In season three of Netflix‘s hit series House of Cards, the main character Frank Underwood is shown playing two indie titles, Monument Valley being one of them. The few shots of the game that were shown in the episode intrigued me, so I had to give it a go. Minutes after finishing the episode, I picked up my phone and went directly to the app store. The game cost $3.99 and I figured it commanded that price based on the reviews and the shots of the game.
After it downloaded, I opened it up instantly. I was transported into a beautiful, and not to steal this from another (fictional) review, but it is true, M.C. Escher-ish world. I was hooked immediately. My silent Princess Ida and I were going to be best friends for the next few hours or days. I am a huge fan of puzzle games and this one was full of interesting mechanics and intricacies that kept me playing until I couldn’t keep my eyes open.
“Whoever you are, whoever you think you are, believe also you’re a silent princess. Your name is Ida, your journey is one through a forgotten landscape of twisting staircases and morphing castles, atop floating stones defiantly crossing an angry sea, within dimly lit caverns cobwebbed with ruins, M.C. Escher could only grasp at in a dream state.”
Personally I couldn’t have written a review better than HoC’s Thomas Yates, the man hired to write about Frank Underwood. However, I would like to share some other thoughts of the game that may not have been considered. As beautiful and thought intriguing as this game is, I find it hard to justify the price point of $3.99. The game is too short in its current state. There are only 10 levels and though there is an expansion for the game for $1.99, it only contains an additional 8 levels. That hurts just a bit. I have not yet bought the expansion as I found the original 10 levels pretty easy. Will I purchase the expansion? Most likely… I am going to be bothered by what could be. What does “Forgotten Shores” hold in store for us? This is a question that could be answered at a later time.
All things considered, I would still recommend Monument Valley. The price for content is a little hard to swallow, but the game is entirely fun if you enjoy puzzlers.
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