Comparison

Monument Valley vs STEM Defense

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

Head to head
About

Monument Valley

Explore a world of impossible architecture and optical illusions. Guide a silent princess through stunningly beautiful, hand-crafted monuments by manipulating the environment. Uncover hidden paths and solve puzzles in this surreal exploration game.

Highlights
  • Impossible architecture manipulation
  • Optical illusion puzzles
  • Surreal exploration
  • Hand-crafted worlds
  • Intuitive twist and drag controls
  • Reactive soundscape
Features
Read full description

** Apple Game of the Year 2014 ** ** Winner of Apple Design Award 2014 ** In Monument Valley you will manipulate impossible architecture and guide a silent princess through a stunningly beautiful world. Monument Valley is a surreal exploration through fantastical architecture and impossible geometry. Guide the silent princess Ida through mysterious monuments, uncovering hidden paths, unfolding optical illusions and outsmarting the enigmatic Crow People. Ida's Dream now available. Forgotten Shores: Eight new chapters of adventure and illusion available now as a separate purchase. Buy or download Monument Valley now and you’ll also get our fully animated iMessage sticker pack, including 5 stickers exclusive to players! Only available on iOS10 and above. ======= "This might be the most beautiful iPad game of 2014" - Wired "Brilliant design... stayed with me like a dream I didn't want to forget" 9/10 - Polygon "The most sublime hour my iPad has ever given me... and the value of such a thing is incalculable" - Kotaku "Monument Valley stuns with its serenity... each screen is a work of art" - Huffington Post "Almost impossibly gorgeous... a feast for your senses" 5/5 - Touch Arcade ======= BEAUTIFUL Inspired by minimalist 3D design, optical illusions and palaces and temples from around the world, every monument is a unique, hand-crafted world to explore. EASY TO USE Twist and drag to reshape the world and help Ida to explore. Designed to be easy for everyone to pick up, enjoy and complete. SOUND Audio reacts to your manipulation of the world to provide a surreal and beautiful soundscape. Best experienced with headphones. iCloud Synchronize your game across all your devices. ** Monument Valley is designed for iPhone 4 and above. It is NOT compatible with iPod Touch 4th Generation.

About

STEM Defense

Features
Read full description

About This Game "STEM Defense" immerses yourself in a strategic battle within the human body, where you manipulate pathways and tower placements on a dynamic hexagonal grid. This educational tower defense game teaches players about the immune system through engaging gameplay, focusing on the defense against microscopic invaders. Key Features Path Expansion: Dynamically extend the pathways pathogens travel to strategically shape each level and increase the effectiveness of your defenses. Tower Placement Strategy: Strategic placement of your towers is essential. Elevate your towers to gain damage bonuses, crucial for optimizing defense effectiveness. Mutation-Based Upgrades: Enhance your defenses through epigenetic modifications, providing temporary boosts, and genetic mutations for permanent enhancements. This mirrors real-life biological defense mechanisms. Experience and Genetic Enhancements: Gain experience to unlock advanced defensive capabilities and permanent genetic upgrades, enhancing your ability to combat pathogens. Varied Enemy Types: Encounter diverse pathogens, each with unique abilities. Develop strategies to handle enemies that can regenerate, accelerate, or spawn additional threats. Endless Replayability: With a multitude of genetic enhancements and adaptive enemy tactics, each game offers new challenges and decisions, ensuring unique experiences with every playthrough. Coming Soon:Acquired immunity mechanics!! Support Independent Development As a solo developer not well-versed in the art of social media, I rely on the support of players like you. If you've enjoyed "STEM Defense," please help spread the word and make it known to others!

Screenshots

Monument Valley4 screens
STEM Defense4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: STEM Defense at none against Monument Valley's 1. STEM Defense also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs every 2 months). Monument Valley's advantage is price ($3.99 vs $6.99) and chart position (#9 vs unranked). On ads, device support and iOS requirement 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 costs $3.99 and STEM Defense $6.99 up front. Monument Valley sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. STEM Defense asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Monument Valley ships an update every 2 months, STEM Defense every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and August 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Monument Valley versus STEM Defense: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMonument ValleySTEM Defense
Price$3.99 — better$6.99
Rating4.8 (17K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews80.5% of reviews—
Number of ratings17K — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
Best chart rank#9 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size324 MB411 MB
Age rating4+9+
Developerustwo gamesAndrea Carlomaria Sertorio

Bugs and requests

Monument Valley

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Levels not loading or freezing on certain devices
  • Inability to purchase or access DLC/expansion content
  • Compatibility issues with recent iOS updates

Requested features

4 requests
  • More levels and chapters to extend the gameplay
  • Increased difficulty and challenge in later puzzles
  • Ability to save progress and resume levels
  • Support for newer device screen sizes and resolutions

STEM Defense

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Monument Valley

One-time1
  • Forgotten Shores$1.99
None

STEM Defense

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Monument Valley free?
Monument Valley costs $3.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is STEM Defense free?
STEM Defense costs $6.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Monument Valley or STEM Defense have ads?
Neither Monument Valley nor STEM Defense shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Monument Valley or STEM Defense?
Monument Valley ships an update every 2 months, and STEM Defense every 3 days. Most recently, Monument Valley was updated on October 26, 2026 and STEM Defense on August 22, 2026.

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