Monument Valley 3, another mesmerizing puzzler that’s custom-made for small touchscreens, is the latest high-quality mobile release of 2024 that feels destined to slip under the radar.
It closes out an odd year for services like Netflix and Apple Arcade, both of which have long struggled to be treated like top-tier gaming subscription services despite their increasing hit rates.
Monument Valley 3 doesn’t change its predecessors’ formula that much, but it doesn’t need to.
The first Monument Valley was a hit for a reason, as it gave players a soothing puzzle game filled with mind-bending imagery.
The innovations to that formula are small, expanding its array of illusions.
Outside of that standby puzzling, Ustwo sharpens its chops elsewhere.
It ups the ante aesthetically with richer colors and more visually inventive set pieces that play with new art styles.
Netflix isn’t the only mobile gaming service that struggles to earn recognition.
There’s no point in putting much stock in awards, but they can tell a broader story.
Perhaps it’s a chicken-and-egg situation. If the press isn’t covering a game, that generally means that they don’t believe there’s much reader interest in it (i.e., traffic).