Monument Valley 2 is a puzzle and indie game by Ustwo Games available on iOS and Android. It is made for casual to mid-level puzzle game players, particularly those who enjoy emotional, visually immersive gaming experiences.
In Monument Valley 2, players accompany a mother, Ro, and her child as they journey through shifting architectural landscapes, telling their story of separation, growth, and reunion. With elegant, perspective-based puzzles and a quiet emotional narrative, the game transforms puzzle-solving into a meditative act. The synergy between Monument Valley 2’s puzzle mechanics and relaxing sensory experience creates a uniquely calming experience that evokes both challenge and abnegation, rather than a sense of frustration that is commonly experienced in puzzle games.
Poetic Nature of the Puzzle
Unlike many puzzle games that isolate challenge as their core goal, Monument Valley 2 entwines its mechanics with emotional storytelling. The embedded narrative relies heavily on character and level design. Each level acts as a visual metaphor in Ro and her child’s journey through their separation and reunions depicted with the manipulation of space.
This use of evocative space invites players to interpret meaning from the environment itself. Beginning levels keep Ro and her child in the same frame, solving puzzles side by side. As the child grows and moves independently, the puzzles also reflect this as later levels separate the two characters. I felt an unexpected sense of sadness during the first level when I noticed they were separated. This design decision was an effective way to reflect the narrative arc of the game, evoke emotion for the player, and tell the story solely with spatial design.
Left is a beginning level when mother and daughter were together and right depicts a later level when they were separated
All of the mechanics seem emotionally significant, but due to the minimalistic nature of the game, sometimes it can be slightly unclear to the player. At one point, both characters began moving together without any in-game cue, which made me slightly confused whether this was intentional or a bug. A subtle narrative or visual nudge here (i.e. glowing threads linking them) could enhance clarity without sacrificing immersion.
The two characters unexpectedly starting to move together
Abnegation and Challenge
Monument Valley 2 excels in delivering two seemingly opposing aesthetics of challenge and abnegation. The puzzles are thoughtful but never punishing and a player can never fail or “die” in a level. The art and sound design reinforce the game’s meditative pace. Soft pastels, ambient music, and fluid animations contribute to an aesthetic of calm, making the player feel relaxed although levels of Monument Valley can be very challenging. In this way, the game encourages exploration and rewards curiosity.
One of the most effective design decisions that creates a balance between challenge and the relaxing minimalistic atmosphere is introducing new core mechanics in isolation, such as rotating platforms, switches, or levers. The player is given a short, simple level to teach the mechanic, and then moves on to a more difficult, longer level afterwards. This progression is intuitive and teaches by doing, a strong example of progressive disclosure in UX. By doing this, Monument Valley 2 focuses on flow, and players are able to slow down and enjoy the process of problem-solving without getting frustrated.
Example of a simpler architectural level to teach the player the mechanics of the lever shown above
Ethics
Despite its elegance, Monument Valley 2 is not entirely neutral in its design. The game assumes players possess certain visual literacy, such as comfort with abstract geometry, spatial manipulation, and the logic of optical illusions. These assumptions can unintentionally exclude players from different cognitive backgrounds. For instance, individuals with visual or cognitive disabilities may struggle with interpreting the game’s shifting perspectives and isometric layouts. Since these spatial transformations are the central mechanic of the game, players who struggle with them may find the entire experience inaccessible.
This kind of design creates an implicit boundary around who can succeed in or fully experience Monument Valley. The lack of verbal instruction, textual feedback, or alternative representations of space like maps or hint systems can make the game especially challenging. From a design ethics perspective, this raises interesting questions surrounding the balance between minimalism and accessibility of how designers can preserve the game’s clean, meditative aesthetic while still supporting a broader range of cognitive needs. One approach could be offering optional accessibility features, such as more fleshed out auditory cues (like ones that make different cues as you get closer to the solution) or simplified spatial previews, can allow players to customize the experience to their learning style without altering the core game.
