Monument Valley 2
Publisher/Developer: UsTwo Games
Price: Rs.400 on iOs
Games on mobile are usually free-to-play monstrosities riddled with micro transactions, or they are ports of older games that were successful on other consoles. With one forgettable game after another, mobile gaming, sadly, does not have the same legacy as console or PC games do. That was until Monument Valley came out. It has single-handedly given mobile gaming its first real classic title. To the surprise of everyone watching, Monument Valley 2 was revealed at the Apple Worldwide Developer Conference. Let’s see how the sequel fares.
What’s it about?
Monument Valley 2 drops you into a desolate, colourful world, filled with exotic architecture. This time around, you play a featureless character called Ro, who along with her daughter, has to navigate through levels of movable or crumbling structures. Devoid of any semblance of a story, the game is just a straightforward series of puzzles that you have to complete. The main differentiation that makes this better than the original is the relationship between the mother and daughter.
How does it play?
The developers have described Monument Valley 2 as a meditative puzzle game, and with good reason. Each level makes use of optical illusions in mind-bending and beautiful levels. It’s set in an isometric world, straight out of an M C Escher painting. The game allows you to rotate and move not only roads, but entire structures, to form hidden paths. It forces you to see beyond what your eyes tell you and decipher what your brain makes of each puzzle.
Each level has soothing colours making use of the most unusual palette, with influences touching on tech and the design world in general. And each level is set to soothing music. While the game will take no more than a few hours to complete, you will find yourself stretching out or replaying each level, admiring how the game is constructed just like you would do a painting, or marvelling at a sculpture or architecture.
As mentioned earlier, the mother-daughter dynamic plays a big role in the game. Ro frequently finds herself separated from her little one, and you have to pull the right levels or rotate the proper sequence of building parts to reunite both. I really enjoyed not only playing this, but watching my wife and four-year-old collaborate on the puzzles, as if they were separated.
Should you play it?
Yes, without a doubt. Right now, it’s available only on iOS devices, but should hit Android soon. Monument Valley 2 is like a mental walk in a soothing zen garden after a soak in a hot spring.
MXGP 3
Publisher/Developer: Milestone
Price: Rs. 2999 on PS4 and Xbox One
There’s something raw about dirt bikes: that buzzing engine sound and the power that lets it cut through dirt like a chocolate cake at a kiddie birthday party. Back in the day, Excitebike was a hot favourite on 8-bit gaming consoles, that’s still sold in package deals. Fast forward to today, and we are ready to hit the dirt with the latest incarnation of the Official MXGP game.
What’s it about?
It’s all about pushing your dirt bike across rollercoaster-like tracks that are recreated from real-world tracks from around the globe. You can kick off your career mode, letting you manage everything from your sponsors to customising your bike to suit every track. You can also take part in several of the free-form modes, where you select and customise your bike and practise on the track. The career mode is fairly straightforward and geared towards motocross fans. There’s no story in this game, like most EA sports titles.
How does it play?
Riding your dirt bike in MXGP 3 in first-person view is flat-out one of the best parts of the game. The experience is visceral, as you feel your bike traverse the dirt, thanks to the controller’s rumble feature. There are third-person and behind-the-bike camera angles, but somehow the developers have really brought out the core of the sport in the first-person view. The physics engine is amazing, as your bike slips and slides realistically. There’s nothing like feeling the elation of nailing that one big jump, and there’s nothing more frustrating than crashing splat into an advertisement hoarding.
Speaking of which, these hoardings are everywhere on the track. Kudos to the developers for recreating each circuit, down to the last detail. But did they have to be that many, and did they really have to be so close to the track? Another downside to MXGP 3 are the many menus you have to wade through before you get to a race; though there is detail in it, especially in the customisation options.
The bike customisation brings that technical angle to the game, allowing gear heads to get knee-deep in over 300 licensed parts. You also have several licensed two-stroke bikes from manufacturers like KTM, Yamaha, Kawasaki and more. You can spend some time on your rides, and take them online in the multi-player modes. The graphics look fantastic, and while dirt generally does not look beautiful, somehow MXGP’s makes it so. It’s got a pulp to it and you can see your tires make deep tracks.
Should you get it?
If you are an MXGP fan or just love getting your hands on a great dirt biking experience, then this game is right up your dirt-sodden track, with great-looking tracks and superb bike physics to keep you tweaking well into the wee hours of dawn.
Julian Almeida is a tech and gaming enthusiast who hopes to one day finish his sci-fi novel
