Comparison

Monument Valley 2 vs Exception;

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Monument Valley 2

Guide a mother and child through a world of magical architecture and illusionary pathways. Solve meditative puzzles by manipulating the environment to uncover the secrets of Sacred Geometry. This standalone adventure offers a beautiful, impossible world with contemporary visuals and immersive audio.

Highlights
  • Guide mother and child through magical architecture
  • Discover illusionary pathways and puzzles
  • Learn secrets of Sacred Geometry
  • Standalone new story
  • Individually crafted puzzles
  • Contemporary geometric visuals
  • Beautiful interactive audio
Features
Read full description

Guide a mother and her child as they embark on a journey through magical architecture, discovering illusionary pathways and delightful puzzles as you learn the secrets of the Sacred Geometry. Sequel to the Apple Game of the Year 2014, Monument Valley 2 presents a brand new adventure set in a beautiful and impossible world. Help Ro as she teaches her child about the mysteries of the valley, exploring stunning environments and manipulating architecture to guide them on their way. ===== “Subtly more sophisticated than its predecessor” - WIRED “Little vignettes of a surreal world that works its socks off to make me happy” - POLYGON “I was enraptured by everything I saw and heard” - DESTRUCTOID “One of the best gaming experiences available on any device, let alone mobile” - POCKETGAMER ===== A STANDALONE ADVENTURE A completely new story from the Monument Valley universe. You don’t need to have previously played Monument Valley to enjoy Monument Valley 2. INDIVIDUALLY CRAFTED PUZZLES Enjoy beautiful levels filled with illusory, meditative puzzles, using brand new interactions to explore the changing dynamics between characters. CONTEMPORARY VISUALS Artwork inspired by an eclectic mixture of architectural styles, artistic movements and personal influences, each translated into stunning geometric structures. BEAUTIFUL AUDIO Immerse yourself in uniquely melodic interactive soundscapes, tailored perfectly to every step of Ro and her child’s journey. ===== Monument Valley 2 is only compatible with devices running iOS 9 or later.

About

Exception;

Engage in a unique single-player game where you program AI units to overcome challenges and defeat enemies in a virtual world. Strategize and code different unit types to progress through levels and uncover the secrets of a seemingly perfect system.

Highlights
  • AI programming gameplay
  • Strategic unit control
  • Challenging single-player levels
  • Virtual world exploration
  • Uncover system secrets
Features
Read full description

Exception is a game about AI programming. During the game, the player assists the units to defeat their enemies in the virtual world. However, the player needs to control the units by programming instead of controlling them directly. This is a challenging single-player game. In each level, the player needs to think about the strategy and program the units accordingly. The player needs to program different types of units to beat the level. ************************** In a virtual world where everything operates steadily under an omnipotent system, you will play the role of an operator named 159, who oversees and maintains the system. Nevertheless, there is no perfect system. You find an exception in the program one day. What is stranger is that the program made a request… You will discover the secret underneath this cyber world. ************************** [LEVEL SOLUTION] [WHEN] Success Rate = 100% [DO] Next level :D [WHEN] Success Rate ≠ 100% [DO] Optimize it :3 [/LEVEL SOLUTION] ************************** Contact us:support@kunpo.cc [Code monkeys change the world]

Screenshots

Monument Valley 24 screens
Exception;4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Exception; at fortnightly against Monument Valley 2's every 4 months. Exception; also leads on price ($2.99 vs $3.99) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 15.0). Monument Valley 2's advantage is chart position (#22 vs unranked) and ratings volume (14K vs 2.7K). On rating, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Monument Valley 2 costs $3.99 and Exception; $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Monument Valley 2 against 4.8 for Exception;. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Monument Valley 2 has 14K ratings behind it against 2.7K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 77% of Monument Valley 2's written reviews are positive against 82% of Exception;'s.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Monument Valley 2 ships an update every 4 months, Exception; fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Monument Valley 2 versus Exception;: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMonument Valley 2Exception;
Price$3.99$2.99 — better
Rating4.7 (14K ratings)4.8 (2.7K ratings) — better
Positive reviews76.6% of reviews82.1% of reviews — better
Number of ratings14K — better2.7K
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
Best chart rank#22 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.08.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size325 MB79 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developerustwo gamesKunpo

Customer experience

Monument Valley 2

All ratings13,365 ratings
Positive90.1%
Neutral4.8%
Negative5.1%
Written reviews1,784 reviews
Positive76.6%
Neutral11.4%
Negative12.0%

Exception;

All ratings2,654 ratings
Positive97.2%
Neutral1.4%
Negative1.4%
Written reviews190 reviews
Positive82.1%
Neutral7.4%
Negative10.5%

User reviews

Monument Valley 2

From 14K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 💎 Stunning visuals and graphics
  • 🎶 Excellent soundtrack and sound design
  • 🧩 Unique and creative puzzles
  • 🧘‍♀️ Relaxing and therapeutic gameplay
  • 👨‍👧 Compelling mother-daughter storyline

Room to improve

  • 🕰️ Gameplay is too short and easy
  • 💰 Expensive for the amount of content
  • 🔁 Lacks replayability and challenge compared to the first game
  • 📚 Unclear or underdeveloped storyline

Exception;

From 2.7K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Interesting and challenging gameplay
  • 🚀 Smooth and fluid animations
  • 💡 Unique programming-based mechanics
  • 🤖 Good introduction to programming concepts
  • 🎨 Visually appealing design

Room to improve

  • 🔒 Most levels locked behind paywall
  • 🐛 Inconsistent bot behavior
  • 💰 Game feels like a demo with limited content

Bugs and requests

Monument Valley 2

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Occasional crashes or performance issues
  • Compatibility problems on certain devices

Requested features

4 requests
  • More challenging and complex puzzles
  • Additional levels and content updates
  • Difficulty settings or modes
  • Deeper exploration of the Monument Valley lore and characters

Exception;

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Bots not responding to commands as expected
  • Scripting errors when retreating

Requested features

4 requests
  • Sandbox mode to create custom levels
  • Hint system for difficult levels
  • Ability to sync progress across devices
  • Multiplayer or co-op modes

In-app purchases

None

Monument Valley 2

No in-app purchases

None

Exception;

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Monument Valley 2 free?
Monument Valley 2 costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Exception; free?
Exception; costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Monument Valley 2 or Exception;?
Exception; is rated higher. Monument Valley 2 averages 4.7 out of 5 from 14K ratings, while Exception; averages 4.8 from 2.7K ratings.
Do Monument Valley 2 or Exception; have ads?
Neither Monument Valley 2 nor Exception; shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Monument Valley 2 or Exception;?
Monument Valley 2 ships an update every 4 months, and Exception; fortnightly. Most recently, Monument Valley 2 was updated on October 20, 2026 and Exception; on October 17, 2026.

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