Monument Valley is quite new on the scene, yet it already won many awards and got mentioned so often in the past months that I am surprised when people do not know about it. It got a well-deserved fame and glory, and, by my side, a post/review about it was mandatory. Not for the “fame” part, but surely for the “deserved” one, as this is a game I always suggest to people. So here we go.

First time I’ve seen Monument Valley I fell in love. That game is poetry: I can’t find a better way to sum it up.

A brief description: the aim of the game is to guide Ida, the silent Princess, to the end of her quest through mysterious monuments, uncovering hidden paths, taking advantage of optical illusions and outsmarting the enigmatic Crow People.

It is “a surreal exploration through fantastical architecture and impossible geometry”. Inspired by Escher, Japanese prints and minimalist 3D design, each level of this game (currently 10 in total) is an unique piece of art.

Every single move, level, item is hand-crafted with pixel love. It is pure beauty. I found myself staring at the artwork, dreaming. No hurry, there is no time limit for the right puzzle combination: enjoy the animations and the sounds, discover every side -literally- of the world you’re visiting. The player does, in fact, directly interact with the architecture in Monument Valley: by twisting and dragging it to reshape the world they’re into. Every time you change the architecture, even if a little, there is a feedback sound that enhances your user experience and perception.

Monument Valley is the newest adventure from ustwogames, creators of Whale Trail and Blip Blup. The game is available for iOS, Kindle and Android (which makes me full of joy, being an Android user; you may want to find the links at the bottom of this article).

I’ve read many comments about the game around the internet. Many people complain about the fact that 10 levels are not enough “for the price”. If you ask me, you’re buying a piece of art. Those 10 levels will guide you through an adventure full of beauty and inspiration.

Developers are working on new chapters (according to their facebook page), therefore more is coming, and I honestly can’t wait to see what’s up their sleeve(s). They’ve already proven being super-heroes of design ☺

There also is a little, enjoyable feature: every screen of Monument Valley has been carefully considered as graphic design, so that each one could be printed and framed. Players can enter ‘Camera Mode’ to zoom in and compose their own take on the artwork, which they can then save or share with friends.