“A truly great book should be read in youth, again in maturity and once more in old age, as a fine building should be seen by morning light, at noon and by moonlight.” – Robertson Davies
Overview
Monument Valley 2 is a relaxing puzzle game that follows protagonist Ro in her journey through motherhood. Players must manipulate monuments and shift perspective in order to help Ro and her child on their voyage.
Developer: Ustwo Games
Released: June 2017
Price: £2.99 – £6.99
Platforms: Windows, Android, iOS
Available on: Steam, Google Play, App Store
Engine: Unity

Narrative
Monument Valley 2’s narrative follows Ro on her journey through motherhood. It focuses on her relationship with her child, guidance, trust, teaching, and letting go. It is told largely through the visuals and gameplay but also through a number of interactive cutscenes featuring Ro and a small amount of text – there is no voice acting. The story has a subtlety to it but is still very poignant, emotive, and quite powerful.

Gameplay
Monument Valley 2 is played solely with simple mouse-only controls (touch screen on Android/iOS). It is intuitive and easy to grasp. The player must manipulate the landscape within several levels such as the oasis or the viaduct, to create a path and help Ro and/or her child travel across the area. This involves moving parts of the landscape with switches and wheels or adjusting the perspective by rotating the whole diorama. The mechanics vary slightly throughout the levels, usually pertaining to how the characters move, but generally, the puzzles are not too challenging and the game maintains to casual and relaxed feel overall.

Styling
Monument Valley 2 features simple but stunning 3D dioramas, each with its own distinct colour palette and lighting effects that reflect the current narrative. Soft shading and gradients are used along with simple, often single-colour backgrounds. The soundtrack is varied and features a range of tracks including evocative woodwind, ethereal droning, gentle piano, and dramatic crescendos. The sound effects, such as wind, birds, or the shifting of the moments, are immersive and well-implemented.

Summary
Monument Valley 2 is a wonderful addition to the series, though perhaps a little less tricky than its predecessor. It features a distinct and pleasing aesthetic, emotive and engaging narrative, dynamic gameplay with engaging puzzles, and provides a relaxing experience overall. It will take around two hours to complete and is potentially better value on mobile platforms, however, some may prefer the larger screen and mouse controls afforded by the panoramic Windows edition. This is a thoughtful and enjoyable game and definitely one for puzzle fans to check out.
Looking for more emotive puzzle platformers? You may also enjoy these reviews:
Arise: A Simple Story – A Time Manipulation Puzzle-Platformer with Heart! – Antivine – A Beautiful and Evocative Puzzle Platformer – Altero – A Challenging and Atmospheric Puzzle Platformer