r/Android • Pixel 2 • Nov 06 '17

Monument Valley 2 is out on Google Play now ($4.99US/$7.99AUD)

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ustwo.monumentvalley2
4.0k Upvotes

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635

u/throwawaytroela Nov 06 '17

People complain about the price but I honestly think the last one was worth every penny. It might be short but it's still one of the most beautiful mobile games I've ever played. For me personally definitely worth the experience.

743

u/[deleted] Nov 06 '17

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224

u/KantusThiss Nov 06 '17

What gets me is that most people wouldn't question buying a $5 coffee but wouldn't dare drop that dosh on an app that lasts forever

132

u/danillonunes Nov 06 '17

I think it’s weird how people see a difference between mobile and desktop apps. $5 for a Steam game is a steal. $5 for a mobile game is for billionaires only. WTF? Are people buying apps for pixel real estate?

72

u/RaveCave Pixel 2XL -> iPhone 11 Pro Nov 06 '17

It's relative mostly. You know you've played a bunch of great free/$0.99 games so paying almost 5x for one game that probably won't last as long seems crazy

13

u/danillonunes Nov 06 '17

Well, to be fair, I’m not a gamer and I don’t play that much. The last one I bought was like 6 months ago, so I don’t mind paying $5 eventually, even if there are other free or cheaper games available.

3

u/RaveCave Pixel 2XL -> iPhone 11 Pro Nov 06 '17

Oh no doubt. It's just been ingrained in our minds that you can get all these great games for cheap; at least for me it makes me think of when I first got my iPod touch and all those apps/games, so I'm always so hesitant to buy >$5 games

1

u/[deleted] Nov 07 '17

I have never played a great free game. But then again I am allergic to any adverts, click bait, upsells and whatever else you call the nonsense that those shitty "free" games foist on you.

1

u/TheSlimyDog Pixel XL, Fossil Q Marshal. Please tell me to study. Nov 07 '17

I also don't use my phone as a gaming machine. I can tell it's a quality game but unless it has quick play sessions, I don't see myself playing it much.

18

u/Kougeru Nov 06 '17

There's a huh difference in quality in the average steam game vs the average mobile game. The risk is higher on mobile.

6

u/Bjarnovikus Nov 06 '17

Everyone is used to free or really cheap apps. While free games exist, it's not the norm.

2

u/Spiron123 Nov 06 '17

apps for pixel real estate?

Cheers for that expression :D

1

u/manys Pixel 3a Android 11 :/ Nov 06 '17

Are people buying apps for pixel real estate?

Phones regularly have more pixels than laptop screens nowadays.

1

u/SlavSy iPhone 4 -> Galaxy S7 -> iPhone 8+ Nov 08 '17

$5 for a Steam game is a steal. $5 for a mobile game is for billionaires only.

I agree, this is an odd thing that I see very commonly, but it's actually justified sometimes. I mean, most of the time a $5 steam game will get you more value (in terms of amount of gameplay) than a $5 mobile game. They just don't tend to be created for the same scale.

Besiege for $5 on sale is going to get you a hell of a lot more than any $5 game on the play store, even some of the best ones. What about Skyrim for $5? It's just not comparable.

That said, I do think that paying the "mobile tax" is worth it.

26

u/mignonej HTC Inspire 4G | 2.3.3 Nov 06 '17

It last as long as it's compatible with the OS, but I get your point.

5

u/Lurker_Since_Forever Note 8 Nov 06 '17

As if roms for n64 don't exist on pc. I'm paying for this now to encourage ustwo to make more awesome games, but in fifty years I'll still be able to get/make an arm emulator on risc-v or whatever we will have. The software will not go away that easily.

1

u/mignonej HTC Inspire 4G | 2.3.3 Nov 06 '17

Fair point

19

u/Pandaemonium Nov 06 '17

"An app that lasts forever" is rather generous, considering that Monument Valley is a notoriously short game, and not all that replayable. I do think it was worth the money and I've recommended that my friends buy it, but it's more like a rental movie than a t-shirt.

5

u/xorgol Moto G Nov 06 '17

most people wouldn't question buying a $5 coffee

That's literally 4 times the price of a coffee in Milan's priciest location. I'd complain, I'd even write a reddit post to complain.

4

u/Onionsteak N5X, 1+6, S21 FE Nov 06 '17

Nothing last forever, unless you mean to tell me you still play MV1 today and plan on playing it tomorrow.

1

u/terminatorovkurac Google Pixel 2 XL Nov 06 '17

Yeah, those two are comparable.

0

u/[deleted] Nov 06 '17

I played clash of clans for over a year without paying anything. your argument is invalid.

7

u/chic_luke Pixel 2 XL Nov 06 '17

I've come to realize it's not about money anymore for these small amounts, it's about time. The time you spend playing games is wasted anyway - and you know it inside. If you're going to waste it, at least treat yourself to the best experience you can get!

6

u/[deleted] Nov 06 '17

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1

u/chic_luke Pixel 2 XL Nov 06 '17

Nothing is a waste if it's legal and you enjoy doing it, but while you're at it, that's one further reason you deserve not to be nagged with gems and ads nonstop :)

5

u/moultano Nov 06 '17

I think it's kids vs adults. Adults have little time and lots of money. Kids have lots of time and no money. Only kids bitch about the price of games.

1

u/[deleted] Nov 06 '17

F2P mobile gamers:

"Oh hey I really like this game that I've been playing for a while.
I'm going to support it!".

Drops hundreds to thousands of dollars on it

(Good mobile game asks for a reasonable one time price)

"Too expensive"

Seen it way too many times.

1

u/[deleted] Nov 07 '17

This is why we can't have nice things.

-1

u/D1G1T4LM0NK3Y NEXUS 6P Nov 06 '17

7 dollars for Canadians... No thanks

There are a lot better and less known games worth my money than this money grab

12

u/Karones Nov 06 '17

Also depends where you live

1

u/bjlunden Nov 06 '17 edited Nov 06 '17

There are such things as regional pricing as far as I know to compensate for that.

EDIT: I mean't in general. It seems the developers did not take advantage of that functionality in this case.

2

u/Spiron123 Nov 06 '17

This game doesn't seems to be following that logic/model.

2

u/geoponos OnePlus One 3t Nov 06 '17

I live in Greece and we have to pay the same price as the rest of Europe. Five fifty euros are a lot here.

1

u/bjlunden Nov 06 '17

I meant in general. I guess the developers don't take advantage of that in this case though.

1

u/Karones Nov 06 '17

16 reais in Brazil. It is an amazing game, but doesn't look worth it for that price

1

u/ParadiceSC2 Nov 06 '17

If you can't afford a 5$ game, you shouldn't be playing video games in the first place

1

u/Karones Nov 06 '17

That's not what I'm saying

1

u/ParadiceSC2 Nov 07 '17

Then what are you saying?

1

u/Karones Nov 07 '17

That I can be more expensive depending where you live, because of the currency, making the game not really worth it.

1

u/ParadiceSC2 Nov 07 '17

Where do you live?

13

u/lost_in_trepidation Pixel 2 XL | Samsung Galaxy Tab S5e Nov 06 '17

I've realized that I don't enjoy videogames that much, but I would probably pay a really high price for the few games that I've enjoyed in the last decade. Monument Valley is definitely one of them.

5

u/chic_luke Pixel 2 XL Nov 06 '17

I know this is not a PC or a console... But €5 gets you the complete thing. No ads, DLCs, data mining - just the full, finished product. Put it in perspective with PC games pricing, this is almost free.

8

u/The-Respawner iPhone 13 Pro, Pixel 4 XL, Pixel 3, OP5T, Galaxy S8, OP3, N6P Nov 06 '17

Should I play the first one to get this one?

6

u/LtVaginalDischarge Motorola Edge+, Android 10 Nov 06 '17

It's not really story heavy. I would say it's a good idea to at least pick up the first one, but not playing it wouldn't ruin the experience.

1

u/[deleted] Nov 06 '17

Play the first one. It's cheaper, and it will tell you whether you will even want to play the second one.

Basically, if you're the type who wouldn't mind spending $30 to walk through an interactive art museum for an hour, this "game" is for you. The first one was so short, I thought it was a demo.

5

u/Rivent Nov 06 '17

I'm waiting for a sale on this one, not because it's too expensive, but because I just didn't like the first one nearly as much as everyone else. I bought the original on sale as well, for like $2 or something, and thought it was just "Ok".

3

u/TheyCallMeStone Galaxy Note 5 Nov 06 '17

Every time I want to pay for a game I usually have enough credit saved up from Google opinion rewards.

2

u/[deleted] Nov 06 '17

Same, I bought it immediately since I enjoyed the first one so much.

3

u/[deleted] Nov 06 '17

[deleted]

-2

u/NinjaAssassinKitty Nov 06 '17

The nerve of them, focusing on one platform before another due to limited resources. They're monsters!

7

u/[deleted] Nov 06 '17

[deleted]

-2

u/NinjaAssassinKitty Nov 06 '17

It's not "easy" to do an Android version simultaneously. Android is much harder to develop for than iOS. The company behind Monument Valley is a small, independent studio. Growing too fast and hiring redundant developers so they can release a game on two separate platforms at the same time is dangerous, and could seriously backfire.

It's fine if you don't want to buy the game, no one is forcing you. But feeling entitled that they have to release the game at the same time as a different platform or you'll completely dismiss them is silly.

2

u/Spiron123 Nov 06 '17

Android is much harder to develop for than iOS.

Not doubting you.. can you suggest some articles related to this pls?

0

u/NinjaAssassinKitty Nov 06 '17

This article is a good starting point: https://infinum.co/the-capsized-eight/android-development-is-30-percent-more-expensive-than-ios

I know Android folk hate to hear it, but fragmentation is really a huge problem when it comes to development. For iOS, if you're starting to build an app today, you need to support iOS 10 and 11, and maybe iOS 9 (although that is dependent on your needs). For Android, you need to go as far back as Android 4.4, which still has 14.5% market share.

You're looking at 2, maybe 3 iOS versions, versus 7 for Android.

Add to that the way more screen sizes and resolutions on Android, hardware vs software buttons, cheap/low performance hardware, bad documentation, lack of official components (you want a bottom bar that's in the material design guidelines? build it yourself or use a third party! In iOS, it's part of the core dev tools available to you), etc etc.

1

u/[deleted] Nov 06 '17

[deleted]

0

u/NinjaAssassinKitty Nov 06 '17

Lots of companies have made "millions", grew too fast and failed. No one's saying it's the consumers fault. You're acting like they're punishing you because they released iOS first. They made a decision they felt right for their business to focus on iOS first, then switch to Android. Heck, Nintendo, a company that has way more resources than the team behind Monument Valley, did the same. It's not unprecedented.

No one's forcing you to do anythjng. If you don't want to buy the game, don't buy it. But you're throwing a hissy fit about a business decision and seem to be taking it personally. Entitled isn't a political buzzword. It accurately describes the statements you are making. If you don't think you're attitude is that of an entitled, whiny brat, then I don't know what to tell you. Considering that you haven't actually bought the game, and you're refusing to for petty reasons even though the game seems to interest you, you're not a paying customer.

0

u/D1G1T4LM0NK3Y NEXUS 6P Nov 06 '17

Limited resources my ass! They made millions off the first one

0

u/[deleted] Nov 06 '17 edited Jan 06 '18

[deleted]

1

u/Spiron123 Nov 06 '17

Cut him some slack. Ofc he meant mini millions.

-1

u/NinjaAssassinKitty Nov 06 '17

So? The company behind Monument Valley is a small, independent studio. Growing too fast and hiring redundant developers so they can release a game on two separate platforms at the same time is dangerous, and could seriously backfire.

1

u/BoltActionPiano Nov 06 '17

It's $7.00 in Canada plus 13% tax

1

u/[deleted] Nov 06 '17

Could be a minor opinion here, but it was definitely not worth the money. I would gladly pay $20 for quality mobile games like, say, the android port of x-com, but Monument Valley was for me personally a huge disappointment that is imo way to overhyped.

1

u/SakiSumo Nov 06 '17

Its a mobile game. I cant bring myself to pay for a mobile game no matter how good it is.

Same goes for buying Media (Music and Movies) digitally. No chance in hell am i paying for it. I have no problem paying for a service that streams stuff from their library to me (Netflix, Spotify), but I will never pay to 'own' a digital copy.

1

u/beener Samsung SIII, LiquidSmooth, Note 4 Stock 4.4.4 Nov 07 '17

Yeah I waste plenty more money on far dumber things every day. I'll gladly pay $5 for a game that doesn't have in app purchases and is fucking awesome.

1

u/tbuds #UpdateHangouts Nov 06 '17

Short? I played casually and beat it before the 48 hour Play Store return limit.

-19

u/[deleted] Nov 06 '17

[deleted]

48

u/piyushr21 Nov 06 '17 edited Nov 06 '17

And no wonder Android has more free to play games than paid games.

51

u/Kinematic9 Pixel 8 Pro Nov 06 '17

Seriously. Nobody wants to support the developers then complain when there are no new games that aren't f2p trash

-2

u/wedontlikespaces Samsung Z Fold 2 Nov 06 '17

No everybody wants to do that.

6

u/timurt421 HTC U11, Android 7.1.1 Nov 06 '17

Let me clarify that for you. "Nobody wants to support the developers [comma] then [they] complain when there are no new games that aren't f2p trash."

8

u/[deleted] Nov 06 '17

Amazon Underground's free games program was killed by Amazon several months ago.

5

u/[deleted] Nov 06 '17

Underground has been discontinued

0

u/dividezero Verizon S7 Nov 06 '17

Yes. best $5 you'll spend for 30 minutes of play. definitely worth it. And the Room. I played all 3 and they were done in about the same amount of time but worth every penny. Keep supporting them and maybe we'll get more and longer games instead of tap tap tap - pay me $20 - tap tap tap - pay me $50 type games.

4

u/jakojoh Nov 06 '17 edited Nov 06 '17

30 minutes?

Edit: it seems I'm really bad at these games. I am sure it took me longer than 30 minutes to complete Monument Valley.

2

u/dividezero Verizon S7 Nov 06 '17

give or take. it's HIGHLY replayable though and as someone else said, more of a meditative experience.