I play quiet a number of games during the year and I wanted to share one game with you that at first glance doesn't look like it is mathematics related.
Escher
Since I first heard about Escher I have been a huge fan of his. His art fascinates me. His understanding of infinities, symmetry and other mathematical concepts has made me love and understand mathematics even more. The way he represents mathematical concepts in his art is incredible. In the past I have written and shared my passion for his work on this blog and all of my other social media accounts many time.
Discovering the Game
To my surprise, while randomly searching for a good puzzle game, I found Monument Valley. It took me 10 minutes to fell in love with this game completely. Also, I have spent all a full weekend to finish this game (I played a lot) and since then I have played the game three times already (and will probably play again). I don’t want to say anything about it, just a couple of images will make you understand why I got so excited. All the images bellow are from the first couple of levels:
Just looking at the images, it is clear that the inspiration was M. C. Escher’s art. There is no doubt about it. If you are not convinced yet, here are some of Escher’s pieces:
The Game
In the game you play as Ida, a silent princess who must navigate and exit a series of seemingly impossible places by solving puzzles and avoiding the strange inhabitants of that world. I enjoyed the fact that there is a short but interesting story behind Ida’s journey. Each level presents a structure that looks impossible to navigate through, but by moving or rotating sections of the environment (or even your phone/tablet), you can alter these optical illusions to create a path where none existed before.
What I totally love about it is the fact that every stage is like a different work of art, beautiful enough to be printed out and hung on a wall. Also, the app has the option to take a screenshot at any moment during the game – which I over used. As you interact with the world, you are greeted with beautiful and relaxing music and sound effects. The game is available on iTunes and Google Play. Moreover, there is a Monument Valley 2 – which I cannot wait to try soon (I will let you know how I feel about it, but i have high expectations).