THROB

THROB is my first solo game and the first project developed under MONORED STUDIO, the studio I founded to create short atmospheric experiences with a strong focus on level design.

With this project, I wanted to build a game where the level itself becomes the core of the experience. Inspired primarily by Beton Brutal, I focused on verticality, brutalist architecture, tension, and spatial readability to create a living structure that constantly pushes the player upward.

The result is a monochrome horror platforming experience where rhythm, traversal, and environmental pressure shape the entire progression.

TECHNICAL SHEET

DEVELOPMENT : Solo Dev - MONORED STUDIO

RELEASE DATE : 2026-2027

TYPE : Horror, Survival Platforming, Rhythm-based Movement

GENRE : Horror, Atmospheric, First-Person

SUPPORT : PC (on STEAM)

ENGINE : Unreal Engine 5

INSPIRATIONS : Beton Brutal, NaissanceE, Control, Antichamber....

WALKTHROUGH - Vertical SLice

VERTICAL SLICE RENDER

PITCH & INSPIRATION

THROB is a short atmospheric horror experience centered around a massive living brutalist structure beating like a gigantic heart.

The player continuously progresses upward through a brutalist industrial environment whose architecture reacts to an ever-increasing BPM.

The game is built around a strong monochrome art direction: the world is almost entirely black and white, while red is reserved exclusively for important gameplay elements. Platforms, doors, hazards, and active structures pulse in red to the rhythm of the heart, turning the art direction into a visual gameplay language.

The higher the player climbs, the faster the heartbeat becomes, making the environment increasingly unstable, aggressive, and chaotic.

INSPIRATIONS

Beton Brutal for its brutalist architecture and vertical gameplay
Mouthwashing for its narrative level design and psychological horror
NaissanceE for its minimalist visuals and verticality, especially its sense of scale
Scorn for its organic architecture, although THROB is far less organic
Superliminal for its minimalist approach
Antichamber for its cel-shaded design
Pools for its minimalist atmosphere
Control for the idea of living spaces and reactive structures, although in a much less complex way
MadWorld for its monochrome art direction using black, white, and red
Élancourt 78 — Les 7 Mares for its fully brutalist architectural environment
Assassin’s Creed Odyssey — the Pythagoras scene in front of Atlantis, for its brutalist-like structure

Industrial horror
Brutalist architecture
Retro horror aesthetic
Rhythm-based environmental gameplay
Psychological tension through level design

GAMEPLAY LOOP BY LEVEL

Observe → Read the environment and identify red gameplay elements.
Climb → Progress upward through the brutalist structure.
React → Time jumps and movement with heartbeat-based platforms and hazards.
Survive → Avoid rising blood and unstable environmental threats.

DA ITERATIONS

CHALLENGES ?

Solo Development

THROB is my first fully solo project. As a level designer first, one of the biggest challenges was learning to handle every part of production myself, from gameplay systems and visual direction to integration, testing, communication, and marketing.

Designing Strong Platforming Levels

Creating a vertical brutalist platforming game may look simple on paper, but finding the right flow required a lot of iteration. Each section had to feel readable, tense, and satisfying while keeping the player constantly moving upward.

Building Around Rhythm and Pressure

The monochrome visual direction was not only an artistic choice. Red had to become a clear gameplay signal for platforms, hazards, doors, and active structures, making the art direction directly support player understanding.

Finding the Right Audience

A major challenge was defining a visual identity strong enough to stand out while still matching the audience I want to reach: players interested in short atmospheric horror, brutalist spaces, experimental platforming, and visually striking indie games.

Handling Production and Visibility
Beyond development, THROB also requires managing the studio identity, Steam page preparation, announcements, social media content, events, and outreach, while keeping the project scope realistic as a solo developer.

This page will remain under development until the official release of the game.