Comparison

Nihilumbra vs Monument Valley 2

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

Head to head
About

Nihilumbra

Embark on an adventure to discover a beautiful world and escape an inevitable curse. Learn to use colors to gain abilities and transform your surroundings while being pursued by an ancient force. This game offers over 10 hours of gameplay with a unique story and challenging mechanics.

Highlights
  • Over 10 hours of gameplay
  • Classic gameplay redesigned for touch devices
  • Change ground physics with five colors
  • Transform five unique worlds
  • Two control schemes: buttons or tilt
  • Original soundtrack
  • Unlockable surprise and replayability
Features
Read full description

*** Apple's Best of 2012 Hidden Gems *** Has to be be downloaded over a Wi-Fi connection. Discover the beautiful world of Nihilumbra and join Born on his adventure to find himself whilst trying to escape from his inevitable curse. Born was created from the absolute nothingness: The Void. But somehow he separates himself from the black emptiness and appears in the world. This is where his long odyssey begins, in which he will learn how to use the colors around him to gain powerful abilities and transform the world. However, his experiences come at a high price. The Void must be one. It seeks to reclaim him and will never stop chasing him, destroying everything in its path along the way. To survive, Born will have to condemn the earth he walks to its inevitable obliteration by The Void... FEATURES: - More than 10 hours of gameplay. - “Old school” playability inspired by classic games but redesigned for tactile devices. - The ability to change ground physics using five different colors. - Use five worlds as your canvas and transform them at your will. - Two different control schemes: Classic buttons or tilting sensor. - Original soundtrack composed by Álvaro Lafuente. Headphones recommended. - Unlockable surprise on completion of the game. Replayability assured.

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.

Screenshots

Nihilumbra4 screens
Monument Valley 24 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Monument Valley 2 at 14K against Nihilumbra's 108. Monument Valley 2 also leads on chart position (#23 vs unranked). Nihilumbra's advantage is review sentiment (88% vs 77%) and price ($2.99 vs $3.99). On rating, update cadence, 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

Nihilumbra costs $2.99 and Monument Valley 2 $3.99 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 Nihilumbra against 4.7 for Monument Valley 2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Monument Valley 2 has 14K ratings behind it against 108, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 88% of Nihilumbra's written reviews are positive against 77% of Monument Valley 2's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Nihilumbra ships an update every 2 months, Monument Valley 2 every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Nihilumbra versus Monument Valley 2: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNihilumbraMonument Valley 2
Price$2.99 — better$3.99
Rating4.7 (108 ratings) — better4.7 (14K ratings)
Positive reviews87.7% of reviews — better76.5% of reviews
Number of ratings10814K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 4 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
Best chart rank—#23 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS5.1.1 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size665 MB325 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperBEAUTIFUN GAMES SLustwo games

Customer experience

Nihilumbra

All ratings104 ratings
Positive91.3%
Neutral4.8%
Negative3.8%
Written reviews430 reviews
Positive87.7%
Neutral4.4%
Negative7.9%

Monument Valley 2

All ratings13,365 ratings
Positive90.1%
Neutral4.8%
Negative5.1%
Written reviews1,790 reviews
Positive76.5%
Neutral11.5%
Negative12.0%

User reviews

Nihilumbra

From 108 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Beautiful game
  • 👍 Engaging story
  • 👍 Innovative gameplay
  • 👍 Challenging puzzles
  • 👍 Atmospheric music

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes and glitches
  • 🐛 Controls issues
  • 🐛 Lack of iPhone 5/X support
  • 🔋 High battery consumption

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

Bugs and requests

Nihilumbra

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Crashes on certain levels
  • Unresponsive controls in intense moments
  • Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions

Requested features

3 requests
  • Update with more levels and content
  • Sequel or additional games from the developer
  • Improved controls and customization options

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

In-app purchases

None

Nihilumbra

No in-app purchases

None

Monument Valley 2

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Nihilumbra free?
Nihilumbra costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Monument Valley 2 free?
Monument Valley 2 costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Nihilumbra or Monument Valley 2?
Nihilumbra is rated higher. Nihilumbra averages 4.7 out of 5 from 108 ratings, while Monument Valley 2 averages 4.7 from 14K ratings.
Do Nihilumbra or Monument Valley 2 have ads?
Neither Nihilumbra nor Monument Valley 2 shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Nihilumbra or Monument Valley 2?
Nihilumbra ships an update every 2 months, and Monument Valley 2 every 4 months. Most recently, Nihilumbra was updated on November 6, 2026 and Monument Valley 2 on November 9, 2026.

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