Monument Valley

Since its release, Monument Valley intrigued me. The gorgeous minimalist aesthetic combined with the fascinating Escher-inspired puzzles sat in my periphery for years. However, I guess I was never interested enough to drop any coin on it. I only ended up playing it more than 10 years after its initial release because it was included with my Netflix subscription. While I didn't like it enough to feel compelled to buy it outright now that I let my Netflix subscription lapse, I still had a genuinely good time playing it.
 
Monument Valley has you directing Princess Ida across little puzzle boxes of physical and gravitational impossibilities to return strange artifacts to their pedestals. You'll be responsible for choosing where Ida should go, as well as manipulating the terrain to discover and create new pathways for her. While most of the puzzles take no more than a few minutes, they frequently introduce new features and obstacles, so they remain engaging.
 
The eerie impossibility of Ida's gravity-resistant traversal through these maps is well-complemented by the game's art direction. Whether it's the narrow view of a building's innards, or at a full-screen view of the beautiful outdoors, Monument Valley expertly combines minimalism with precise detail to create a truly alluring set of destinations. The harsh geometry comprising most of the architecture matches the styling of the rest of the world while facilitating Ida's physics-defying journey. While I enjoyed the puzzles, the aesthetics of Monument Valley were the most memorable aspect of the game for me.

I don't want my opinion on this game to be confused. Monument Valley is not one of the best games I've ever played, but that doesn't mean it is a bad game, or that it isn't worth playing. The bite-sized stages were an excellent medium for unfolding the mystery of Monument Valley whenever I had my phone and a free moment. It may not have pulled me in or dominated my attention the way other games have done, but it was fun to play, and I still can't get over its presentation. Despite my frustratingly long backlog, I don't believe that every game I play needs to be Earth-shattering. Monument Valley certainly isn't, but I am still happy to recommend it to puzzle game fans, especially if they have an active Netflix subscription.
The game is available for Android here (as of 12/15/25): https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ustwo.monumentvalley&hl=en_US
The game is available for iOS here (as of 12/15/25): https://apps.apple.com/us/app/monument-valley/id728293409
The game is available for Steam here (as of 12/15/25): https://store.steampowered.com/app/1927720/Monument_Valley/
The game is available for Switch and Switch 2 here (as of 12/15/25): https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/monument-valley-switch/

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