Monument Valley

Monument Valley is less a puzzle game than an interactive piece of art that happens to contain puzzles. You guide a silent princess named Ida through impossible architecture, buildings that remind many players of drawings by M. C. Escher. Staircases connect to ceilings, towers rotate on hidden hinges, and a path that looks broken becomes whole when you turn the structure to the right angle.

The idea is that perspective is the puzzle. Instead of fighting enemies or racing a clock, you tap to move Ida and drag levers, cranks and sliders to reshape the world around her. A gap that seems too wide may close when you rotate the tower so that two edges appear to touch, and in this world that is enough for her to walk across. Learning to look at a scene from different angles, and to trust what you see, is the main skill.

Each chapter is short, and the whole game can be finished in a couple of hours. That brevity is part of its charm. Nothing is padded, and each level introduces one fresh idea, then plays with it until you understand it, then moves on. The pastel colours, soft music and gentle sound effects create a calm atmosphere that is rare on mobile, and many players use the game as a way to relax before bed.

There are no timers, no lives and no penalties. If you get stuck, the best advice is to stop, look at the whole scene and try rotating every handle you can find. The solution is almost always in a mechanism you have not yet touched. If you still need help, taking a short break often works better than a hint.

Monument Valley is a paid game from ustwo games, and the version you buy contains the full story without ads or aggressive purchase prompts, although extra chapters may be offered separately. The game also works offline.

Accessibility is worth mentioning as well. The controls are only taps and drags, so players of any age can manage them, and there is no reading beyond a few short hints. That makes the game a lovely one to share with a child or a partner, passing the phone back and forth as you each spot a different trick in the architecture.

For anyone who enjoys thoughtful, beautiful and unhurried puzzles, this is one of the finest examples on a phone.