The prettiest game you’ll play this year is now on Android

Monument-Valley

Monument Valley, one of the most beautiful games ever built for mobile and certainly the prettiest game you’ll play this year, is now available on Android — just over a month after it made its debut on iOS.

The game gives you the opportunity to explore a surreal world in which you must manipulate the glorious architecture to guide a princess to safety. You will explore mysterious monuments and hidden paths, and tackle optical illusions to outsmart the enigmatic Crow People.

Monument Valley was developed by Ustwo, the same creative minds behind Whale Trail and Blip Blup, and its gameplay appears to be somewhat inspired by hit indie title Fez. As you explore the incredible environments, the architecture changes to provide you with new paths into ever-changing realms.

Of course, the best thing about this game — aside from its excellent gameplay — are its visuals. It is tremendously good-looking, and one of the few games I’ve played that has had me hooked simply because I can’t wait to see what the next level is going to look like. If you’re a sucker for game design, you’re really going to love this one.

If I had to make one criticism about Monument Valley, it would be that it’s over too quickly. It comes with ten levels, and it won’t take you too long to play through them all. But Ustwo promises that extra levels are coming, and they shouldn’t cost you a penny extra.

Ustwo has taken a welcome stance against in-app purchases and made Monument Valley a paid title. That means it’ll cost you $3.99 to download from Google Play, but you get the whole game; you don’t need to buy any add-ons, wait for any levels to unlock, or ask Facebook friends to help you progress.

If you haven’t already stopped reading this post and picked up your phone or tablet to get this game, then please do it now. Now! You won’t regret it.