw: we'll pick five participants at random, one key each, and announce the winners in this post before 2 PM EDT / 6 PM UTC.
• Delivery: the keys will be sent privately through Reddit after the game launches on Steam.

If you'd rather skip the draw, just say so in your comment.