Mobile Game Review: Monument Valley

Monument Valley is what I would wish all mobiles games to be like, regardless of cost.

The development company Ustwo, the game publisher, created an astoundingly solid game that really should be held as an example to all other mobile games. This puzzle game is available on all mobile phone operating systems, so you have no excuse for not acquiring this game or playing it. You should find it retailing for around SR 15. The sound and graphic design settings are a true testament to minimalistic design. The background music is a very melodic ambient tone that is mostly relaxing, but can get a little annoying as you fanatically tackle figuring out the levels. Graphically, the characters are generally a mix of black or white, with the colors being used for shape definition.

The truly interesting aspects of this game are the use of graphics and the platform in creating an extremely strong experience for players. The level design is just brilliant, it is like a M.C. Escher painting has come to life. However, unlike those paintings, you can achieve a 360 degree rotation and observe the whole setting from several angles. The levels generally focus on a single mechanic at a time; meaning the puzzles aren’t too intricate and of course the complexity of the mechanics gradually increases as you get further and further in the game. I also thoroughly relished the color allocation and how they were used to signal players, regarding new mechanics and moveable objects in the level. An extremely fluid experience; I don’t remember the game ever stopping for notifications. The design and color use was laid out in such a way, that my finger was just zipping around my phone in an exceptionally natural manner.

This game was the perfect mesh of platform, game design, color design and game genre; all taken into account simultaneously to create a perfect experience. This faultless game is everything that it should be. It’s worth every penny and should definitely be considered a must-have, as opposed to the free low-standard games that are just drowning the mobile game market (i.e. Candy Crush, Angry Birds, etc.).