Monument Valley

Monument Valley, released on AND, iOS and WP, is a logical game with an isometric view, characterized by the surrealism of the world's construction and artistic minimalism of the graphic design. The game was developed by ustwo, also known for the creation of the Whale Trail.

Plot

The plot in Monument Valley has many mysteries and insinuations. We play as Ida, a silent princess, who travels through the titular monument valley in order to obtain forgiveness for some act she committed. Crow People stand in her way, disturbing her for an unknown reason.

Mechanics

The gameplay focuses on moving Ida from beginning to end of levels, which requires manipulating the environment. The key is perspective. Thanks to the isometric projection, rotating and moving different parts of the levels creates optical illusions - e.g. two blocks that don't actually come into contact with each other may look like they are connected and can serve as a bridge. In addition, we must avoid the aforementioned Crow People. In Monument Valley, there are ten different levels with gradually increasing difficulty.

Technical aspects

As mentioned above, the game is distinguished by its minimalistic graphic design. The artists were inspired mainly by Japanese paintings and works by the Dutch artist Maurits Cornellis Escher. The world consists of architectural structures built using simple geometric shapes, but at the same time, it is full of colors and details that give it a lot of charm. Its beauty can be captured at any time thanks to the implemented photographic mode. The game also features an atmospheric soundtrack, which changes dynamically along with the manipulation of the environment.

It is also worth mentioning that this is a premium game - Monument Valley is devoid of any microtransactions.

Last updated on 11 December 2014