Honestly, it is hard to believe it’s been over a decade since we first met Ida. Back in 2014, the mobile gaming scene was basically a sea of candy-crushing clones and aggressive microtransactions. Then came Monument Valley. It didn't just stand out; it felt like someone had handed you a playable M.C. Escher painting while a Brian Eno soundtrack hummed in the background. It was quiet. It was short. And it changed everything about how we perceive "phone games."
If you haven't played it recently—or ever—you've probably seen the screenshots. Those pastel isometric towers that shouldn't make sense but somehow do. The game follows a silent protagonist named Ida, a "silent princess" seeking forgiveness by returning "Sacred Geometry" to various monuments. It sounds high-concept, but the actual experience is deeply tactile. You twist a handle, a bridge rotates, and suddenly two paths that were miles apart in 3D space are now touching. You walk across. Your brain does a little somersault. It’s magic.
The Impossible Architecture of Monument Valley
The genius of ustwo games wasn't just in the art; it was in the math. They took the concept of the Penrose triangle—that "impossible object" that looks solid but can't exist in three dimensions—and turned it into a navigation mechanic. It’s brilliant. Most games try to make their worlds feel "real" or physically consistent. Monument Valley does the opposite. It tells you that your eyes are lying to you, and then it asks you to use those lies to solve puzzles.
Ken Wong, the lead designer, famously said the goal was for every single frame of the game to be beautiful enough to hang on a wall. He wasn't kidding. If you pause the game at any second, the composition is perfect. The color palettes aren't just random; they use specific color theory to guide your eye toward the interactable bits without needing a big glowing arrow. It’s subtle. It respects the player's intelligence.
But it’s not just about looking pretty. There is a specific kind of "aha!" moment that happens here. You’ll be stuck, staring at a platform that’s clearly out of reach. Then you’ll rotate the camera just a few degrees, and the perspective shifts. What was a gap is now a floor. This is "optical illusion" as gameplay, and while others have tried to copy it since (looking at you, Evo Explores), nobody quite captures the grace of the original.
Why the Story Works Without Words
We talk a lot about "environmental storytelling" in big AAA games like BioShock or Elden Ring, but Monument Valley does it with almost zero text. You have the Crow People. They aren't enemies in the traditional sense. They don't kill you. They just squawk and block your path. They are annoying, sure, but they’re also kind of tragic once you realize they are just like Ida, trapped in their own loops of geometry.
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The game doesn't hit you over the head with its lore. You learn about the "Great Architects" through the environment and the rare appearances of a ghostly figure who speaks in cryptic, poetic fragments. It’s about hubris. It’s about a civilization that tried to steal the geometry of the world and paid the price. You feel the weight of that history in the crumbling stones and the lonely atmosphere, even when the colors are bright pink and teal.
The Business of Being a Premium Mobile Game
Let’s talk about the elephant in the room: the price. When Monument Valley launched, it was a paid app in a world that had moved toward "Free-to-Play." People actually got mad. I remember the reviews. Some players were furious that a game that took 90 minutes to beat cost a few dollars. It was a pivotal moment for the industry.
Ustwo games took a huge risk. They bet that people would value a handcrafted, curated experience over an endless, repetitive one designed to drain their wallets. And they won. The game sold millions of copies. It won Apple’s Game of the Year. It showed up in House of Cards—remember when Frank Underwood was playing it on his iPad? That was a massive cultural moment for a tiny indie game.
It proved there was a market for "boutique" gaming. Without the success of the first Monument Valley, we might not have gotten games like Florence, Gris, or Gorogoa. It paved the way for the Apple Arcade era, where developers are paid up-front to create art rather than digital slot machines.
The Technical Magic Behind the Screen
From a development standpoint, making this game was a nightmare. In a standard 3D engine like Unity, if you move a character from point A to point B, the engine calculates the physical distance. But in this game, point A and point B might be on opposite sides of the map, only "touching" because of the camera angle.
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The developers had to write custom scripts to override how "distance" worked. Basically, if it looks like you can walk there, the game lets you walk there. This is a nightmare for pathfinding AI. But for the player, it feels seamless. It feels like you’re breaking the laws of physics with a flick of your thumb.
Expanding the Universe: Forgotten Shores and Sequels
If you only played the base game, you missed out on some of the best level design in the series. The Forgotten Shores DLC introduced "The Oubliette," a level that literally unfolds like a wooden puzzle box. It’s dense. It’s complicated. It pushes the isometric perspective to its absolute limit.
Then came Monument Valley 2. It shifted the focus to a mother-daughter story (Ro and her child). It was more colorful, more emotional, and focused on the idea of teaching and letting go. Some purists felt it was a bit easier than the first one, but the art direction went into overdrive, drawing inspiration from mid-century illustration and brutalist architecture.
And now, with the release of Monument Valley 3 on Netflix Games, the series has come full circle. It’s still about those quiet moments. It’s still about the water ripples and the way the world "clicks" into place. The new game introduces sailing and more open environments, but the DNA remains the same. It’s a meditative exercise in looking at the world differently.
Common Misconceptions About the Series
One thing people get wrong is thinking this is a "kids' game" just because it's colorful. It's not. The puzzles in the later chapters and the expansions require some serious spatial reasoning. It’s also surprisingly dark. You are essentially walking through the ruins of a dead world, trying to atone for a cataclysmic mistake.
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Another myth? That you need a high-end device. One of the reasons Monument Valley became a global phenomenon is that it was incredibly well-optimized. It ran on old iPhones and budget Android tablets like a dream. It proved that "good graphics" aren't about polygon counts; they’re about art direction.
How to Get the Most Out of Your Playthrough
If you’re going back to play it now, don't rush. This isn't a game you "beat" to check off a list.
- Wear headphones. Seriously. The sound design by Stafford Bawler is half the experience. Every time you turn a dial, the game generates musical notes that harmonize with the background track. It’s generative audio at its finest.
- Use the camera tool. The game has a built-in screenshot mode for a reason. Take the time to compose shots. It forces you to appreciate the geometry.
- Look for the Totem. My favorite character isn't Ida; it's the four-eyed yellow block that helps you. The way the developers gave a literal stone block a "personality" through movement alone is a masterclass in animation. Pay attention to how it follows you. It’s heartbreakingly loyal.
Monument Valley isn't just a game; it's a reminder that technology can be used to create something genuinely soulful. In an era of AI-generated assets and massive, bloated open-world games, there is something deeply refreshing about a game that knows exactly what it is, does it perfectly, and then ends. It doesn't want your data. It doesn't want you to "log in daily" for a reward. It just wants to show you a world where the impossible is just a matter of perspective.
Practical Next Steps for New and Returning Players
If you're ready to dive back into the silent world of Ida, here is the best way to do it today:
- Check your subscriptions. If you have Netflix, Monument Valley 1, 2, and 3 are often included in the gaming section of the app. This is the most cost-effective way to play the entire trilogy.
- Play in one sitting. The original game is short—about 90 minutes. It’s much more impactful if you experience the journey from the first monument to the last in a single session, like watching a movie.
- Explore the "Panoramas". In the newer versions, pay attention to the transition scenes. They aren't just loading screens; they are part of the narrative flow.
- Watch the "Making Of" documentaries. If you're a design nerd, look up the GDC talks by the developers. Seeing how they mapped out the levels on paper before moving to 3D will give you a whole new appreciation for the puzzles you're solving.
The world of Monument Valley is waiting. It’s quiet, it’s beautiful, and it’s still one of the best things you can do with your phone.