By Kevin (@prufesuroak)
- Monument Valley
- Developer - Ustwo
- Publisher - Ustwo
- iOS, Android (Reviewed on iOS - iPad)
- Rating - N/A
How would I sum up Monument Valley in a sentence? It is a minimalistic, “pop-arty”, puzzle platformer.
You play Ida, a princess. Ida seems to be on a mission through the “Monument Valley” entering door after door, avoiding Crow after Crow, climbing stair after stair, until you end up where Ida needs to be which at first is very much unclear, there is a clue on one of the chapters, but you won’t really see why she’s on a journey until the very end.
As you would expect every chapter gets a little bit harder than the last, though it is easy to assume that this is an easy game due to its simple unassuming visuals, but under no circumstance should you think that. It is simple for the most parts but there were some chapters that it was not as straightforward as you would think.
This game is riddled with 2-D illusions and architectural trickery that are smile jerking and quite uplifting when you catch them. And the illusions, the puzzle are what probably makes this game worth sticking with. What makes the game good are the puzzles, it may seem a bit pointless for some to play puzzles but it exercises my eyes and my brain, it challenges my mind and i like that.
And speaking of things I like, I like the chimey music you hear when you manipulate the pane. Any change you do to the “monuments” plays a note, and when you play around with them it plays a beautiful lullaby kind of melody. The music is that cherry on top you need for this game. Try playing it muted, it’s quite a difference. This game sort of has that certain kind of sadness to it, the visuals paint a tragic picture that really is quite appealing.
Monument Valley may seem ostentatious, and it is. It relies solely rather on its presentation. There’s really nothing behind the pastel colored platforms and the melancholic music. That being said, I stuck to it and the ending makes it forgivable. Monument Valley doesn’t pretend to be more than it is. It doesn’t project itself as a highly intricate game, it is a puzzle and that’s what it advertises itself as.