Critical Play: Play Like a Feminist

Monument Valley 2 is a puzzle mobile game developed by ustwo games, now available on multiple platforms. This game continues the visual illusion puzzle gameplay from its predecessor but tells a completely different story. They use soft colors and minimalist music to create a dreamlike geometric world. Players use tap and drag controls to help characters navigate through architecturally impossible buildings filled with optical illusions.

figure 1. Building with optical illusions

Monument Valley 2’s story aligns well with this feminist viewpoint. The game primarily focuses on the mother-daughter relationship between two female characters, showing the complete process from dependence to independence. At the beginning, the child always follows closely behind her mother, mimicking every movement. When the game separates mother and daughter, players need to control the mother to guide the daughter in solving puzzles together. As the game progresses, the daughter gradually grows up and begins actively helping her mother solve problems. In the middle of the game, the most significant moment arrives: the mother must let her daughter leave independently while returning to life alone.

figure 2. The changes in the mother-daughter relationship

This process closely resembles real mother-daughter relationships. From the mother’s perspective, we experience the complete journey of raising a child, teaching them, watching them grow, and finally learning to let go. This kind of female-centered relationship story is uncommon in games, but it touches many people’s hearts.

The game also includes an important subplot: after the daughter leaves, Ro begins searching for herself and rediscovering forgotten friends. This section starts in a black and white world, and as Ro discovers herself, colors gradually become richer. She even finds the totem friend that appeared in the first game. This reflects the feminist emphasis on personal narrative, showing that women are not just mothers but have their own lives and needs.

figure 3. finding herself  and finding old friend

From a narrative structure perspective, Monument Valley 2 uses what Chess calls the “never-ending narrative middle” rather than the traditional “climax-centric” model. The game’s focus isn’t on defeating a final boss or completing some grand objective, but on the emotional experiences throughout the process. The tension of mother-daughter separation, the joy of reunion, and the reluctance of parting – these emotions are the game’s true core. This narrative approach emphasizes emotional connections between people, allowing players to invest their own feelings into the game.

While Monument Valley 2 does well in emotional expression, there are still some issues from a feminist perspective.

First is the overly idealized portrayal of the mother character. Ro in the game is always the perfect guide and protector, always knowing what to do and always putting her daughter first. However, her own thoughts, difficulties, and characteristics beyond motherhood are rarely shown. This might reinforce social stereotypes about mothers: that mothers should be selflessly devoted and always think of others first. This portrayal masks the real difficulties women face when becoming mothers and their needs for personal growth.

While players can control character movement and puzzle-solving, the characters themselves have very limited agency. Ro and her daughter mainly just walk through a predetermined world, with all puzzle-solving completed entirely by the player. They completely accept the rules of this world and show no desire to change the world or challenge the system. They are more like passive travelers in a preset maze rather than active explorers.

I think the game could make some improvements. First, self-exploration content could be interspersed throughout the daughter’s growth process rather than placed entirely after separation. This would show mothers undergoing personal growth while being mothers. Second, the game could give characters more active abilities, such as the power to destroy obstacles or rebuild environments.

Using the game design MDA framework to analyze Monument Valley 2 provides a clearer view of its characteristics.

In terms of mechanics, the game uses simple operations like tapping to move characters and rotating/dragging terrain, where any visually connected ground can be traversed. This design has a low technical barrier, allowing players from different backgrounds to easily get started.

In terms of dynamics, the game creates experiences of spatial exploration, optical illusion puzzles, and mother-daughter cooperation. The mother-daughter cooperation design particularly emphasizes collaboration over competition, valuing relationships over individual achievement. This differs greatly from the solo battles common in traditional games.

In terms of aesthetics, the game primarily provides players with sensory pleasure, narrative experience, challenge, and emotional connection. Compared to traditional games that emphasize conquest and competition, Monument Valley 2’s aesthetics are better suited for expressing delicate emotions and relationships. Player satisfaction mainly comes from the achievement of puzzle-solving, visual enjoyment, and emotional resonance with characters, rather than the thrill of defeating opponents.

Overall, Monument Valley 2 is a game worth appreciating from a feminist perspective and an excellent puzzle game. Compared to its predecessor, it maintains beautiful visuals and interesting optical illusion puzzles while telling a moving story. The game successfully places female relationships and emotional experiences at the center, gently challenging traditional gaming narrative models.