Blue Prince - Review Thread - 95 OpenCritic (Xbox Game Pass, PS+ Extra, Steam)

This shit looks pretentious and awesome.

Season 7 Reaction GIF by The Office
 
Magic Carpet said:
I did not know it was already available, Can you pause the game anywhere? Or are you forced to complete areas?
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It doesn't appear you can pause a run as the save and quit states that it restarts the run. The runs are really short. You basically have 50 steps which acts as health and you lose a step every time you walk through a door. There are ways to regain steps of course and rooms that will take additional steps from you for entering them. You are trying to get to the 46th room and can layout 45 rooms one at a time. I'm only on my fourth run but they are all pretty short (<20 minutes).
 
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Looks interesting.
But I wonder if the puzzles are more straightforward or just spending a lot of time walking around trying to find items and codes and stuff like that.
I love Puzzle games like Portal or The Swapper. But last year I got Lorelei and the Laser Eyes which everyone was praising too and found it boring as fuck after an hour and a half (thankfully I got it on Steam so I could refund it).
 
Fbh said:
Looks interesting.
But I wonder if the puzzles are more straightforward or just spending a lot of time walking around trying to find items and codes and stuff like that.
I love Puzzle games like Portal or The Swapper. But last year I got Lorelei and the Laser Eyes which everyone was praising too and found it boring as fuck after an hour and a half (thankfully I got it on Steam so I could refund it).
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I've only found two rooms that contain puzzles and those puzzles are always the same. For example there is a room with three boxes and you are given one key and the classic hint of "the words written on at least one box are always true" and "the words written on at least one box are always false". You then have to deduce which box to use the key on as two of the boxes will be empty. The rooms as basically cards with positives bonuses (contains a key, contains money, contains steps (health), etc.) or negative effects (reduces steps, locked doors which require keys or a lockpick to open, is dark so you cant see which room you are picking). The rogue lite element that I've run into so far is that you can upgrade rooms and you are given three choices of how to upgrade that room. For example if a room normally has a key in it, you can upgrade it to two keys, one key and a food item to restore steps, etc. There are some grander puzzles that span multiple rooms, like a note that tells you certain note colors are telling the truth and certain colors are lying. I found a lying note that had a safe combo on it before I saw that note, backtracked to the room with the safe (remember, every time you cross a threshold use lose one step (health), and then couldn't open the safe. I'd say how you lay out the rooms is more interesting than the puzzles contained in the game so far. For example, there is a breaker box room that will let you turn on the lights to certain rooms, including the darkroom which takes away it's negative aspect. And while the rooms are always the same from what they tell you they'll give you, there is also some randomization in that they may contain a bonus like a locked box, gems or money. There's a bunch of RNG involved like most rogue lite/like games but you are really fighting against creating dead ends for yourself.

It's all super interesting so far but I do sort of hate the presentation as it looks rather cheap and has movement liked you'd find in dozens of other indie games (mostly walking simulators).
 
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Ended up uninstalling within a hour.

All the praise isn't remotely warranted. This is the first game in my life that actually put me to sleep on my couch. Props to them.

You move slow as molasses even with the "run button." Most of the rooms are pointless fluff rooms with nothing worth a shit to them. The game has no sense of style and has no compelling music or atmosphere to be had.

It's also devoid of interesting puzzles. Oh and no voiced dialogue for the notes you touch is a major miss.

2/10 play if you have an irregular amount of chromosomes.
 
1st play session. I think I'm starting to glimpse the game's ambitions, but I've not find it too sticky just yet. I felt like I reached 2 dead ends and had to "rest." I'll give it another session tomorrow and see what other surprises are in store.
 
Odd game. No where as much Roughlike as I was expecting. I think I've done 12 runs and only have 2 permanent upgrades. And as a couple posts above mentioned, the puzzles, at least the first 2 you find, are very similar through multiple playthrough.

Ido how to fully describe it yet. I feel like I'm not loving it, but kept wanting to go for a another run once finished.
 
I got 9 rooms on my first try, I saw that it was possible to lock yourself out of further rooms. :)
It's going to be hard getting all the rooms to fit the blueprint.
First thing I did was wander around outside. Nice looking game.
 
Arsic said:
It's also devoid of interesting puzzles. .
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I've been playing the game like crazy, And I gotta say this for anyone who is at the start... At first it seems super simple. But after maybe 3 hours( depending on what rooms you get and what u notice ) the onion starts to peel. My mind has been blown a couple times so far.

The box puzzle and billiard are just minor things to get items, this game definitely has complex puzzles and mysteries to solve. You just might have a couple runs that feel repetitive before you start to get there. There are also things that seem like nothing, but are something. Things come together
 
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I was too dumb to play through Animal Well without a guide, I am too dumb to finish the Witness, I was too dumb for Fez, I think I'm gonna pass on this one. But I'm happy for anybody who likes puzzle games and likes to solve them on their own, I don't have the capabilities nor the patience for them,
 
I can't see how I'm meant to make any progress in this. Eventually I end up with dead ends or locked doors and no keys left.

I finished The Witness and got all the stars in Braid, but I'm not sure I'm smart enough for this.
 
calistan said:
I can't see how I'm meant to make any progress in this. Eventually I end up with dead ends or locked doors and no keys left.

I finished The Witness and got all the stars in Braid, but I'm not sure I'm smart enough for this.
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I treat it as, as long as I'm learning something that run, I'm making progress.

It's important to draft rooms you've never been.
And sometimes there will be something that seems like nothing, or doesn't work.. And u just need something else or to do something to make use of it.
 
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At first I was "ugghh another roguelike" since it's become so overcrowded as a genre that it's like the zombie genre of yesteryear but then I decided to at least check the trailer out before writting it off and it does look very interesting and polished so I'll definitely give this a go especially with such high praise.
 
It has a very specific kind of puzzle style that does nothing for me. I don't get curious, I don't get interested. It reminds me of Botany Manor or whatever it was called from last year.

Sometimes games get a buzz, especially indie games, and people almost force themselves to praise it.

I gave it a fair shot, but I struggle to see the hype.
 
Having played it more, it's really annoying at the lack of upgrades per run. It's not bad but I never really feel like I'm getting more of a head start when starting a new run.

Even digging through, you start to find more puzzles that aren't necessarily in a certain room but rather throughout the house as a whole. But it's not fully clicking yet. Kinda feel like the MC score is overblown
 
touchfuzzy said:
Already seeing a disconnect between critic and audience on this one, Steam reviews aren't nearly as glowing.
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What I'm noticing is that people who are trying to beeline the antechamber are getting frustrated and bored.

People that are focusing on drafting new rooms( which unlocks many different things to focus and help u on other than the antechamber) are enjoying it more.

It's not a game for everyone regardless but yeah. Some reviewers have been playing for dozens or hundreds of hours and have gotten extremely deep, Whereas some players are playing for a couple hours and the only thing they really solved is the parlor or billiard puzzles.
 
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Played maybe 5 or 6 hours so far. It starts slower and perhaps more aimless than it probably needs to, but it does start to feel better as you get a handle on the mechanics and your runs become more intentional. I feel like I'm making decent progress now and hopefully that continues.

If you need your games to hurry up and get to the point, you won't enjoy this imo.

It does share some DNA with Outer Wilds, but I would be hesitant to put it in the same league so far. I think there is quite frequently genius level game design on display in Outer Wilds and I don't see that here (yet). On the other hand, Outer Wilds' controls can be a frustrating pain in the ass (for some more than for others), and that isn't a factor here.
 
I've done about 4 hours now, and I have to admit I consulted a guide to see what the hell I was meant to be doing. Some of the puzzles are so ridiculously obscure (e.g. a safe passcode based on a pun) I would never have got them. Surely the reviewers who raved about this were given a hint sheet to get them started.

It is definitely a quality game though. So far I've got to the antechamber once, with no success, and I've unlocked a couple of permanent buffs. I'm still getting punished by having no gems to draft a room with multiple exits, and being forced to draft a dead end that means I can't get any further. But I think I have an idea how to avoid that.

It's not really on a par with The Witness, and I think Jonathan Blow would not be impressed by some of the puzzle solutions, but it's really original and worth persevering with.
 
I just got to a MAJOR MAJOR secret, which was ontop of another significant discovery I made much earlier. Part of how I got there( other than rng) is thanks to screenshots I took earlier in the game. I wouldn't have known how to without it.
And I still have to do more to go even further

It's definitely very slow paced, with each run I'm just trying to get a little further in any of these directions
 
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Thaimasker said:
What I'm noticing is that people who are trying to beeline the antechamber are getting frustrated and bored.

People that are focusing on drafting new rooms( which unlocks many different things to focus and help u on other than the antechamber) are enjoying it more.
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I think this is fair, but I still find it frustrating. As you're just at the mercy of good RNG luck to help you solve puzzles. For example, I got the secret garden key in one run and didnt know what to do with it. A couple runs later I found something else that seems to help narrow down where you need to use it. About 10 runs later, I haven't found that key again. And that's just one example of countless that I feel like I've come across already.

Also as a note for people, the game kinda tells you this early on but write shit down. I got like a list of solutions in my phone for puzzles I don't even know exist yet. Don't find yourself finding a puzzle and remembering you found something that helps with it but didn't write the certain code or rule down.
 
TropicanaTwista said:
I think this is fair, but I still find it frustrating. As you're just at the mercy of good RNG luck to help you solve puzzles. For example, I got the secret garden key in one run and didnt know what to do with it. A couple runs later I found something else that seems to help narrow down where you need to use it. About 10 runs later, I haven't found that key again. And that's just one example of countless that I feel like I've come across already.

Also as a note for people, the game kinda tells you this early on but write shit down. I got like a list of solutions in my phone for puzzles I don't even know exist yet. Don't find yourself finding a puzzle and remembering you found something that helps with it but didn't write the certain code or rule down.
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Yeah that can definitely be annoying, for me, atm I'm making progress with something nearly every run so that it's not an issue yet.

Do you have any permanent upgrades yet? I just got my 2nd one which will help significantly
 
Thaimasker said:
Yeah that can definitely be annoying, for me, atm I'm making progress with something nearly every run so that it's not an issue yet.

Do you have any permanent upgrades yet? I just got my 2nd one which will help significantly
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I have two, I guess maybe even three? The third one I got isn't in the permanent upgrade spot but it's still something I get every round. Will spoiler tag and lists the ones I got first as I imagine most people are similar

West Gate - allows you to access the outhouse. Outhouse is random but can give different perks such as swapping a step total instead of gems, it has a trading post or allows for more digging spots. Just to name a few


apple orchard - Allows 20 more steps everyday.

Don't think this has a name, but I solved a puzzle in one of the out houses and now I start with 2 coins everyday. Just need to grab them from the table in the main hall
 
calistan said:
I've done about 4 hours now, and I have to admit I consulted a guide to see what the hell I was meant to be doing. Some of the puzzles are so ridiculously obscure (e.g. a safe passcode based on a pun) I would never have got them. Surely the reviewers who raved about this were given a hint sheet to get them started.
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I was starting to have second thoughts on this one but you just sold me on it :messenger_grinning_smiling:
 
TropicanaTwista said:
I have two, I guess maybe even three? The third one I got isn't in the permanent upgrade spot but it's still something I get every round. Will spoiler tag and lists the ones I got first as I imagine most people are similar

West Gate - allows you to access the outhouse. Outhouse is random but can give different perks such as swapping a step total instead of gems, it has a trading post or allows for more digging spots. Just to name a few


apple orchard - Allows 20 more steps everyday.

Don't think this has a name, but I solved a puzzle in one of the out houses and now I start with 2 coins everyday. Just need to grab them from the table in the main hall
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Yeah I got those too. I'll pray to the RNG gods that you'll discover the major thing I did if u haven't already.

Also I finally got this important earlyish room I've heard people talking about. The St
udy
Interesting. I hope the payoff is good.
 
Thaimasker said:
Yeah I got those too. I'll pray to the RNG gods that you'll discover the major thing I did if u haven't already.

Also I finally got this important earlyish room I've heard people talking about. The St
udy
Interesting. I hope the payoff is good.
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Hmm interesting. Honestly not sure what it could be I also just got the

Gemstone cavern


But I just have a feeling thats not what you're talking about. It helps but doesn't really open up the game.


I'm super close to something but no idea what the reward is

I got power in the boiler room but I just can't friggin connect it to the lab for whatever reason. Idk if I'm doing something wrong or it's an RNG thing. I even figured out the "secret code" in the lab, so I really just need power.

Seeing how much of a pain that is, it better be damn good 😂
 
Grizzled Ghost said:
I was starting to have second thoughts on this one but you just sold me on it :messenger_grinning_smiling:
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I needed a kickstart for this, which the spoileriffic guide provided. Given that some of those reviewers have spent 200 hours in this game, I'm probably not likely to finish it, but I'm enjoying how weird and clever it is.

I'd be interested to know if anyone has truly solved it without having to resort to 'community' solutions.
 
TropicanaTwista said:
Hmm interesting. Honestly not sure what it could be I also just got the

Gemstone cavern


But I just have a feeling thats not what you're talking about. It helps but doesn't really open up the game.


I'm super close to something but no idea what the reward is

I got power in the boiler room but I just can't friggin connect it to the lab for whatever reason. Idk if I'm doing something wrong or it's an RNG thing. I even figured out the "secret code" in the lab, so I really just need power.

Seeing how much of a pain that is, it better be damn good 😂
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Yeah what I'm talking about is far more significant. But really there are many threads I've opened that seem far more significant than that. But this one definitely seems to be the most so far.

I also haven't done what you're doing. There is so much in this game. Fuck.
 
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