Monument Valley 3 is an adventure-puzzle game where you will play as lighthouse keeper Noor in her journey to save her world from flooding. Read our review to see what it did well, what it didn't do well, and if it's worth buying.

Monument Valley 3 Review Overview

What is Monument Valley 3?

Monument Valley 3 is an isometric adventure-puzzle game where players will follow apprentice lighthouse keeper Noor on her quest to prevent her world from falling into catastrophe. Tasked with a mission to find a new light, she must travel across the quickly flooding land to give her world another chance. On her journey, Noor must maneuver around strange but intriguing monuments and buildings with intricate puzzles that require players to interact with the environment, featuring paths and passages hidden behind optical illusions.

Monument Valley 3 features:
　⚫︎　Stunning Visuals
　⚫︎　Touching And Symbolic Story
　⚫︎　Tranquil Soundtrack
　⚫︎　Well Designed Puzzles
　⚫︎　Simple Gameplay
　⚫︎　Sailing!

For more gameplay details, read everything we know about Monument Valley 3's gameplay and story.

Digital Storefronts
Google Play Store	Apple App Store
Requires active Netflix subscription to play

Monument Valley 3 Pros & Cons

Pros	Cons
Stunning Graphics Innovative Gameplay Intricate Level Design Lovely Soundtrack	Short Length No Replayability Low Difficulty Ceiling Can Only Be Played On Portrait Mode

Monument Valley 3 Overall Score - 88/100

Monument Valley 3 is a wonderful work of interactive art, much like its predecessors in the franchise. It boasts stunning visuals situated in a dreamlike world, full of intricately designed puzzles that encourages players to think extraordinarily, defying all the laws of physics and treading into the world of magic and fantasy, alongside a lovely soundtrack that perfectly ties in all these elements together to make for a calm and peaceful gameplay experience. However, its weakness lies in its dreadfully short length, pulling you out of its world as quickly as you came in, as well as its low difficulty ceiling which may disappoint some challenge seekers out there.

Monument Valley 3 Story - 9/10

Monument Valley 3’s narrative is short, but emotional, heartwarming, and sweet all the same. Follow little apprentice lighthouse keeper Noor on her journey to save her world from flooding and plunging into darkness, as the world’s light is fading and the waters rising. As Noor, you get to meet a lovely cast that helps you in their own little ways, while exploring the gorgeous world you live in.

Monument Valley 3 Gameplay - 8/10

The gameplay is simple to understand, and accessible to anyone—it’s a puzzle game that encourages players to think outside of the box, defying physics as you know it, interacting with the objects and buildings to create a path and solve the puzzle. However, when all is said and done, there is little to no replayability, and that’s already on top of a short game completion time—exactly like its predecessors.

Monument Valley 3 Visuals - 10/10

The series is well-known for their striking visuals, and its graphics is easily one of the series’ strongest points. The third iteration does not disappoint by continuing along the lines of their signature ethereal and heavenly looking pastel color palette that is easy on the eyes—even the darker-chromed levels are equally as gorgeous. Any screenshot or picture you take of the game is easily a work of art.

Monument Valley 3 Audio - 9/10

Its soundtrack is tranquil and pleasing to the ears, fitting in perfectly with the game’s graphics. From the peaceful tracks playing in the background to the little notes that play while navigating Noor during puzzles, all of it complements the visuals and completes the whole meditative and calm gaming experience that Monument Valley 3 brings about while playing.

Monument Valley 3 Value for Money - 8/10

Monument Valley 3 is currently a Netflix Games exclusive only, with no concrete plans as of writing to expand to other platforms. Netflix Games is only accessible to Netflix subscribers, which starts at $6.99 for the lowest tier. Thus, the only way to play Monument Valley as of now is to purchase a subscription, which may be a turn off for some players. However, a Netflix subscription grants access to all the offerings in the Netflix Games library (including Monument Valley 1 and 2!), which gives you more bang for your buck.

Monument Valley 3 Review: Simply a Work of Art

Monument Valley 3 is the newest title in the critically acclaimed adventure-puzzle series of the same name, and like the earlier titles, has a standalone narrative that doesn’t require players to have delved into Monument Valley 1 and 2. Hence, interested players can just jump in and enjoy the tale of Noor, an apprentice lighthouse keeper who is tasked with bringing light back to the all-guiding lighthouse they care for to prevent the world from plunging into darkness and being swallowed into the sea. To achieve this feat, Noor must travel across the affected areas in different chapters, each hiding a particular shard of light that can help revitalize the destroyed lighthouse. However, it’s not as easy as 1-2-3 and just strutting into these monuments to retrieve these light sources—Noor, with your help, will navigate through elaborate puzzles that test your spatial skills and thinking outside the box.

An Upgraded Monument Valley Experience

For one thing, the third title boasts a slightly more open world compared to the other titles (although still being very linear), with the introduction of its sailing mechanic. The world protagonist Noor lives in is not only losing its light, but the waters that surround it are rising ever more as well. To get around, Noor travels on a cute little boat with an all-seeing eye that dutifully takes her to wherever she needs to go—with your help, of course.

With the introduction of this sailing mechanic comes new ways of puzzle solving as well, where some levels require Noor to sail across islands to fully activate the monuments. It’s a very welcome addition to the game’s level design, where the past games only confined the protagonist to one singular area.

Short Overall Game Length, No Replayability

The game on launch is fairly short, easily finished within two hours or less depending on how quickly you get through the levels. However, Part II and later chapters will come, spaced out throughout 2025 in seasons. The next chapter is slated for an April release, followed by Summer, Fall, and Winter launches. On another note, Monument Valley games are known for being short, but sweet, with similar completion times for the past titles as well, so it’s probably just a signature for the series at this point.

Nevertheless, I found myself wanting more areas, more puzzles, and more people to meet across its spacious world. Once the main storyline has concluded, there’s little much else to do save for some cute easter eggs scattered around the last area. Then once you’ve really gone through everything there as well, there’s no replayability. My time with Noor and her companions was way too short for my liking…but perhaps that’s the way it was intended.

Not Much of a Challenge In Most Areas

This may not be a con for everybody, but most of the puzzles were quite easy. For a puzzle game that challenges players to think outside of the box, one would think that there would be some spike in difficulty. Despite the chapters progressively getting harder as you go through them, overall there was little challenge and little difficulty in getting Noor across the locations. Some chapters did introduce new mechanics such as the twisting pillars which may catch players off guard and keep you stumped for a bit, but none of them are particularly headache-inducing to solve.

Challenge seekers will be disappointed by its low difficulty ceiling, but for those looking for a casual experience, Monument Valley 3 might just be the perfect blend of medium difficulty to solve on the go.

Portrait Mode Only

Another minor gripe I had with the game is that it’s exclusively played in Portrait mode (hence the screencaps) with no way to change its orientation natively on devices. Its world is just too fascinating and aesthetically pleasing that a part of me wished that I could see more of the world in landscape than just the narrow perspective of the portrait aspect. However, again, it’s a minor grievance, and one can hope that it will arrive on PC as well in the future, following the footsteps of its predecessors who launched in Panoramic Editions on Steam.

The Series’ Signature Gorgeous Art Style And Soundtrack Makes a Comeback

When one talks about the Monument Valley series, it’s impossible to not mention its gorgeous, gorgeous minimalist visual style that is directly inspired by Dutch graphic artist M.C Escher. Its breathtaking sceneries are aesthetically pleasing, and not one chapter is exactly the same. One chapter you’re frolicking about a town full of gleeful people being merry, and then suddenly in the next you’re at a dark and somber-looking tower with an ominous red moon shining overhead, before finally stepping into a stunning bright orange field of what looks like a field of wheat. All the areas are simply beautiful.

The devs know they’re working on a piece of art, hence the inclusion of the clear screenshot function in game is much appreciated. Although moving scenes cannot make use of the clear screenshot feature, it’s still a great addition to get those literal picture-perfect snapshots of the game.

Not only that, but the soundtrack is gorgeous, and is a lovely complement to the work of art that Monument Valley 3 already is. Together, they create a terrific gameplay experience. The game was good at setting the mood—for example, there was a certain part in a chapter showing that the waters were quickly rising, threatening to cut our dear protagonist’s journey short. The roaring waters coupled with intensifying music got my heart racing and my brain on overdrive. Afterwards, you are treated to a calm stroll on your boat, which also has its own peaceful track.

Intricate and Fun Level Design

Monument Valley 3 boasts intricately designed and unique isometric puzzles that test your spatial awareness and puzzle-solving skills that are just a joy to solve. Players will spin these whole entire areas with rotators, and move pillars to create paths in places that one wouldn’t have thought of. For example, there was this particular chapter where two halves of the screen with two different buildings would come together to make a movable path. There is also another one where Noor would be defying gravity (no pun intended) by walking along the side of a movable cube. Although, my favorite level design was the chapter that made use of growing flowery vines to help Noor get around, and trying to find the perfect length or level of the leaves to get her across. It was simply stunning, to say the least.

How these pieces fit together perfectly blew my mind every time I got the chance to solve them, and they all blend in so seamlessly, it’s a treat for the eyes; not to mention that you experience simple joys and a sense of accomplishment just by putting one and one pillar together—Monument Valley 3 made me feel amazing for some reason as I cleared the stages, which may have added to the wholly positive experience I had with the game.

A Game That Strives To Create An Impact

Additionally, the game also serves as a call to flood recovery and relief awareness, hence the overarching theme of water. This is said at the game’s end credits, and they even have it officially announced on their website. “We at ustwo games stand with organizations who help deliver critical assistance to vulnerable communities impacted by devastating floods,” they declared on their official website. This isn’t the first time the Monument Valley series paid tribute to a real-life societal issue, as the first Monument Valley had a special chapter called Ida’s (RED) Dream (for AIDS awareness, with all proceeds going to the charity (RED) of the same name) and Monument Valley 2 featured the chapter The Lost Forest, which served to bring awareness to the Play4Forests petition and forest conservation.

Developer Ustwo Games also featured the same awareness efforts in their other titles, such as Alba: A Wildlife Adventure where they pledged to make an environmental difference by planting a tree for every copy purchased, totaling over 1.3 million trees contributed to global reforestation efforts; and Desta: The Memories Between calling awareness to mental health and resilience-building for youths across the United Kingdom by partnering with UK Youth. I believe this is something worthwhile to highlight about the game in the bigger scheme of things—you get to play an amazing game, while also learning and contributing to better the world. It leaves a little spark in your heart, just like how Noor strived to bring light back into their own world.

Is Monument Valley 3 Worth It?

A Work of Art That Deserves More Than Just a Glance

Monument Valley 3 is worth buying, whether you’re a new player or a long-time fan of the franchise or even a beginner to the puzzle game genre. With beautiful visuals, an enchanting soundtrack, all tied together with engaging gameplay, well-designed puzzles, and an emotional story, Monument Valley 3 definitely deserves a spot on your bucket list.

Digital Storefronts
Google Play Store	Apple App Store
Requires active Netflix subscription to play

Monument Valley 3 FAQ

Is Monument Valley 3 only on Netflix?

Yes, it is currently a Netflix Games exclusive title. Developer ustwo games have not commented whether or not it will be available on other platforms in the future.

Is Monument Valley 3 free?

No, it is not free as it requires an active Netflix subscription.

Who is the character in Monument Valley 3?

The protagonist’s name is Noor, a young apprentice lighthouse keeper.

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Monument Valley 3 Product Information

Title	Monument Valley 3
Release Date	December 10, 2024
Developer	ustwo games
Publisher	ustwo games
Supported Platforms	Mobile (Netflix Games Exclusive)
Genre	Adventure, Puzzle, Platformer
Number of Players	1
ESRB Rating	RP
Official Website	Monument Valley 3 Website

Charlene Sarmiento

An RPG enthusiast with a love for cozy games. Might also be addicted to gacha games too, but it's a sensitive topic for her wallet.