99. One short of 100. *whistles*

Let's talk about games. One game in particular - Monument Valley. If you've heard anything at all about this game, you've heard that it's like playing an Escher painting. That is a correct description, but it doesn't describe the whole package. Monument Valley sets the bar for what you can and should do with touch-enabled gameplay. Especially touch-enabled gameplay on high-resolution screens. To say that the game is beautiful is an understatement. Monument Valley is built with such clean forms and well-executed art design that every frame could be a screenshot, or a piece of digital art. The game's creators are aware of this, and cleverly give you the ability to take a screenshot at almost any moment. They could have stopped with fantastic art, and the game would still be noteworthy. The fact that they developed mechanics that seem more natural to the platform than some of the built-in operating system interactions elevates the game to a level with no obvious competitors. 

If it sounds like I'm stroking the game's ego a bit much, I only offer this for a reason: I never hit a moment where I wanted to stop playing Monument Valley. Most mobile games hold my attention for short bursts, and then I happily move on to some new distraction. The core of a lot of mobile gaming is built around this idea. But Monument Valley was such a wonder-trip that I had to forcibly tear myself away to do other things. Of course, there was one problem I had the game: It was too short. I hope this is a watershed moment for the mobile gaming industry, where designers and creators sit up and take notice of what the platform was meant to do. Until then, I'll wait hopefully for a sequel.

Thanks,

Philip