I redownloaded Monument Valley on my phone to replay it for my critical play analysis. Monument Valley is a visually stunning puzzle game developed by ustwo Games and is available on PC, console, and mobile platforms. It targets players of all ages who enjoy the beautiful ambiance, intricate puzzles, gradual pace set by the player’s problem solving. The game’s surreal worlds provide a setting where players manipulate the environment to guide Princess Ida to the endpoints in each level.
Central Argument
In Monument Valley, the mechanics of puzzle-solving are central to the player’s experience. A key mechanic is the manipulation of the environment, where players rotate, shift, and adjust pathways to create new routes for Ida. These mechanics are not only implemented for puzzle-solving, but also for engaging players in rethinking space and perspective. As the world complexity becomes more advanced, players must explore new ways of interacting with the environment to deconstruct visual illusions. Finding new ways to reconfigure the world gives players a sense of satisfaction through discovery. Finally, the game’s pacing is gentle, and the lack of time constraints allows players to feel unhurried and relaxed as they slowly progress through the game’s stages.
Analysis, Learning, Evidence
In Monument Valley, the mechanics are deeply tied to both the environment and the overarching theme of the game. As discussed in Designing The Puzzle, a good puzzle should feel “natural to the environment” and enhance the theme of the game. Monument Valley excels in these regards, as the puzzles are not arbitrary challenges but reinforce the game’s theme of visual illusion and how subtle environmental changes can drastically change accessibility within the world. None of my interactions felt random or outside the theme. These mechanics align perfectly with the game’s surreal, beautiful theme where the impossible becomes possible, and perspective is constantly challenged.
In addition, the game’s spatial manipulation mechanics draw on the theme of changing perception. The puzzles are designed to amplify player experiences of exploration and discovery. While playing, I experienced puzzle-solving through rotating platforms, aligning pathways, or adjusting structures. As part of the puzzle in an early level, one walkway appears to be much higher than the second one.
Through lifting and rotating an “L” shaped bridge, I was able to connect the two walkways in a way that suddenly altered the way I had initially viewed the world structure. The walkways no longer seemed disjoined by height, and I was amazed by how the designer leveraged this illusion. This puzzle accentuated the theme of 3D perspective.
The puzzles themselves become a tool to guide the player’s exploration of 3D illusion. Each solved puzzle represented a step forward in understanding the world around me.
Ethics Response: Assumptions and Inclusivity
Monument Valley assumes players have a certain level of visual literacy and spatial reasoning skills. The game relies on a combination of visual cues and perspective-based puzzles. The visual ability required to navigate these puzzle mechanics may pose challenges for players with visual impairments or those unfamiliar with perspective-based illusions. Some of the worlds I encountered had a gradient color scheme, where the color of the architecture was only a slightly different shade from the background. Although the architecture was discernable for me, I can imagine that distinguishing between the two similar colors may be challenging for people with a degree of color-blindness. Overall, the assumption that all players can interpret complex visual relationships might unintentionally exclude players with color blindness or underdeveloped spatial analysis.
In general, Monument Valley is designed for accessibility with its minimalist design and mostly intuitive control scheme. The interface lacks complexities such as timers, points, and detailed instructions. Even players who are unfamiliar with video games can learn the simple controls. However, to make the game even more accessible, implementing additional auditory cues or alternative representations of spatial relationships, such as haptic feedback could aid players with visual impairments.
