When you’re stuck in Monument Valley, pause before restarting: the route may depend on a different view, a carefully timed switch, or a structure you can rotate. These ten practical habits can help you read each monument and find Ida’s way forward.
How to read a Monument Valley puzzle
1. Inspect the monument from different angles
Paths in Monument Valley rely on perspective. A stairway or connection that looks impossible from one view may line up when the structure is turned. Before deciding there is no route, look around the monument and check how its pieces appear from other angles.
2. Survey the room before moving Ida
Take a moment to spot switches and identify structures that slide or rotate. Knowing what can change—and what Ida can reach—helps you plan a route rather than committing to the first visible path. The game was designed around a portrait, touch-screen experience; Apple describes its controls as twisting and dragging the environment to help Ida explore. Apple App Store
3. Keep Ida in view while planning
A path can look promising even when Ida is not positioned to take it. As a rule of thumb, check that you can see Ida and understand where she is standing before planning a move. If she disappears behind the geometry, adjust the view and reassess the route.
#1 Best Overall
- Solve Beautiful, Mind-Bending Puzzles: Manipulate impossible architecture and optical illusions to guide characters through stunning, hand-crafted levels.
- A Living Work of Art: Every frame is a work of art – inspired by minimalist sculpture, sacred geometry, and the natural world.
- A Trilogy of Emotional Journeys: Discover stories of growth, connection, and healing across three heartfelt adventures.
- Bonus Items: Includes six 3.25” x 4.25” art cards featuring gorgeous original designs from the world of Monument Valley. Also includes a download code for all three award-winning soundtracks. Immerse yourself in meditative soundscapes that respond to your every interaction.
- Languages: Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese - Portugal, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Spanish - Spain, Swedish, Traditional Chinese, and Turkish in-game text.
4. Tap to test a possible destination
Not sure whether Ida can reach a particular spot? Tap its destination dot. Allyson Kazmucha’s iMore tips guide says a reachable destination is marked by a white glowing ring around the dot. Use that visual cue to check a route before trying to navigate it manually.
How to use switches, moving pieces, and Crows
5. Watch what a switch changes
When Ida steps on a switch, note which parts of the monument move or become accessible. Some puzzles depend on leaving a switch activated while Ida travels elsewhere; others require returning to it after changing the layout. Observe the result before choosing the next move.
Rank #2
- The physical edition will include Six Art Cards: This special physical edition includes six 8 x 11 cm bonus art cards featuring gorgeous original designs from the world of Monument Valley
- Pre-order and receive a download code for the Award-Winning Soundtracks: Immerse yourself in meditative soundscapes that respond to your every interaction.This code will be included on a voucher inside the game pack for all D1 orders
- Solve Beautiful, Mind-Bending Puzzles: Manipulate impossible architecture and optical illusions to guide characters through stunning, hand-crafted levels
- A Living Work of Art: Every frame is a work of art – inspired by minimalist sculpture, sacred geometry, and the natural world
- A Trilogy of Emotional Journeys: Discover stories of growth, connection, and healing across three heartfelt adventures
6. Track Crows as well as switches
Crows can obstruct a route, and in some chapters they undo a switch after Ida leaves it. Watch their movement in relation to the mechanism. If the level provides a movable barrier or pulley, consider whether it can keep a Crow away from a switch; otherwise, use the Crow’s timing to move Ida through safely.
7. Learn each crank before relying on it
Try to understand what a crank changes and whether Ida has to stand in a particular area to operate it. A small test can reveal which stairs or platforms will shift, helping you avoid moving Ida toward a route that the next turn of the crank will break.
Rank #3
- Pre-order the trilogy and get a download code for all three acclaimed soundtracks from Monument Valley: Immerse yourself in meditative soundscapes that respond to each of your interactions. This code is included on a coupon in the game pack for all Day 1 orders
- The physical edition contains six 8 x 11 cm design cards with beautiful original designs from the world of Monument Valley
- Solve beautiful, tricky puzzles - Manipulate impossible architecture and optical illusions to guide the characters through stunning, handcrafted levels
- A LIVING ARTWORK - Each picture is a work of art inspired by minimalist sculptures, sacred geometry, and the natural world
- A trilogy full of emotional travel - Discover stories of growth, connection, and healing in three sincere adventures
8. Look for patterns, levers, and counterweights
When a level includes levers, cranks, or a totem, pay attention to what each action does and how the pieces interact. A movable object may help Ida reach a route or affect a counterweight. Change one thing at a time so you can tell which action opened—or closed—the path.
How to plan around a changing layout
9. Re-map the stairs after every rotation
Rotating a structure can create a connection that was not there a moment ago, while breaking another one. After each change, trace the visible stairways and platforms again from Ida’s position. Choose the next destination only after you understand how the new arrangement joins up.
Rank #4
- BRING FOR THE MIGHT OF LOST CIVILIZATIONS: 4 new civilizations to play with: Aztecs, Mughals, Amazons and Atlanteans. These civilizations, lost in time and legends, await their resurrection in Monumental: Lost Kingdoms
- NEW ENVIRONMENTS: Pyramids, Desert, Jungle, Islands. New Cards, New tiles & more.
- 8 NEW MAPS: modular boards with adjustable difficulty. MODULAR MAPS to adjust the board according to the number of players.
- EXPANSION: Lost kingdoms is the first expansion to the hit civilization board game Monumental. Requires the base game to play.
- 5TH PLAYER ADDITION: Play solor up to 5 players. Lost Kingdom contains the rules and components needed to play 5-player games of Monumental. This feature becomes even more attractive when using the new Continuous Play Mode !
10. Backtrack instead of restarting
Reaching a dead end does not mean you have ruined the level. Retrace Ida’s steps, revisit the mechanism that changed the layout, and try a different sequence. The iMore guide’s advice is that you can get out of a situation by changing your approach; treat that as a useful puzzle-solving principle rather than a guarantee about every possible state.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.One chapter-specific concern: Ida is missing at the start of Chapter 7
If Ida is not visible at the beginning of Chapter 7, ustwo games’ official FAQ says the game is not broken: “Rest your weary eyes for a moment. Nothing is broken, Ida is safe, sound and simply waiting for you to solve the puzzle.” Look for the puzzle’s solution rather than assuming the chapter has failed to load.
Best Value
- The physical edition will include Six Art Cards: This special physical edition includes six 8 x 11 cm bonus art cards featuring gorgeous original designs from the world of Monument Valley
- Pre-order and receive a download code for the Award-Winning Soundtracks: Immerse yourself in meditative soundscapes that respond to your every interaction.This code will be included on a voucher inside the game pack for all D1 orders
- Solve Beautiful, Mind-Bending Puzzles: Manipulate impossible architecture and optical illusions to guide characters through stunning, hand-crafted levels
- A Living Work of Art: Every frame is a work of art – inspired by minimalist sculpture, sacred geometry, and the natural world
- A Trilogy of Emotional Journeys: Discover stories of growth, connection, and healing across three heartfelt adventures
Controls and platform differences
On mobile, the game’s touch controls are designed for portrait play. Nintendo’s listing describes the digital Switch edition as letting players rotate, shift, and reshape the world to reveal paths; it lists an April 15, 2025 release date and says the edition includes the Forgotten Shores expansion. The two platform descriptions are not evidence that controls work identically, and the available sources do not establish cross-platform save transfer. Nintendo Switch listing
When a puzzle or the game itself seems stuck
For a puzzle hint, the ustwo FAQ notes that Forgotten Shores Chapter 5 has an element involving “your friend.” If you think you have encountered a technical bug, ustwo asks players to provide their device model, operating system, installed game version, and, when possible, a screenshot through its support FAQ.
Quick Recap
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