Developer Picomy brought us the absolutely fantastic propeller-platformer Heroki in 2015 and blew us away with its intricate levels, perfect balance of challenges, and utterly charming world. Editor Jim Squires claimed it felt “like somebody took the spirit of Nintendo …
Developer Picomy brought us the absolutely fantastic propeller-platformer Heroki in 2015 and blew us away with its intricate levels, perfect balance of challenges, and utterly charming world. Editor Jim Squires claimed it felt “like somebody took the spirit of Nintendo and bottled it exclusively for smartphone consumption,” which is some of the strongest praise we can imagine giving any game. And now, just over two years later, Picomy has announced their second mobile outing, which has already enamored us with just one trailer.
Monomals looks like a cross between a creature collector and a rhythm game, with a note of My Singing Monsters thrown in. Players will scour the sea for the musical Monomals, the game’s fishy underwater composers. Instead of casting with the standard hook and bait, however, Monomals are attracted to amplifier plugs tossed out from your speaker-decked “Retroraft.” You’ll be able to compose music with any of the Monomals you catch and then share those compositions online with other players.
Picomy hasn’t shared too many details about Monomals yet, but the trailer above gives us a taste of the colorful world and characters they’re crafting. The rabbit DJ/fisherman (with a distinctly Heroki-esque oblong head who endearingly wears his headphones nowhere near his ears) and his anthropomorphic amplifier pal make a cheerful pair, and the first Monomal we get a peek of is an adorable, wide-grinned watermelony fish that blows musical bubbles. Everything from the tropical island with a boombox rock to the rainbow of underwater corals that shrink as the bubbles float by are bursting with vibrant energy.
Although Picomy previously wowed us with a platformer, we’re excited to see their spin on the music genre, especially one with as much love and polish as was put into Heroki. Monomals is currently in development with release planned for sometime in 2018, but we’ll definitely be keeping an ear out for any news as it progresses.
