Blue Prince is a new adventure puzzle game that’s harder than it looks. But it looks great!
The premise behind this graphically appealing game feels, at first blush, rather simple. You play as Simon P. Jones, a teenage grandnephew and potential heir to the very wealthy Baron Herbert Sinclair. But Sinclair was not a man to simply rest upon his fortune. He always wanted a challenge. So, Simon will have to prove his ability to demonstrate thoughtful effort and a lot of puzzle-solving panache to unlock that inheritance.
In fact, the deceased billionaire’s entire estate is all an elaborate puzzle that Simon must master.
The main house is a compilation of 45 rooms: an opulent stretch of bedrooms, hallways, drawing rooms, pantries, spare rooms, pools, gardens and much more. However, Simon’s goal is to discover the secret 46th room hidden somewhere in the mix.
But there are limitations.
Simon must plot out the house’s rooms and find his path in a single day. That’s because the rooms magically shift into a completely new floor plan every morning. Also, walking into each room requires a “step,” of which Simon only has 50 per day. (Though he can gain more.)
As Simon reaches each new door, he has to choose which of three room options will be on the other side. And then the teen fills out his map of the nine-by-five floor plan.
Of course, Simon is also attempting to avoid dead ends, and he’s seeking to find valuable items and clues. Some rooms require keys or money; some can only be opened with a gem. Some have no exit; some have several. And all of the rooms must be properly aligned.
Along the way, the required pieces must be discovered or revealed through puzzles located in the rooms. There are word-association puzzles, mathematic challenges, techy-terminal twists, handwriting analyses, color coordination and so much more.
When players hit dead ends, or when they run out of steps, keys, gems and coins and can go no further, the daily run comes to an end. And then they take what they’ve learned (but nothing else) into the next run.
Finally, we’ll note that this single-player game does not require an online connection (other than to digitally download it).
Baron Sinclair put this challenge together to encourage his grandnephew (and us) to think broadly and work through obstacles. And when gamers do so, it’s rewarding.
Blue Prince looks and feels like a game you won’t mind playing over and over (more on that below). The puzzles take on a variety of forms—button and lever combos, logic challenges, strategic choices—and it’s fun to start out in the dark and slowly determine what rooms to expect in the building and plot your way on future runs.
The game gives you plenty of tips and clues. It encourages gamers to keep notes and gives them permanent upgrades that help make future runs a little easier.
There is very little negative content in the E-rated mix here. We glimpse some liquor bottles in a game room. (But your character can’t pick them up or drink.) And a fortune-telling game in the Rumpus Room offers to reveal your fortune for a coin.
After being ushered into the charming concept, however, gamers will quickly realize that the overall challenge is a very difficult one. In roguelite fashion, this game expects that players will fail. Repeatedly! And some may find that very frustrating. (However, repeated runs also reveal small player bonuses and clues for a successful conclusion.)
With the heart of a roguelike game, Blue Prince gives players equal measures of sweet charm and steep challenge. Younger players may find that frustrating. But strategic-minded puzzle lovers will rejoice.
After spending more than two decades touring, directing, writing and producing for Christian theater and radio (most recently for Adventures in Odyssey, which he still contributes to), Bob joined the Plugged In staff to help us focus more heavily on video games. He is also one of our primary movie reviewers.
