VIDEO GAME: Monument Valley 2 (2017)

by benmweilertNo Comments
Monument Valley 2Year: 2017Rating: ETime Played: 96 minutes / 1.60 hours Video game sequels have this fine balance between continuing the gameplay that made the original successful enough to warrant a sequel while also innovating with new ideas to make the sequel its own thing. There are lessons to be learned from the original that can improve a sequel because it refined what made the first game good. Monument Valley 2 attempts to do a few things differently than its predecessor, but it still feels too similar to stand out on its own. Once again, I enjoyed the calming experience of Monument Valley 2, even if the narrative elements were meant to invoke reminders of the global collapse in the real world. While the first Monument Valley was about the right length for this kind of game, this took an hour less to complete. Perhaps this was due to the learning curve from having beaten the first game so soon before playing...
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VIDEO GAME: Monument Valley (2014)

by benmweilertNo Comments
Monument ValleyYear: 2014Rating: ETime Played: 144 minutes / 2.40 hours There's something about the simple calming aesthetic of Monument Valley that made me want to binge the game in a single night. It has that visual feel of Journey or Alto's Adventure but with the three-dimensional puzzle elements of Fez. And while it's not particularly difficult, Monument Valley was this Zen experience that I have to recommend. After all, I like to de-stress with video games and experiences like this one are definitely built to reduce stress with every element of its being. If you can imagine M. C. Escher designing a video game, Monument Valley would be it. These impossible shapes are fun to traverse but require a bit of thought to get the character from point A to point B. The fixed camera angle helps simplify things while also emphasizing the beauty of each level. The game introduces new mechanics and builds upon them organically and in a way that...
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VIDEO GAME: The Bridge (2013)

by benmweilertNo Comments
The Bridge Year: 2013 Rating: E Time Played: 164 minutes / 2.73 hours Having been a fan of M. C. Escher's works for some time, I thought a game like The Bridge would be an interesting take on his mind-bending illustrations. Presented in a black-and-white monochrome to match Escher's illustrations, The Bridge uses rotation and platforming to solve physics-based puzzles. Unfortunately, because of these two gameplay mechanics, this game was a bit more frustrating than I expected. When solutions to puzzles aren't based on logic as much as they are based on being able to control the physics, it just isn't fun to play. I picked up and played The Bridge several times over a few years. Every once in a while, I'd get some distance from it and think that I should try to tackle the next puzzle that stumped me weeks or months ago. And after completing this puzzle and a few more after it, I'd get stuck again and the entire process...
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