10 games like Monument Valley you should play

Monument Valley is a benchmark title for atmospheric puzzle mobile games with a stylized minimalist art style. The optical illusions, simple controls, and emotional appeal help immerse players in the captivating world of Monument Valley. It is renowned for its soothing gameplay experience and impossible Escheresque-style architectural design.

We've compiled a list of 10 currently available mobile games that feature atmospheric puzzles and calming visual design. Each game uses unique mechanics to evoke a sense of exploration and discovery while challenging the puzzle genre on mobile platforms.

Note: This list is based on the author's opinion and is in no particular order.

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List of unique games like Monument Valley you can download today

1) The Gardens Between

Its art style is laid back and explorative (Image via The Voxel Agents)

The Gardens Between presents a beautiful platforming gameplay based on solving time-related puzzles. Players control two protagonists and navigate the dream-like islands solving level-based puzzles. Unlike other popular puzzle titles, this game integrates time-based mechanics, which means the player can only control the pace of events and not the characters.

2) Lara Croft GO

Lara Croft Go has a simple stylized visual design (Image via Square Enix)

This version of Tomb Raider is based on mobile devices and uses turn-based puzzles instead of real-time ones that can be seen in Monument Valley. Lara Croft GO has more than 100 stages and offers spatial puzzles in which players must maneuver Lara avoiding dangers. The game best combines the traditional puzzle genre with the traversal aspects.

3) ELOH

ELOH has the most intriguing feedback system (Image via Broken Rules Interactive Media GmbH)

ELOH is an interactive rhythm game in which the player manipulates objects to direct sound waves to particular objects. The game’s hand-drawn visuals and the audio make it possible for ELOH to present a puzzle experience without time constraints.

Due to its haptic design and musical response, the game is a worthy acquisition for those who enjoy Monument Valley.

4) Mekorama

It uses an isometric view (Image via Fancade)

This is a 3D puzzle game where the player has to control a small robot and navigate through mechanical levels teeming with traps, obstacles, and mazes. While Mekorama is similar to Monument Valley in that it employs optical illusions and tricks the environment, it also incorporates user-generated content where players can create their own levels.

5) Shadowmatic

The concept of light and shadow as the main gameplay mechanics is innovative (Image via Triada Studio Games)

In Shadowmatic, players turn different abstract objects to make their shadows resemble specific items. The game is a mix of a puzzle and a relaxing experience. It features a simple control scheme and a clean interface. The levels increase in difficulty as the game progresses, providing a sense of advancement for the player.

6) Alto’s Odyssey

Players move across large terrains of the desert and have to perform stunts and pick-up bonuses(Image via Noodlecake)

Although not a puzzle game, Alto’s Odyssey bears that same calming, atmospheric feel of Monument Valley but as an endless sandboarding experience. Its mechanics are based on fluid dynamics. The artwork is beautiful and the game’s overall experience is soothing yet engaging. Alto sets a tranquil mood, and its smooth feedback system is similar to Monument Valley.

7) INKS.

There are over 100 unique tables to play (Image via Noodlecake)

INKS. takes the basic elements of pinball and incorporates art into gameplay. Characters fire a ball-like pinball to paint the screen and form beautiful art as they go along. It is easy to see why the combination of easy-to-grasp gameplay mechanics with beautiful graphics can be compared to what Monument Valley offers in aesthetics and design.

8) Faraway: Puzzle Escape

It has been awarded the Google Play Editors Choice award (Image via Snapbreak)

Faraway: Puzzle Escape is a first-person puzzle game in which the player solves environmental puzzles in a series of stunning desert temples. The game focuses on exploration and the possibility of influencing the structures depicted as surreal. The difficulties increase with each level and involve complex thinking to level up, making it a good entry in games like Monument Valley.

9) Lumino City

Lumnio City has won a BAFTA award (Image via Noodlecake)

Lumino City is exceptionally unique with its handcrafted paper-cut aesthetics, similar to the game’s emphasis on visuals like in Monument Valley. Players control Lumi and go through a city full of mechanical challenges containing gears and circuits. This award-winning game is a puzzle-solving experience with a unique approach to most titles in the genre.

10) Starman

Starman has been designed by two architects (Image via nada studio)

Starman is a minimalistic puzzle game in which the player is the only character in an achromatic world. Like Monument Valley, it is an example of the minimalist approach to design that aims at providing a meditative experience. The puzzles are based on changing the light and dark to solve non-physical tasks. Its dark setting and slow tempo will emotionally captivate the audience.

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