Blue Prince review: A mysterious journey of discovery and puzzle solving

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The allure of delving into an expansive, vacant manor rumored to conceal hidden mysteries is timeless, and Blue Prince isn’t the first title to capitalize on this. Games like Gone Home have effectively tapped into the inherent unease stirred by such settings to narrate captivating tales, and Blue Prince builds upon that foundation by incorporating roguelike aspects to ensure the excitement of exploration and discovery remains unabated throughout gameplay.

As Simon, I’ve inherited an enigmatic mansion from my late uncle, a baron. Although it’s tinged with sorrow, the estate comes with quite the perk. The twist? This mansion’s rooms shift daily, and each morning, I must venture in without knowing what lies beyond each door. My uncle’s will stipulates that I can only claim full ownership once I discover the elusive 46th room, a task that requires me to solve an intricate series of puzzles first. It’s quite the adventure!

Exploring the mansion is an enjoyable experience because, as you approach each door, you’ll be presented with three mystery rooms to choose from. Each room has unique characteristics – some might reward you with useful items or advantages, others could impose disadvantages, and many will present puzzles and hints that bring you closer to your objective.

Beyond that, each of them features varying numbers of entrances oriented in distinct directions, implying that not only do you need to decide what kind of room is needed at any given time, but also ensure the mansion layout is carefully planned to avoid placing a door on an existing wall, which would hinder your progress and necessitate starting over. Moreover, you can only pass through a limited number of rooms each day, so it’s crucial to consider efficiency to prevent excessive backtracking that might leave you fatigued and unable to continue.

As you progress, you’ll come across various intriguing riddles, including the one that requires mathematical skills. For instance, you might stumble upon a room with three boxes labeled with statements about their gem content, but not all are accurate. Additionally, there are control rooms for both electricity and water, which manage the supply to different areas of the mansion. And let’s not forget the numerous safes scattered throughout, where you’ll discover their codes hidden in other locations as you navigate your way around.

Restoring unity across the entire manor, it may seem disjointed due to its modular nature and haphazard construction. However, with time, you grow accustomed to each room and the enigmas hidden within them. The overarching riddle of piecing together the manor and achieving your objective provides a consistent drive, becoming increasingly compelling as you unearth some of the manor’s hidden mysteries.

The location is steeped in remnants of the baron’s life, adding to its historical charm, and it doesn’t shy away from acknowledging that working conditions here would have undoubtedly been challenging for the domestic staff, given the ever-changing layout. A humorous anecdote I came across was a researcher lamenting that he hasn’t been able to conduct his work for three days because his lab failed to appear.

Unpredictable factors may lead to setbacks, even though I had grasped the task at hand and navigated every corner of the mansion. It grew tedious repeating trials where luck didn’t cooperate, preventing me from accomplishing my goal. By this point, I had already solved the riddle; all that was left was executing the necessary steps to finalize it. However, when the random number generator denied me access to progressive rooms or failed to provide the keys for opening doors, or otherwise hindered me for a few hours, it wasn’t an enjoyable encounter.

Despite the frustration it caused, I found myself immersed in the lengthy process of solving puzzles, which offered an engaging blend of large escape room-like challenges guiding you towards your objective and smaller puzzles hidden within each playthrough. Even after uncovering the legendary 46th room, there remain numerous enigmas to be deciphered that deepen the narrative surrounding your uncle and the way your family was torn apart.

Despite the occasionally frustrating roguelike features, Blue Prince delivers an exceptional gaming adventure. It excels in creating a sense of exploration and cleverly uses randomness to maintain interest for extended periods, surpassing the longevity of conventional puzzle games. Throughout your journey, it consistently drives you towards an ultimate goal that’s rewarding to unravel.

Score: 8/10

Platform tested: PC (Steam)

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2025-04-14 13:16