ASO AgencyGames · US iPhone listing
Does their ASO suck?
Listing creative score · first three captured iPhone screenshots
7/10Good. The product proof earns it.
Monument Valley can sell atmosphere with a single image. It uses three to do largely the same job. The impossible architecture is distinctive; the manipulation that makes it a game deserves a visible introduction.
Gab’s verdict · 7/10Gabriel Machuret
One storefront, one language and a dated capture. This is an independent editorial audit, not a client case study.
Gab’s take · Five criteria. Two points each.
The art direction is excellent evidence of the experience's character. A puzzle game is allowed to sell atmosphere. I would add one readable interaction, not turn every beautiful frame into a user manual. The screenshot strategy still under-explains participation. Keep the atmosphere and demonstrate one architectural change with a readable before-and-after relationship. Another gorgeous level is less useful than showing why touching this world is interesting.
The puzzle atmosphere is obvious; the interaction is implicit.
Real levels appear without demonstrating the manipulation.
Strong silhouettes and colour changes create excellent visual hierarchy.
The different environments expand the visual world and add variety. The missing interaction limits the sequence without making all three frames redundant.
The architectural identity is genuinely distinctive.
0: not earned · 1: useful but incomplete · 2: clearly demonstrated. Judged on the dated opening creative; public metadata provides context. These points assess creative execution, not private conversion or ranking performance. Read the scoring criteria · See all ten verdict levels
Inspect the numbered original, read the problem, then compare the proposed fix. The publisher’s creative stays unchanged.
What the visitor sees → what I’d change
Look at the original: The scene contains a character, paths and a visible handle but no explanatory gesture.
Why I’m flagging it: The scene contains a control without showing what it changes.
Demonstrate one genuine manipulation while preserving the uncluttered artwork.
What the visitor sees → what I’d change
Look at the original: The second image presents a different level environment and several characters.
Why I’m flagging it: The orange tower adds variety but not interaction proof.
Use the resulting path from the same architectural change.
What the visitor sees → what I’d change
Look at the original: The third still adds another environment and a distinct companion shape.
Why I’m flagging it: A third setting expands the world without explaining play.
Move variety later and show the character using the newly created route.
Proposed copy for discussion. These are not current listing fields or tested winners.
Observed listing
A Quest for Forgiveness
Proposed alternative
Twist paths, guide Ida
Name 23/30 · Subtitle 22/30 charactersKeep the franchise name, identify the puzzle category and describe the manipulation-and-guidance action in the publisher’s description.
The tradeoff: The proposal replaces the story-led forgiveness subtitle with a mechanic cue. Test whether newcomers understand it without reducing appeal to story-focused buyers; hold metadata stable during the image test.
Read the sequence from top to bottom on mobile, left to right on desktop. These are message-layout sketches, not screens from Monument Valley or tested results.
Proposed headline
Put this in the frame: One authentic before-and-after path adjustment from a current puzzle.
Why it earns the space: Make the player action visible without a fabricated level.
Proposed headline
Put this in the frame: An existing environment that shows the optical-illusion character of the game.
Why it earns the space: Keep the world’s visual appeal and avoid solution spoilers.
Proposed headline
Put this in the frame: A verified scene from the purchased edition with accurate additional-content context elsewhere in the listing.
Why it earns the space: Keep story and edition expectations aligned.
The test: Does one authentic gesture demonstration improve understanding without weakening Monument Valley’s visual appeal? The sketch gives the designer a direction; the actual product and access conditions decide what can ship.
Bring the listing. I’ll help you decide what to keep, what to fix and what to test.
Observed competitor metadata
Award-winning puzzle game
Gorogoa explicitly calls itself a puzzle game in its subtitle.
The lesson: Monument Valley can add a mechanic cue while keeping its own architectural identity; neither artwork nor awards establish equal difficulty.
Observed competitor metadata
Discover the secrets within
The Room: Old Sins uses a discovery-led subtitle about secrets.
The lesson: Both sell atmospheric exploration, but Monument Valley should show its perspective manipulation rather than imply the same puzzle-box interaction.
Observed competitor metadata
Breathtaking Puzzle Adventure
Lara Croft GO names a puzzle adventure.
The lesson: The category label is direct. Pair that clarity with Monument Valley’s specific gesture instead of borrowing another game’s progression promise.
Intent candidates grounded in the listing—not fabricated search-volume or difficulty scores.
Visitor’s job: Discover paths by changing how architecture connects.
Evidence: The publisher describes impossible geometry and the opener shows an impossible triangular path.
Decision: Explain one authentic manipulation without manufacturing gameplay or revealing a full answer.
Visitor’s job: Explore a distinctive world through short interactive puzzles.
Evidence: All three stills emphasise environments and the subtitle establishes a quest.
Decision: Retain the art while making the action legible; do not turn subjective beauty into a measurable superiority claim.
Visitor’s job: Buy the intended edition and understand included content.
Evidence: The listing names the original game and a separately purchased expansion.
Decision: Keep sequel and expansion boundaries explicit and verify present inclusions before stating chapter counts.
The unseen keyword field may already cover some of these terms. Build an evidence-backed keyword shortlist before making a metadata change.
Three 2019–2022 accounts were selected for sound, purchase scope and a corrected puzzle misunderstanding. A review mainly discussing Monument Valley 2 is excluded from original-game conclusions. Conflicting opinions about length do not establish average playtime or current chapter availability.
Sample: 3 selected accounts from 8 displayed reviews. Dates: 2 January 2019–31 August 2022. No sentiment percentage is calculated.
31 August 2022 · 5/5 stars
“musical aspects”
An August 2022 reviewer praised interactive sound and the amount of content, including additions, and expressed enthusiasm for the series.
What I’d investigate: The sound interest suggests a later preview-video topic. Their view of length is personal, not an average completion measure.
Listing review source · Review ID 90379700673 January 2020 · 4/5 stars
“special deal”
A January 2020 reviewer questioned expansion pricing and sequel access, while explicitly acknowledging that a holiday offer might explain the price change.
What I’d investigate: Preserve that alternative explanation. Clarify editions without alleging personalised pricing or repeating old prices.
Listing review source · Review ID 53534595412 January 2019 · 5/5 stars
“bird person”
A January 2019 reviewer first suspected a puzzle problem, then updated the account after discovering a character could perform the action.
What I’d investigate: Retain the correction. This is a comprehension example, not evidence of an unresolved game bug.
Listing review source · Review ID 3603279451A displayed review can be old, unusually positive or internally inconsistent with its star rating. These accounts suggest questions; they do not establish current defects or typical customer experience. Use the Review Research Desk to keep evidence and interpretation separate.
The scene contains a control without showing what it changes.
Deliverable: Demonstrate one genuine manipulation while preserving the uncluttered artwork.
Creative brief and current-product checkThe orange tower adds variety but not interaction proof.
Deliverable: Use the resulting path from the same supported architectural change.
Creative brief and current-product checkA third setting expands the world without explaining play.
Deliverable: Move variety later and show the character using the newly created route.
Creative brief and current-product checkDoes one authentic gesture demonstration improve understanding without weakening Monument Valley’s visual appeal?
Check Apple’s current product page optimization guidance and custom product page guidance before configuring a test. Write your experiment brief.
1–3: thumbs down · 4–6: thumbs up and down · 7–10: thumbs up
The basics need a serious rethink.
Too many obvious things have been left unfinished.
There is a useful product here. The listing needs to show it.
Some basics work, but the opening wastes attention and under-explains the benefit.
There is usable creative here, but too much of the sales argument is left to the visitor.
Real strengths, undermined by meaningful gaps in the opening story or execution.
A clear, useful demonstration with specific refinements still needed.
The main promise is clear and supported. Refinement matters more than reinvention.
Clear positioning, thoughtful choices and very few loose ends.
An unusually clear, convincing storefront worth learning from.
An editorial verdict on the captured storefront, not a measured ASO score or an assessment of an agency’s private work.
No private analytics, search-rank dataset or internal keyword field was supplied. Review quotations are short excerpts; explanations are our summaries. App names and screenshots belong to their respective owners. We are not affiliated with Monument Valley. Read our editorial methodology.
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