Blue Prince proves I could never be an architect —and I should not be trusted with a conditional inheritance

Nearly three decades ago, processing power was such that between every room filled with zombies, puzzles and (insufficient) resources, was a screen occupied solely by a creaky door. Those six seconds of anticipation provided both respite from the grueling horrors that may await players, as well as a chance to imagine what it is they might find on the other side. Four console generations and eight mainline Resident Evil games later, those technological constraints no longer exist, but one clever game called Blue Prince makes effective use of the experimental design that was built around them.

Whilst no undead are to be found in the Sinclair mansion (unless I missed a room holding Herbert’s reanimated corpse), a similar sense of mystery creeps behind every door. The difference being that players themselves have some power over what they will find on the other side. Blue Prince’s rogue-lite gameplay conceit lies in the on-the-fly applying of floor plans before entering every room in the 5-by-9 mansion, in the hopes one of the blueprints offered to the player may help them towards discovering the elusive 46th room.

The opening four hours of my experience with Blue Prince were filled with rejuvenating curiosity and satisfying discoveries. It’s a treat to play a game that is so mechanically different from anything else out there that it dares the player to try to figure out its own rules. In that sense, this title by Dogubomb – in their Freshman effort – joins the ranks of modern classics like Outer Wilds and The Forgotten City that similarly harnessed mystery into unforgettable player-driven world-building.

The very first moment of Blue Prince sees the player, as a teenage boy, entering the estate of his great uncle Herbert Sinclair. You are greeted to a water fountain splashing away amid a sea of cobblestones. The front door of the mansion beckons. Before you enter, you take a quick look at the mountains in the distance across the balustrade. They are merely sketches. All that exists right now, is what’s right in front of you. The rest is possibility. So too with every room in this building. But learning how to build stuff is hard, apparently. Blue Prince offers you some spirited advice on a piece of paper in the Library: “Don’t go where the path leads. Abandon the path and go where you want it to lead.” Is this utter platitude or sheer brilliance? I haven’t figured it out. To be fair, there’s a lot I haven’t figured out.

Enshrouded by the mystery of a disappeared children’s author and a secret the mansion’s deceased proprietor wishes to convey to his little cousin if and only if he proves worthy; the allure of possibility in every next room remains what will drive players to continuing to get lost in this directionless space. Blue Prince attempts to balance the satisfaction of pulling off strategic choices with the excitement of random number generation. Both on an individual room level and as a run-based rogue-lite, it succeeds insofar as it is nigh-irresistible to try the handle of that next door, or see what the following day may bring. The winding corridors of Mt. Holly whisk players through a slurry of rooms both mundane and fantastical, with each room serving its purpose (be it accumulating more energy for the day’s trek, or expanding the pool of room drafts you’ll get to choose from).

In the longer run, though, the insurmountable amount of rooms, each with uncountable things to do and take note of, don’t always work in the game’s favor. Beyond the first few hours, the initial intrigue of discovering rooms that affect your runs in novel ways is offset by the repetition of running into the same dead ends over and over again, just when you thought you were getting somewhere.

The winding corridors of Mt. Holly whisk players through a slurry of rooms both mundane and fantastical.

I still rue the day I managed to accumulate over fifty gold pieces, more gems and keys than I could use in a lifetime, and with plenty of energy to spare — only the amount of doors had dried up, and there I stood, unable to do anything with the amount of resources I’d so meticulously scrounged. Though smaller puzzles are scattered across rooms, Blue Prince’s true challenges unfurl as mansion-spanning endeavors of experimentation. Whether this experience is limited to players with ADHD such as myself, or this frustration is more universal, I found it quite impossible not to lose hope of cracking Blue Prince’s code, when it seemed to add more puzzle pieces with every step I took.

Final Thoughts

Though attempts were made to drip-feed information to the player to allow space for parts of the larger picture to come together naturally, the “everything is a clue” nature of Blue Prince ultimately overwhelmed and exhausted as much as it had inspired childlike wonder in the first few hours. However, for those keen to take their time and to allow the many pieces to click in place when they shall, this daring new venture is sure to introduce some whimsy and adventure to their Sunday morning Sudoku. As unique and carefully designed as Blue Prince certainly is, it is a test of patience as much as it is one of wits. Though the joy of discovery is certainly muffled towards its latter half, what cannot be disputed is the boldness with which Dogubomb has laid the blueprints for its own unique genre identity. And made me feel giddy as a little boy exploring a mansion in the process.

While I’m unsure whether I’m going to be finishing Blue Prince — I am already holding out hope for the eventual spiritual sequels Blue Tooth and Red Dress.

Additional Information

Release Date: April 10, 2025
Reviewed On: PC. Download code provided by the publisher and PR agency.
Developer: Dogubomb
Publisher: Raw Fury
Official Website: https://www.blueprincegame.com
Relevant links: Blue Prince on STEAM, Blue Prince on Xbox Game Pass