Recent reviews by 檜山沙耶

Solid pick for multiplayer sessions when you don't want to think too much. The game is akin to some titles you'd play on Armory or Stick Page, etc, just graphically polished. My only complaint is difficulty, could use some high risk high reward elements here and there but that's minor. Overall 8/10.

Worth

Not a fan of 2D gothic but surely enjoyed the first act. Plot is decent and has its charm, though the curiosity it garnered from the first couple hours soon died out once you get the hang of the game. Main mission is great so far but that's not the case for most side-quests. Still, game design is well done: Navigation cues using different biomes, strategic combat lesion through bosses, and choices (skill class, NPC interaction, crafting), etc. Take it slow and maybe you'll get to enjoy it. Overall 6/10.

Probably top tier hybrid puzzle game thus far, blending the rogue-like's "choices matter" with meticulous world building. Looking back from hours of commitment to this game, I have to admit the genius design of overall experience. To put it simply the game has three parts:

1. Teaching players the game mechanic, telling a story, and introducing relevant themes.
2. Encouraging experimentation, mastering item management, unlocking permanent perks, and extending the story + world.
3. Concluding several puzzle arcs but opening major one, and inspire community-based collaboration to solve the bigger mystery.

Part 1 is fairly straight forward, you have a singular goal - to access room 46. This phase is mostly about trial-and-error with simple puzzles, which teaches you to strategically draft and manage items. Unlockables are plentiful and easy to achieve. Once reached room 46, your will introduced with a new clue toward a series of challenging puzzles. It felt as if the game had just only began.

This brings us to Part 2 where drafting experience and detective skill outweights luck. Here, several puzzle arcs and upgrades will unlock permanents perks, allowing you to roam the mansion more freely. Attention to details and drafting experiment becomes essential in problem solving, which can be overwhelming without a clear focus on which puzzle you're trying to deal with. I can't stress how important it is to have a dedicated note/journal in this stage. After 100-ish attempts and most puzzles dealt with, we will now entering the cryptic part of the game, entering Part 3.

The late game in Blue Prince is not for everyone (most certainly not for me either) as it demands serious commitment, one typically requires efforts and willpower in our conventional life. Puzzle are no longer clear in sight, and only hinted by its clue. Experimentation and resourcefulness is still your your best friend, but every knowledge in the game counts, Plus it is necessary to be literate in Blue Prince's world. This comprises learning how to translate English into a new language, understanding symbolism, becoming well-versed with the Blue Prince's world history & geography, and most annoyingly - math. You will come to realize that the priorities are no longer within the mansion itself, especially when finding yet another mansion full of puzzles and cryptic sitting right outside the one you've been struggling for days , and the mechanics of each room must be fully optimized for new clues. Progress is slow and it's common to feel dissuaded. I think most player concluded their journey here (given Steam' Achievement stats). It's no doubt that this phase entices knowledge pooling effort from communities and enthusiast alike. At the time of writing, I don't think we've solved everything yet, assuming they are meant to be solved.

This reminds me of Animal Well, another masterpiece with just as much attention to details and a full blown onion of mystery. It's been a journey, and while barely close to the finishing line, my time in Blue Prince felt well spent. Overall 9/10.

So there you have it, my two cents.

It's fun for the first couple hours until you realized that is game is about running errand on repeat. There is no sense of progression, engagement, and connection with the world, which renders achievements trivial and artificial. Interaction with NPCs felt cheap and almost robot-like. Your sole purpose is to repair a furry world full of incompetence and ignorance. You're not important and the train is pretty much your identity. For what it worth, the game is visually pleasing.

At some point you forget this game has a plot. Tons of things to unlock makes it highly replayable and a good pick for multiplayer. 9/10.

Great sequel and much better boss design. Highly recommended for long flight.

Fun concept but need more effort on level design

God is dead and we killed him

aight ma imma get that vaccine