Blue Prince
" Innovative adventure strategy with roguelike puzzles and deep story, but RNG can frustrate "
Blue Prince Review
Blue Prince is a unique blend of puzzle-solving and roguelike elements set inside a mysterious mansion with a goal to reach the 46th room. Players draft rooms to build their path, managing resources like gold, diamonds, and steps, while uncovering intricate puzzles and a deep, unfolding storyline. The gameplay encourages note-taking and experimentation, rewarding patience and strategic planning. The game features a retro aesthetic with simple graphics, but an outstanding and atmospheric soundtrack that enhances immersion.
However, the experience is heavily impacted by RNG, which many players find frustrating as it can block progress despite knowing what to do. Runs can be slow and repetitive, with unskippable animations and limited save options adding to the tedium. The roguelike mechanics sometimes overshadow the puzzles, making the game less accessible for casual players. Despite these issues, dedicated players praise its depth, creativity, and the rewarding sense of discovery, considering it a masterpiece in its niche.
Highlights
Players consistently praise Blue Prince for its extremely creative and genre-defining puzzle mechanics that blend roguelike elements with intricate mystery solving. The story gradually unfolds in a compelling way, encouraging deep exploration and note-taking. The music and atmosphere are frequently highlighted as exceptional, contributing to the game's immersive experience. The game's design rewards patience and strategic thinking, with a satisfying sense of progress and discovery that keeps players engaged over many hours.
Criticisms
Common criticisms focus on the game's heavy reliance on RNG, which can hinder progress and frustrate players who feel their time is wasted by unlucky runs. The slow pacing and repetitive gameplay loops—including unskippable animations and lack of mid-run saves—are seen as tedious. Some puzzles are considered overly obscure or underclued, requiring extensive note-taking and external hints. The visual quality on consoles is poor compared to PC, and the game’s design can feel punishing and inaccessible to casual players or those averse to roguelike mechanics.
Pros
- • Innovative blend of puzzle-solving and roguelike mechanics creates unique gameplay.
- • Deep, unfolding storyline that rewards exploration and attention to detail.
- • Exceptional and atmospheric soundtrack enhances immersion throughout the game.
- • Extensive variety of puzzles and mysteries with meaningful connections.
- • Strategic resource management adds layers of complexity and depth.
- • High replayability due to procedural room drafting and multiple puzzle paths.
- • Creative use of items and mechanics encourages experimentation.
Cons
- • Excessive reliance on RNG can block progress and cause frustration.
- • Slow pacing with unskippable animations and no mid-run save feature.
- • Repetitive gameplay loops may feel tedious over extended sessions.
- • Some puzzles are overly obscure and require external hints or guides.
- • Visual quality on consoles is poor compared to the PC version.
- • Lack of accessibility options, including colorblind support and FOV sliders.
- • Resource management can feel punishing and impede experimentation.
Rating Criteria
About This Game
Welcome to Mt. Holly, the mysterious manor with shifting rooms. In Blue Prince, you embark on a genre-defying experience, filled with a unique mix of mystery, strategy, and puzzles that weave together to create an unpredictable journey. Will your explorative steps lead you to the rumored Room 46?
Upon reaching a closed door in Mt. Holly, you decide what room appears behind it and each decision shapes your path as you navigate through the manor. Every door can reveal new and exciting chambers that contain their own unique challenges and secrets. But be careful how you draft, for each day the manor’s floor plan resets and the rooms you saw today may not be the same rooms you see tomorrow.
Your progress each day is shaped by the rooms you select to draft and the tools you find within them. Items in the game can be used in a number of creative ways to fuel your exploration deeper into the house, allowing you to adopt unique strategies to combat the challenges that each day brings. Yet, tread wisely – the house resets each dawn, erasing all but the permanent upgrades to your estate blueprint. That is, if you were clever enough to find one!
As the heir of Mt. Holly, you have been tasked to explore its shifting halls in search of Room 46. Yet as your journey takes you further into the mansion’s depths, you start to discover that there is more lurking under the surface than a missing room. Investigate a past woven with the threads of blackmail, political intrigue, and the mysterious disappearance of a local children’s book author. The deeper you venture, the more you realize that the past is closer than it appears.
RPGFan
“The best thing I played last year.”
Daniel Mullins, Creator of Inscryption
“It's an endlessly captivating labyrinth of twists and turns, with a world that will crawl inside your head and refuse to leave...”
10/10 – Gaming Bible
Welcome to Mt. Holly, where every dawn unveils a new mystery. Navigate through shifting corridors and ever-changing chambers in this genre-defying strategy puzzle adventure. But will your unpredictable path lead you to the rumored Room 46?
