Mobile games often can be described as quick, addictive, frenetic. They don't take a lot of time, and you can play them in line at the grocery store.

The iOS game Monument Valley — iTunes' current top spot holder for paid apps in the U.S. — is not that game. This contemplative, bewitching game is meant to be played quietly on the couch, with headphones on. It fully plunges the player into a puzzling world with levels that please your ears, eyes and sense of touch.

Monument Valley is a game where players lead a princess through a serious of twisted, mind-bending structures. Tapping directs the white-clad princess, but much of each level requires non-directed experimenting as players must manipulate pieces of each of monument as a giant puzzle to get to the goal.

Why Monument Valley is meant to be played slowly is the the way each pull and prod of the environment elicits different sounds. Pulling a platform across a void brings out a string of notes, but the greater surprise was discovering the speed of movement affected the tempo of the music. The game's design leads to endless small surprises in the gameplay as you learn exactly what you can manipulate.

As you lead Princess Ida through each increasingly difficult level, you'll find pieces of the story of the abandoned Monument Valley. Each level is also a visual delight, despite the haunting desertion.

Monument Valley is a premium iOS title, with no in-app purchases beyond its $3.99 price point [iTunes download link]. It's made by eight-man team Ustwo out of the U.K.

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