Monument Valley 2.0

Games can be art

Art can take many forms. Today, when the realm of paintings has been taken over by ridiculously overrated doodles and paint splashes, real art has apparently fled into other fields. There is this standing question of whether video games can be considered forms of art. Although most games can be easily be dismissed from the get go (the Call of Duty series springs to mind), some can be enchanting or make us think... which is what art is meant to do, right?

Perspective will get you somewhere

Team USTWO has decided to make a product that is a bit hard to categorize. In Monument Valley you are guiding a silent character, which is identified as Ida, a princess in search of... something. The goal of each level is pretty simple: Move Ida over paths and through doors in order to reach a small dais where she will conjure a geometrical shape and then gain access to the next level. The puzzles involve moving certain pieces of scenery and sometimes rotating the set so that you would get a different perspective on the whole scene. So here's the deal. The game implies just tapping to move or sliding a prop and it's not much of a puzzle overall. Hence, you can finish the first set of levels in a few hours if you're not in a hurry.

What makes Monument Valley stand out however is not it's difficulty or length (both which are almost negligible) but its level design, atmosphere and subtle storytelling. Players are not tempted to run through a level, but admire each architectural structure, every graphical detail and every ingenious perspective puzzle. Because here perspective is the name of the game. In order to understand the underlying puzzle mechanisms of Monument Valley, one needs a crash course in the art of M. C. Escher or pay attention to the introductory level. In the Monument Valley, distance between objects is not important, just the way you're looking at them. Have I tickled your curiosity enough?

In regards to storytelling, the plot is not quite clear. You will receive hints about Ida and her quest when starting a new level. You will also meet some mysterious ghostly apparitions who will give equally semi-revealing information. All this mystery takes a step back eventually, when Ida meets a peculiar friend or admirer in form of a one eyed totem pole, or something. The totem can be manipulated just as any moving object from a level specific perspective (no pun intended), but unlike other props, this one is pretty determined to follow Ida along her journey. Despite being a mobile column which is slightly less talkative than the princess herself, the character evokes a sense of personality. The way in which it integrates within the puzzles themselves makes it look more like a friend than a puzzle element. It can't help but to grow on you as you play.

Players aware of Escher's famous works on three dimensional perspective will recognize its direct influence in some of the scenes. But as with Escher's works on 3D perspective, the levels are not that many. There are only ten levels in the base game (also counting a very short introduction). There are also eight more levels as a single in-app purchase, which sort of flesh out the main story but also give another strong dose of artsy gaming.

Conclusion

Monument Valley is highly recommended for it's art and design qualities. Although there are only a few mildly challenging puzzles, there was much love put into this game for you to enjoy the journey. In any case, it offers up to 18 visually striking levels and an uncommon story on the side.Worth checking out!