“Blue Prince,” a game by indie publisher Dogubomb, is not only the best puzzle game since “Animal Well,” but also one of the top gaming experiences this year. Released on April 10, it is a rogue-like puzzle game where you play as Simon P. Jones who inhereted his “uncle’s” estate. To claim his estate and the grand mansion that rests inside it, you must creep your way through every inch of the mansion’s 45 unique rooms to discover what’s inside the hidden 46th room.
With branching puzzles that connect clues through multiple rooms, you can equate your experience to that of a glorified escape room. The game does not give any hints or tutorials, and you’re left to your own curiosity to see what mysteries are lying within. With each new day that passes, the new rooms and “secrets” you discovered on the day prior unlock collectibles, upgrades and more puzzles to keep you pushing forward to that 46th room.
The emptiness of the deserted mansion, the letters with tidbits of lore and the quiet melodies that accompany you throughout your journey make you fall in love with the game. With every new note you find, you get a smidge of information about the missing author, Marion Marigold, the history of your lineage and the estate and where in the world your character comes from. And to no surprise, that information later aids in solving the leads you were chasing. The creator, Tonda Ros, quotes his inspiration from a 1984 choose-your-own-adventure book titled “Maze,” which follows the same random rooms concept that “Blue Prince” has expanded into. You can see why he ran with this concept when the clues you’ve been following since day one finally come to fruition, giving you one hell of a satisfactory feeling.
The game, however, does have some downsides. In my experience, the randomness of the “rogue” element only hurts the game in its later stages. At every door you try to enter, the game gives you a list of rooms to draft. But when it’s Day 50 and you’ve solved most of the game’s initial puzzles, that feeling of randomness doesn’t get you excited. When you can’t get into the room you need to connect to another room, despite knowing the puzzle’s solution, it can be more frustrating than it is fun.
The beginning of the game refuses to hold your hand, which I actually prefer, but it can drive more players away than not. If you put four or five hours into the game and you can’t solve the initial mysteries, as some players have reported, then it would feel discouraging for you to continue as the difficulty progresses. Maybe the game isn’t for players who aren’t willing to stick it out – as Ros mentioned himself in a recent interview – but a hint here or there at the start doesn’t always hurt to keep those who feel lost from refunding their purchase.
Despite the complaints, “Blue Prince” is this year’s best puzzle game; quitting because of some minor flaws would be a disservice to yourself. Keeping a journal of notes was the last thing I thought I would do while playing a video game, but somehow it’s become a favorite activity of mine. The game will be confusing; it won’t tell you whether you’re following the right leads, but with a little patience and a willingness to trust your instincts, the game’s puzzles can be solved, and you’ll feel so damn rewarded.
