Monument Valley Walkthrough

Game Introduction – Monument Valley

Monument Valley is a puzzle game developed by ustwo.  Players will manipulate geometric towers designed with impossible, M.C. Escher-esque logic in order to reach the end of each stage.  Gamezebo’s strategy guide will give you all of the tips and tricks you’ll need in order to understand the logic of this otherwise illogical world.

Tips and Strategies

• Relax and enjoy – Our best advice is to just dive into the game without reading anything about it beforehand.  It’s a breathtaking experience that is most enjoyable with no prior knowledge or information.  But if you’re feeling lost or frustrated by any puzzles, we hope this guide will help.

• Look for cranks or circles – These visual cues will always indicate a movable object.  Monument Valley requires moving pieces of, and at times the entirety of, each level.  However, you can only move the parts of the world that are designed to move.  The two recurring types of constructions that can be interacted with are: cranks / wheels, which rotate a related world piece, and protruding circles, which indicate that you can move the entire object which has circles on it.  The direction of the circles indicates which way the object can be moved.
• The other main difference between these two constructions: areas controlled by cranks can only be moved when Ida is not standing on them.  Areas moved via protruding circles can be adjusted at any time, even if Ida is on top of them, and they are often used to move Ida to a new location.
• When using cranks, remember – You can move an area with cranks if another creature, like a Crow Person, is standing or walking across it.  Also, a quick and easy way to tell what section of the tower will be moved by a crank is to look for a slightly discolored spot.  It will always be—if not a different color entirely—slightly lighter in color than the surrounding area.  This is helpful when trying to trap Crow People.

• And look for buttons, stairs, ladders, and doorways – These are objects that you cannot interact with directly, but Ida can.  If you’re having trouble finding the correct path, see if there is a button Ida can step on, a doorway she can enter, or a set of stairs or ladder she can climb.  Ladders are indicated by parallel lines drawn into the side of a wall.  They’re easy to overlook at first glance.
•  You’ll never get stuck in an impossible situation – There is no situation that will make a level impossible to complete.  The game purposely closes doors behind you to prevent unnecessary backtracking.  If you exit a door that closes, it means you’re on the right track and should keep moving forward.  Most levels will appear impossible at one point or another, but they are not.  Keep tweaking the movable parts of the world and if you don’t see any, look closer.

• Crow People won’t hurt you – But they will block you from moving forward.  You can’t walk through a Crow Person, so if one is patrolling an area you need to get through, search for a way to either 1) get around him or 2) move him out of your way.
• If you can see a path, you can walk a path – Monument Valley is all about geometric perspective.  Your brain will recognize that a certain path is impossible—Ida is walking along a ledge that is both higher than and level with another ledge!—but for in-game purposes, this is a real, walkable path.  Ignore what is logical and seek out what is possible within the game itself.
• If Ida can reach a location, she will follow your tap – Sometimes the easiest way to tell if a path is complete is to simply tap at the end of it.  If Ida can get there, she will walk there.  If not, she will remain where she is.
• The entire game is solved by touch – There are no crazy “turn your device sideways” type puzzles.  The accelerometer is not used.  You will only need to touch/swipe and interact with the in-game world to progress.

Chapter-Specific Tips

• Chapter II: The Garden – Once you’ve activated both buttons, this puzzle is all about perspective.  The crank has to be used three separate times.

• Chapter III: Hidden Temple – This is the first time you’ll see the “protruding circle” type of objects.  Remember the directionality of the circles and that you can move them while Ida’s standing on them.  In the second area, you’ll learn that circled items sometimes control other objects.
• Chapter IV: Water Palace – Once Ida can walk on the side of the building, you’ll have to reorient yourself.  Stairs that were previously inaccessible become crucial.  Be sure to look for protruding circles; they blend in very well in this stage.  In the third area, ignore the geometric platform end-goal at first: your initial goal is to get into the doorway.
• Chapter V: The Spire – These areas are like a very straightforward stealth game.  You just need to dodge the Crow People, waiting for them to pass by.  Remember you can move crank-controlled areas when Crow People are on them.  If you run into a Crow Person, just step back and wait for them to resume patrolling.

• Chapter VI: The Labyrinth – You’ll be able to see the button in the first area, but even when it’s accessible, Ida won’t walk there.  Just walk to the top of the stairs to start—you need to “meet” Totem.  Totem has protruding circles on both sides, so he can be slid in any direction freely.  In the second area, you need to get both Ida and Totem up top.  Buttons with dots instead of a square on them mean they will deactivate once stepped off.  Totem can step on buttons, too.  In the second area, with the lights: Ida has to stand on the left button.  In the third area, remember: you can move crank-controlled objects when Totem is standing on them.
• Chapter VII: The Rookery – Crow People can step on buttons, too.  In the third area with the ghost, there is an exit doorway—it might be difficult to see at first glance, but it’s there.

• Chapter VIII: The Box – Remember the protruding circles.  There are four visibly movable parts to this box; try each one out.  Ida needs to turn on three of the lights.  The fourth one—purple—has to be turned on by the Crow Person.  Once the box begins to open, a new circled area will appear.  After that, it’s all about buttons.
• Chapter IX: The Descent – This is the first non-button / doorway / platform goal.  Pick up the red flower and then begin moving down.  The water will automatically reduce as you progress.  Keep heading down.  Once the rain clears, you’ll be able to move Totem (if he’s on high enough ground…)

• In the second area, there is a pullable ring.  This is the only ring like this in the game, so it’s not a “recurring” visual symbol.  But it can be moved freely.  Note that there’s a partially hidden crank in this room as well as a circled area.  Your goal is the hole in the southern tip of the room, which has a ladder leading down into it.
• Chapter X: Observatory – Lots of sideways walking on this open cube.  You need to get into the open doorways along the cube: use the colored block areas to rotate Ida to the outside or inside of the cube in order to avoid areas she can’t walk (Crow Person, circles, holes, etc.).   The open doorways you need to enter are marked by dark gray blocks that don’t move when the brighter-colored blocks are rotated.

• In the green room with the white and gray intertwining paths, ignore the opening and closing doors.  Make a full, connected path on the white part.  Your first goal is to get Ida to the open door at the first bottom of the screen.  After you’re through that door, your next goal is to hit the button on the rotatable gray rectangle.

• In the blue room with the orange shape, you’re pretty much just walking Ida counter-clockwise while rotating the entire shape to make paths for her.  You’ll hit a dead end above the crow seated in the middle and need to rotate her into the center of the shape.  You’ll now be walking clockwise, doing the same thing from inside the shape.  The goal is the button on the inside, then you can exit.
• In the yellow room with the purple shape, you’ll need to have Ida stand on the rotating ledges and flip her around.  The second doorway is only visible when it’s facing southwest.  The goal is the button at the top.
• After you’ve finished all three doors, you’ll need to get to the shape that appears on the top of the open cube, using the same sideways walking techniques you used to get into the doors.

Congratulations! You’ve just completed Gamezebo’s strategy guide to get you started in Monument Valley. Be sure to check back often for game updates, staff and user reviews, user tips, forums comments, and much more here at Gamezebo!

Jillian Werner

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Jillian will play any game with cute characters or an isometric perspective, but her favorites are Fallout 3, Secret of Mana, and Harvest Moon. Her PC suffers from permanent cat-on-keyboard syndrome, which she blames for most deaths in Don’t Starve. She occasionally stops gaming long enough to eat waffles and rewatch Battlestar Galactica.