Monument Valley 2 in IOS

★★★★★

★★★★★ Sequel Falls Short of Expectations

As a huge fan of the first game and forgotten shores, this second installment did nothing to raise the standard set by the first. The art and music were on point, but the levels themselves were shorter, simpler, and far less intriguing than those in the first. The difficulty/complexity of the first game made it rewarding to play and also increased the playtime such that retrospectively I’d have happily paid twice the asking price to download the first... on the other hand I’d tell anyone who hasn’t played these to only buy the first and forgotten shores and skip MV2 (or play it first). MV2 also seemed to have a smaller set of puzzle mechanics. Typically in this game you are limited to rotating platforms and sliding platforms. In MV1 you had these, but you also manipulated the entire map relative to camera angle, redirected water flows, channeled bird people to/from switches etc. The only new mechanic in this game was having two characters that you could direct which ultimately functioned as an easier version of the NPC birds or smaller version of the block friend you work with. In short, the first game had puzzles, clever mechanics, presented a challenge and had a compelling storyline. MV2 felt like a reader rabbit game; a children’s interactive storybook with simple references to the original. The first game involved multiple sessions of play, this one I finished in under an hour.

★★★★★ Where is has the ingenuity gone?

I love monument valley, I really do. But what has happened to the cleverness, the difficulty, the head scratching puzzles that made the first game what it was? The first game had a main story, forgotten shores, and idas dream. There were some hard puzzles in the main story, harder puzzles in shores, and the hardest puzzles in idas dream. Each section of the game built off the last in terms of difficulty, in the way platforms would move, in the way the world would visually bend to your finger. Monument 2 is completely devoid of any challenge whatsoever. Some levels of the game have proactively no puzzle whatsoever, and you’re limited not by your ability to think in the MC Escher world, but by the walking speed of the character. The recent “expansion” (I use this term very loosely) for the game got me excited. Wow, 4 new levels since the game was released! They’ve had all this time to think of clever puzzles and unique ways the world can hide a solution. Imagine my disappointment when it wasn’t 4 levels, but rather one level with 4 transitions, and that it has the same difficulty as the third level of monument 2. The difficulty of the puzzles was never something anyone complained about in 1, so it makes no sense to me why it was removed. I know monument valley 3 is in the works- I sincerely hope that it won’t become the boated brain-dead mess that 2 is.

★★★★★ The settings set me back...

As a huge fan of he original MV, there seemed to be a distinct difference in the effort put into the original and the sequel; MV2’s settings, for example, were a bit too simple for my taste. The settings in MV seemed to do a better job of creating a clear vision of what the fictional setting of “Monument Valley” looked like with its tower complexes, waterfalls, meadows, cliffs, and ancient catacombs (one of my favorite parts of the original). The detail of those settings really involves the player more in the story about restoring the Sacred Geometry to restore the valley. MV2, however, consists of overly-simple settings, most of which are literally just a floating block in the middle of a plain background (comparable to the levels in Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker), where’s in MV you’re scaling actual mountainsides, climbing actual towers, and exploring actual cave complexes. MV2 could have at least given us a waterfall or something in the background to look at and remind us that “Monument Valley” even exists as a setting (the level Botanical Gardens especially did not at all give off any “garden” vibes when it definitely could have). Not to be completely negative, I did love the level where you’re inside Totem; that was pretty awesome. P.S. This is all without mentioning that it literally took me, like, an hour to beat the game, and most puzzles can be solve by simple trial-and-error methods (with a couple of exceptions, to be fair)

★★★★★ A beautiful game

I struggled a bit with how to rate this game. Most likely if you’re reading this you’ve already played the first Monument Valley. Let me affirm what others have said in that this is an easier game in terms of mechanics. However the game is very beautiful, more so than its predecessor, in terms of art, gameplay, and story. I was a bit perturbed by the ease at which I solved it, however I can’t in good conscience rate this less than 5 stars. As a stand-alone title it is superb and absolutely gorgeous. The philosophy of the story is extremely whimsical and almost meditative in its beauty. The fact that the difficult is less than the first may turn off some to which I understand, however I have no problem paying the price for a title like this on iOS. If this game came first it would be met with the same acclaim the predecessor had. If I were to recommend this series to someone I would advise they start here and then go back and try the first one plus expansions. All in all, it’s a fantastic puzzle game filled with rich art and animation.

★★★★★ Thank you

In a time where mobile games are perceived as quick cash grabs, I’m genuinely happy to see a team out there who dedicated this much effort and love into their game. The geometric puzzles are always a joy to solve, never too hard nor too easy, but just with the right amount of challenge. The further I progressed into the game, the more I grew fond of the characters. The game’s art style and visuals are absolutely gorgeous. I’ve tried a plethora of mobile games, but none were this close to beautiful. The best part wasn’t me playing through the game, but seeing my own mother, who haven’t played anything more than one or two mobile games in her life, walk through the game by herself (and occasionally asking for help for a really challenging puzzle!). Not only did the developers manage to make a great game, but they managed to do so while catering to both avid and casual gamers. To the team behind this masterpiece, I want to tell you that me and my mother, and many others I’m sure, can’t wait to visit the world of Monument Valley once again.

★★★★★ AWESOME😁

Monument valley is one of my favorite games. I saw this app in one of those apple stores where they let you play on the tablets and phones. Since then I kept and kept looking and looking for it on the AppStore. The moment I started playing that was it... I was hooked. I saw the second version and I knew that I NEEDED to get it. And to all those people that said the storyline was boring, I have something to say to you. This storyline was about the same character as in the fist one. And the child was her daughter, which means that the storyline in both apps connect which I love . I think not a lot of you knew that because you didn't take the hint when under one of the levels names it said "In which Ro ____ an old friend" (I forgot the other part) .The old friend that it was referring to was the block dude which was in fact in the first version. I LOVE this game so much that I would like to see version 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, (one day later) and version 100,000!!!! P.S. I cried many times during this... Mkay bye😜

★★★★★ Great! But...

I loved monument valley, and monument valley 2 is a very good game, however the levels weren't as challenging and they felt really short. Plus, the storyline was lacking. From what I can gather it is a mother teaching her daughter the ways of something so that one day she can take over. You rapidly aged the little girl and I felt that was unnecessary. I know it is meant to imply the passage of time, but I felt it took away from the game. We don't learn anything about the ghosts?? Or temple guardians?? What is their purpose? Why are they there? I thought it would also somehow tie into the first game. A little disappointed. I don't want to leave on a bad note, so I would like to say I did enjoy the game and I had a lot of fun with it. I look forward to a monument valley 3 hopefully, or perhaps a game that happens very early in the timeline of this universe and explains why everything is now in ruins. As always, coloring and graphics are amazing! Great job to the design team and artists who worked hard on it. Overall, i love the game and will continue to play monument valley in the future. Good job guys! Sincerely, A loyal fan <3