Monochrome Pixels
A downloadable game for Windows, macOS, and Linux
Diana, a Senior Game Designer from Mad Lobster Interactive, deals with burnout, night terrors and work harassment at the hands of her narcissistic boss, Godric, on a daily basis.
One morning like any other, without paying any mind to her already busy schedule, Godric tasks her with mentoring their new employee: Enya, an upbeat and passionate newbie who's yet to see the struggles of the game development industry.
Very much at her wit's end, Diana has to make an important decision that may affect not only her career but her life as a whole. Will she mentor Enya in her own way and get to know them better? Or will she be at the service of Godric and her own inner demons?
Although the characters and story of Monochrome Pixels are fictional, the issues of abuse and mistreatment in the games industry are not. This game contains the following content:
- Toxic workplace
- Abusive and oppressive boss
- Struggles with mental health/depression
- Nightmares
- Burnout
- Harassment
- Misogyny
- 29k words, roughly 1.5 - 3 hours depending on reading speed!
- 3 Endings
- 4 CGS
- An original soundtrack
- Partial Voice Acting
- A cute, budding friendship between co-workers (depending on your choices!)
- Developer notes
- Accessibility Options!
- Font options
- Change UI Colors
- Sound & Image captions
- Reduce Animations
- This will disable bright flashes
- Self-Voicing
- Project Lead, Writer, Programmer: Kristi "HusbandoGoddess" Jimenez [Twitter | Tumblr | Carrd | Patreon | Ko-Fi]
- Co-Lead, Writer, Beta Tester: Pri Karin
[Twitter| Tumblr | Carrd | Patreon | Ko-Fi] - Sprite & CG Artist: SummerOrigins [Twitter | Tumblr | itch.io | Ko-Fi | VGen]
- Background Artist: MoKuzuu
- GUI Artist: skai2blue4u
- Logo Artist & Misc. Graphics: 1kesoda
- Food Art, Animal, and Easter Egg Artist: Florisam
- Composer & Sound Designer: Eric Jeffrey Tan
- Editor: Vivi Contrast
- GUI Programmer & Additional Art : theominute
- Voice of Diana: Kay Reilly [Carrd| Twitter]
- Voice of Enya: Wyatt Toloczko [Twitter| Instagram]
- Voice of Godric: Mikee Joaquin
- Voice Director: Branden Loera
- Audio Engineer: Eric Sheffield
- Special Thanks: Bluenova Studios for getting the audio team together!
- Image Tools for Ren'Py: Feniks
- Ren'Py Auto Highlight: Wattson
If you enjoyed Monochrome Pixels, please consider leaving the game a rating! Ratings greatly increase the game's visibility.
As mentioned above, although the game's events and characters are fictional, the topic of mistreatment in the games industry is not. Please, support game developers however you can. Listen to their stories, let them know how much their work has impacted you, and show them that you're by their side.
Status | Released |
Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux |
Rating | Rated 4.9 out of 5 stars (45 total ratings) |
Authors | HusbandoGoddess, prikarin, skai2blue4u, Moku, ejtanmusic, 1ke_soda, SummerOrigins, Theo |
Genre | Visual Novel, Interactive Fiction |
Made with | Clip Studio Paint, Adobe Photoshop, Audacity, Ren'Py |
Tags | Amare, Creepy, Dark, drama, Female Protagonist, josei, Meaningful Choices, Mental Health, Multiple Endings |
Average session | About an hour |
Comments
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I'm in love with this story and game! the artwork is so good and i LOVE the work that was put into this! i am in love with Diana and the BEAR CAKE WAS SO CUTE OMG probably the best game I've EVER played
This was so cute! I loved that the main menu changed after getting the best ending! And Enya is an adorable ball of sunshine aaaa!!
Ahhh, thank you Melody for the kind words! And I agree, Enya's absolutely adorable and must be protected at all costs!
ISTG THIS GAME IS SO GOOD. I LOVED THE PLOT, ART, VOICES, SOUND, ETC. IT'S RLLY COOL GETTING SO PLAY A GAME MADE BY TONS OF TALENTED AND SKILLED PPL 🙏🙏🙏❤️
Heyyo! Finally finished playing the entire game! Like Diana, I barely have any days off, oops-- Unlike Diana, I'm doing what I love tho! So all is well! My current game is just so big for just one person rn, that's why I spend most of my time working on it 🥰💞 Otherwise it'll never ever get done 😂🙈
Anyways~ Love the game! It's so well written, the graphics are charming, the GUI is stylish, the voice acting is SO well done, the music hits just right, AND oh I adore ADORE Diana's and Enya's friendship! Melts my heart fr! Especially how after the best ending, the title image changed! Ugh!! So, so happy Diana can find some respite finally 😭🤲🏻💞💞
And on a more serious note; Thank you for making a story about this issue. It saddens me how some parts of the game industry is still like this. I've never thrived working for someone else, so I doubt I'll ever see myself in the mercy of any company, but my boyfriend is thinking about that future and with how shaky the industry is currently right now, it def makes me fear for his well-being. I'll be sure to always keep an eye on him though, ofc, so can only hope for the best.
But yeah, thank you. I hope the game industry will only get brighter moving forward, like how optimisticly open-ended Diana and Enya's story concluded in the Best Ending 🥰✨💞
Looking forward to the next game you'll make! And will be playing your older ones too when I have the time! Consider me a fan 😁🤲🏻💞💞
Oh, also! I only managed to get 2 endings: Best and Bad. Can you perhaps let me know how to get the 3rd? Thank you 🥰💞
For the neutral ending, you want to get less than six points! There's a number of ways to get the neutral ending, since, as the name implies, being neutral with Enya and some choices can yield in negative points.
From looking at the game very quickly, here's what I suggest doing!
1) Help Enya (+1 Point)
2) Don't eat with Enya (No points rewarded)
3) Take Enya to the meeting (+1 Point)
4) Don't compliment Enya's drawings (No points rewarded)
5) Give Enya generic advice on handling toxic criticism (+1 Point)
6) Don't tell Enya about the nightmare (No points rewarded)
7) Thank Enya for standing up for Diana after their meeting with Godric (+1 point)
8) Don't approach Enya (No points rewarded)
L OH MY GOD YOU SWEETHEART! ;~;
We're so glad you enjoyed the game! Everyone did such a fantastic job, so I'm glad you've had nothing but compliments for every aspect of the game <3
Yeah... The industry is in such a shit spot at the moment, and I'm sorry your boyfriend is having to deal with the reality of it atm. I hope that everything works out for him and he finds a stable job that makes him happy!
DSJIKFGJLK GONNA MAKE ME CRY AHHHH ;~; Thank you so much, L, that really means a lot! Be sure to check out everyone else's stuff too. :3c
Haha, I allow tears of happiness! 😌👌🏻✨ And yeah! I'll be sure to check everyone else's stuff too! Y'all did so great fr 🥳✨💞💞
As for my boyfriend, thank you so much! If nothing else, at least he has me to make sure everything'll turn out alright for him 💪🏻😤✨💞
And thanks for the Neutral Ending guide! No wonder it's so hard to get! 😂👌🏻✨
Finally seen the Neutral/Normal Ending! It's really nice too! I think I even resonate the most with it and my quite uncertain road in making it someday 😭🤲🏻 But yeah, we got this, Diana and Enya of Neutral Timeline 💪🏻😤✨💞
I got the best ed off bat!
I feel so much at the start of the game~ Love the game tho Amazing~! Paw-tastick!
I'm GOING CRAZY! Why do I keep on doing bad things?! WHY
10/10 I couldn't bring myself to disappoint Enya and subsequently get anything other than the goodest ending for the goodest colleague (can we see their OCs please please please)
The UI and soundtrack are amazing! And the accessibility options! As someone who doesn't do too well with bright rapid flashes, thanks a lot for including that as a setting ❤
Wow. I felt a lot in this game, and become a bit emotional trainwreck upon playing it. It's also quite an experience of a game that's actually conveyed well, and how it also shows the reality of game industries (tho not a game dev or anything, just saw the news of like what's happening in the game industry.) As for the game/vn and story, I really like the art! It's vividly variety of beauty, characters are well written and colorful with personalities, and the VAs, despite partial, really puts up the flavor and tone of the characters and really leaves an impression to the characters, the visual UI matches the tone and theme of the game/vn, and the writing is absolutely gorgeous, and again conveyed the messages and themes, as mentioned in the experience part.
Overall, I think you guys did an excellent job on this one!
Kudos!
I also did a playthrough of the game, just the best ending for now, which is accidentally discovered but I guess more straightforward, but I also made a commentary, but might be cursed.
Might check the other endings, whether be my own time later, or another playthrough. Again, thank you for an effort and fruitful vn!OOhhh I felt this one in my bones.
I feel really bad for Diana (I was so happy to see the resolution in the Best Ending!) and Enya was a certified ball of sunshine. They were so cute together in all their interactions! The nightmare scenes with Godric were really good and really really creepy!!! I've (unfortunately) had my own fair share of narcissistic abusive bosses and hahahahahaha-- yeah! Felt very realistic.
Thank you for making this game about such a difficult topic. I hope it's okay that I leave a bit of a personal reaction about "abuse in the gamedev field" below--
[Warning for mentions of harassment]
I just had to spend the last year recuperating after having been sexually harassed at multiple different in-real-life gamedev events. I've never been in a field where this level of abuse is so normalized and endemic that people don't even blink when clear examples of abuse are just happening right out in the open. I'm so glad that people are able to get their stories out there with their own experiences with this, because it's really /really/ not talked about enough.
Thank you so much for making this game. It really stirred up a lot of emotions. It's so good to know that we're not alone.
Thank you for playing Heiden.
I am so sorry that you endure that. It's disgusting and I hope the event organizers are ashamed of themselves for allowing that to take place. Thank you for being brave and sharing your experiences. You are such a strong individual, and I hope that if I ever do see you at a IRL event, I get to hug ya cause you deserve one and so much more. <3
This is an amazingly gorgeous game with refined polish in all aspects, with the distinctive character design and art (our pocket blue boi, autumn red panda mentor, and demonic-coded boss-man), heartwarming story (this was... too relatable!), sound effects and ambient music (voice acting also top-notch), and the programming (everything went smoothly, and the glitch effects were very cool)! Even the gallery extra let me flip through my favorite stills across expressions!
I appreciate how you set up the mentor-mentee friendship with excellent anchoring details (chocolate croissants! Dream usernames! being late by 5 minutes to save a cat!), it was hurt/comfort in all the right ways, I really needed this! It also has to be said, I appreciate how both lead characters are historically underrepresented in the games industry, especially with the femme mentor and fluid mentee!
I'm so excited to play your future games! So much inspiring work here ~
Ahhh, thank you for the kind words, Sunfire! The team did such a fantastic job in all aspects, I honestly can't thank them all enough for all the work that they've put into this project.
I'm glad you loved between relationship Diana and Enya! Those tiny details you mentioned were done by my wonderful co-writer and co-lead, Pri. She's so good with tiny details like those, and I think they really helped enhance both our characters and their developing relationship.
YESSS!! I love creating representation where it is sorely needed. As a Latina woman, it was such a joy to see myself represented in Diana.
Again, thank you so much for your wonderful comment, Sunfire. Be sure to check out the rest of the team's games as well (everyone has their own projects going on). They're all so talented and creative. <3
Putting my review in here to please the ever hungry algorhythm! (Is it cheating if I'm part of the team? No, shh!!!)
A sad story that rings true to many, but with a very hopeful outlook in one of the endings that I can only hope becomes true-and even better- in real life! The game industry is such a tough place for creatives, which tends to happen when anything artistic becomes "an industry". I wish for things to improve and for us to be able to be tell many more stories such as this one!
WOW, this was an incredible title. The entire team did a fantastic job, and I could tell how personal a story it was.
The entire game is incredibly polished. There was so much thought and care put into all of the UI/various effects! The use of the "glitchiness"/chromatic aberration scheme really played well into the concept of a "video game-centric workplace" - one that is broken and glitchy. The art is so charming, and I loved how many Easter eggs there were in the backgrounds. From the script to the art, it was clear that the team has an incredible love for video games as a medium. The story was well-written, with natural dialogue, excellent pacing, and good structure. The VAs also did a wonderful job!
All three of our leading characters were very well-written. Diana is very relatable and well-rounded. Although her life is tied to her work, you really get a lot of hints into her life outside, before work consumed her, through her desk/room/mentions of her previous relationships. I like how withdrawn she is portrayed - constantly wearing headphones, listening to music to drown out the world - unknowingly shutting herself off from anyone (her coworkers) who could lend her a sympathetic ear and support. I really liked her design - her muted "autumn" colors really give the impression that she was someone who used to be "colorful" and saturated, who was slowly beaten down.
I like how Godric is characterized - he's not cartoonishly evil, and he almost acts "friendly" with Diana - and yet you can feel the oppression from every line. You can tell how every interaction is laced with the power dynamic between the two of them. He never says anything outwardly cruel, only words tinged with threats and disappointment, but he's absolutely hateable all the same. His black, white and red color scheme is really fitting LOL very demonic, and the fact that he wears a tracksuit to work is simultaneously ironic and infuriating.
From the start, Enya is an adorable bean. I like how "ethereal" their design is - unlike the other characters who have very muted palettes, Enya looks very bright and colorful, almost like a "game" character (as opposed to a "human" working in an office LOL) It really sets them apart from the rest of the cast and hammers home how optimistic their perspective is. Their enthusiasm and love for their work is infectious!
===SPOILERS BELOW===
I really loved the construction of the story and choices here. The choice of giving Diana a mentee to manage was a brilliant one; Diana is in a hopeless situation, with no agency over her work, but here the player is presented with the choice to either perpetuate the abuse/neglect that she suffers from her superior or to change, to avoid putting Enya in the same situation that she faced herself. Over the course of the story, Diana can either get progressively worse, breaking down by herself from stress, or she can receive support from Enya if she chooses to mentor them and give them proper guidance. The use of the dream sequences at the beginning of each day was a fantastic way of showcasing Diana's mental state (and, indeed, how dire it is, considering she acts so dull, detached, and "accepting" of her fate at work). I really liked how, in the bad ending, Diana's dreams get progressively worse - whereas in the best ending, they get better, with Enya eventually coming to her defense (foreshadowing what actually happens IRL).
The development of the relationship between Diana and Enya is heartwarming to see - it's a slow, natural progression, and it was quite cathartic to see them open up to one another near the end of the route. The choice to "making games out of their passion for the craft, as a hobby" at the end of the best ending route really brings things full circle. I also like how the scene portrays a "healthy" working dynamic - in which Diana is not entirely happy with Enya's design, but they are open to critique and exchange it freely with understanding and kindness.
The title screen change was so cute! It was such a cathartic end to the game and such a great pairing to the original title screen. The developers' notes were all really interesting and insightful as well. I am very afraid for the future of game development as an industry - and, indeed, the future of any creative profession. I can only hope that places remain in society where people can freely work out of passion instead of purely out of profit, and I hope that there's an audience that appreciates that passion.
I'll say it again, but this was FANTASTIC! Great work!
Chaaaatt 😭❤💕 thank you so much for playing our game and for such a lovely review!! We're really happy that you enjoyed it so much!! ❤🥰
It makes me especially happy that you liked the color themes and the relationship dynamic between Diana and Enya; those were my favorite parts hehe ☺️
I'm with you on the being afraid of the future of game development and creative career as a whole. The way a lot of CEOs act towards their employees, crunch culture, NFTs, Ai... it all feels like a big nightmare indeed. Hopefully talking about these problems openly is a first step into making things better and we can bring back the light to creative professions!
Once again, thank you so much for your comment and for playing our game Chatt! ❤💕
Chatt! Thank you so much for your kind words (and wonderful review) on our game! As Pri said, we're really happy to see that you enjoyed the game, and have a lot to say about it. Your comments are always a joy to read. <3
Coming up with the character designs was really fun. I LOVED that you took notice of the tracksuit, because when we were concepting the character designs, I looked up Bobby Kotick (former CEO of Blizzard) and what he wore, and saw he wore a business casual-like tracksuit attire, and I knew right then and there THAT HAD TO BE GODRIC'S OUTFIT.
The current state of the industry is scary, but there's hope. I think if we continue to make our voices heard and push for change, the industry will change for the better.
Again, thank you so much for playing Monochrome Pixels, Chatt! <3
Wow... a gorgeous and heartbreaking critique of just some of the ugly problems lurking beneath the surface in the game development industry.
The game itself is incredibly well polished, let alone for a single month's work during NaNoRenO! 🎉🥳
Thank you for creating and sharing this (not entirely) fictional story with us, and using your creative voices to speak up about these issues! ♥
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Also: ...First! 😉
Thank you, Seven! We're really happy that you enjoyed it! 🥰
Gosh, yeah, I can hardly believe myself how we were able to finish this in a month! Props to our team and especially Kristi who spent a million hours during the last week scripting everything!
1) Not you saying first. What is this, YOUTUBE?
2) Thank you for your kind words, Seven! It's thanks to everyone's hard work over the past month that Monochrome Pixels was able to come out in the fantastic state that it did! I'm still astounded by what we were able to pull off in a month's time. I honestly couldn't have asked for a better team. <3