Discolored

About Discolored

Discolored is a first-person puzzle adventure that drops you into a colorless desert diner. Developed by Jason Godbey and released in 2019, it’s a short but strange experience for PC, consoles, and mobile. You play as a lone figure tasked with uncovering why the diner’s lost its hues. The genre leans into indie experimentation, think point-and-click mechanics with a focus on environmental puzzles. It’s not a large world, just a single location stretched over two hours. The vibe is eerie and abstract, more about mood than action. If you like figuring out cryptic stories through environmental exploration, this one’s a niche pick.

Gameplay

You’ll wander the diner’s empty halls, using a handheld device to “reinstate” color in objects. The puzzles mix light manipulation, object rearrangement, and color-matching logic. For example, pointing a flashlight at a faded painting might restore its shade, which then triggers a hidden switch. The camera control feels floaty, which matches the surreal tone but can frustrate. Sessions involve lots of backtracking, once you unlock a color in a room, it opens new paths. There’s no dialogue or hand-holding; you’re left to piece together the story through visual clues and ambient sounds. The game’s minimalism means you’ll spend more time staring at walls than interacting, but the payoff is a twisty narrative that’s equal parts creepy and cryptic.

What Players Think

Discolored holds a 61.6/100 on IGDB, split between fans of experimental design and those who found it underwhelming. The 16 achievements see an average 52.7% completion rate, with the most common unlocks tied to color restoration milestones. Playtime averages 2, 3 hours, which some call “too short for the price” on budget platforms. Community moods lean polarized: critics praise the “atmospheric isolation” and “eerie sound design,” while others gripe about “ambiguous objectives” and “repetitive puzzle loops.” One user wrote, “It’s like a haunted house built from a single room,” while another called it “a tighter, more focused experience than most AAA games.”

PlayPile's Take

Discolored is best for puzzle fans who enjoy abstract, mood-driven stories. At 16 achievements and a 52.7% unlock rate, it’s not achievement-heavy, but the puzzles offer a satisfying challenge if you’re patient. The short runtime (2, 3 hours) might feel like a letdown for $15, 20, but it’s a quick, eerie diversion for those who like slow-burn mysteries. It’s not for everyone, the lack of guidance and repetitive mechanics could test your tolerance for ambiguity. If you’re into indie oddities and don’t mind spending time in a lonely diner, give it a spin. Otherwise, skip it.

Storyline

A lonely roadside diner in the middle of the desert. The locals say it’s lost all its color. You are sent to investigate. Discolored​ is a strange and surreal puzzle adventure, taking place over two-or-so hours in a single desolate location. Your mission: restore the color to this once-vibrant world. What caused the colors to disappear? How can they be brought back? As you explore, you'll solve an array of inventive puzzles and uncover a selection of clues - leading you to discover the deeper secrets of this strange place at the end of an abandoned highway.