Studio BBB
Quick Summary
Challenge
The premium package model made it difficult to gather user feedback before launch. Needed to identify what users want, where they get stuck, what they find inconvenient, and set clear improvement priorities.
Result
Improved game completion through iterative testing. Successfully raised crowdfunding, secured investment, and signed overseas publishing contract.
The Company
Studio BBB is a game development studio that created MONOWAVE, a puzzle action adventure and platformer game centered on emotions and empathy. The game uses non-verbal storytelling and emotion-based interactions to help players understand and empathize with the world and characters' emotions.
Target Users
Users who prefer emotional narrative indie games
Users with puzzle/platformer genre experience
Family users who value emotional and educational experiences
At the time of testing, MONOWAVE was in the final stages of development, focusing on improving quality, UX, difficulty, and puzzle intuitiveness before launch.
The Challenge
Studio BBB collaborated with Plithus over an extended period to improve their game. The premium package model makes it difficult to broadly confirm user reactions before the game reaches the market. Therefore, the key challenge was to identify what users want, where they get stuck, what they find inconvenient, and set clear improvement priorities before launch.
"The premium package model makes it difficult to secure user reactions before launch, so being able to repeatedly confirm what users want, where they get stuck, what's inconvenient, and where fun and immersion strengthen through Plithus was the biggest benefit."
Test Objectives Across 4 Sessions
First Test
Verified overall play experience of World 1-2
Second Test
Checked World 3 play experience, verified puzzle mechanics intuitiveness and difficulty balance
Third Test
Tested World 4 first half and verified effectiveness of new hint system
Fourth Test
Verified overall difficulty system, hard difficulty, and speed system
Across all sessions, the common goals were to find blind spots, progression issues, and major bugs early that are difficult to discover through internal testing alone, and to adjust UX, difficulty, puzzle intuitiveness, and balance based on diverse user backgrounds.
The Solution
Studio BBB conducted a total of 4 large-scale online FGT sessions with Plithus in August 2024, November 2024, April 2025, and November 2025. Additionally, they participated in offline FGT sessions at events like Burning Beaver, Seoul Popcon, and Daegu Contents Fair, receiving on-site feedback reports that were incorporated into the game.
Key Insights Gained
User Stuck Points
Identified where users get stuck and where understanding breaks down
Mechanic Intuitiveness
Discovered which mechanics lacked intuitiveness
Difficulty Structure
Understood which difficulty structures caused burden
UX Elements
Identified UX elements that caused inconvenience
By identifying these patterns, Studio BBB was able to set improvement priorities based on repeated observations and feedback rather than simple intuition. They could systematically improve the play experience world by world, step by step.
The Result
While specific quantitative metrics were not calculated, the improvements based on test results were clear. Through repeated verification world by world, they refined puzzle rule delivery methods and mechanic intuitiveness, and adjusted difficulty curves and balance to reduce sudden difficulty spikes.
Game Improvements
Puzzle & Mechanics
Refined puzzle rule delivery methods and improved mechanic intuitiveness through world-by-world verification
Difficulty Balance
Adjusted difficulty curves and balance to reduce sudden difficulty spikes
Bug Detection
Found and fixed blind spots, major bugs, and progression issues early that were difficult to discover through internal testing
User-Friendly Features
Added hint system, difficulty differentiation, and speed function - features confirmed as necessary and effective through Plithus testing
Business Results
Early Fan Base
Formed initial fan base in Plithus community with moderators waiting for launch
Crowdfunding Success
Successful Tumblbug crowdfunding with natural countdown formation from Plithus community
Investment & Publishing
Recent investment success and overseas publishing contract signed
The user feedback and improvement history accumulated through long-term FGT collaboration with Plithus were utilized as materials to explain the game's completion and market potential to external partners.
Why Studio BBB Recommends Plithus
The collaboration with Plithus was not just a one-time test, but a long-term partnership to improve the game together. Due to the premium package model characteristics, it's difficult to secure user reactions before launch, so being able to repeatedly confirm what users want, where they get stuck, what's inconvenient, and where fun and immersion strengthen through Plithus was the biggest benefit.
"In the early development stage, through functional QA and concept/core gameplay verification, we could check relatively early whether this game is actually fun and whether the intended emotions and experiences are being conveyed."
While tester bias may exist, when data accumulates through repeated testing, patterns emerge. Based on those patterns, we could judge UX, difficulty, puzzle intuitiveness, and whether to introduce new features. It was a great help in discovering blind spots, major bugs, and progression issues early that are difficult to find through internal testing alone, and in setting modification priorities.
The Plithus collaboration experience became a practical asset in the process leading to early fan base formation, crowdfunding, and recent investment attraction and overseas publishing contract success. For teams that need user reactions and improvement basis in the pre-launch stage, we can recommend Plithus-style testing.
Key Benefits Highlighted
Long-term Partnership
Not just one-time testing, but continuous game improvement collaboration
Pattern Recognition
Repeated testing reveals patterns that guide improvement priorities
Early Detection
Find blind spots, bugs, and progression issues early
Business Value
User feedback history becomes valuable asset for investors and publishers