Dinsun Review
Let’s be honest: calling Mountain a 'game' is the biggest stretch since I tried to fit into my high school jeans. It’s a screensaver. A very pretty, very pretentious screensaver. You don't 'play' Mountain; you witness it. As someone who grew up in the era of high-challenge arcade titles, the lack of agency here is baffling. You draw a picture of 'loss' or 'happiness,' and then you look at a rock. That’s it. Occasionally a piano falls from the sky and gets stuck in it. Riveting.
I get the 'zen' appeal, I really do. In a world of loud, aggressive mobile ads, Mountain is a quiet breath of air. But it’s air that costs money. It’s an interesting experiment in procedural generation and ambient storytelling, but don't come here looking for 'fun' in any traditional sense. It’s art. And like most art, it’s mostly there to be looked at while you think about something else. If you want a simulation, go buy SimCity. If you want a digital pet that doesn't die, buy this.
Overall Stats
Pros & Cons
- Unique, meditative atmosphere
- Beautiful procedural weather and lighting
- No microtransactions or ads
- Zero traditional gameplay or interactivity
- Highly pretentious concept
- Will be 'beaten' in 50 hours by a star crashing into it
Technical Report
Performance: Extremely stable; designed to run for days without crashing; low CPU usage.
Audience Fit
Buy if: You want a peaceful, ambient background app for your desk and enjoy experimental art.
Skip if: You want a game with goals, mechanics, or the ability to do anything.
- Everything
- Viridi
- Plummet
Reviewer Context
- Reviewer: Dinsun, 40yo Male, Hyper-Critical Conservative Gamer
- Hardware: iPad Pro
- Playtime: 50 hours
- Status: Witnessed the end of the mountain
