The puzzle genre has had some absolute bangers over the past decade, but Blue Prince might just be the most unique, inventive, and imaginative puzzle game in nearly 10 years. Even when stacked up against modern classics like Tetris Effect, Baba is You, Return of the Obra Dinn, and more, Blue Prince stands out in the best ways. Though definitely inspired by some of these games, most specifically The Witness, Blue Prince forges a path of its own and creates a puzzle experience that’s truly one-of-a-kind. Critics and players alike wholeheartedly agree that this might be the best puzzle game of the generation, but even with the hype, it’s possible that Blue Prince has slipped under your radar. Let’s take a closer look at this amazing puzzle game and see why everyone’s already deeming it the 2025 Indie Game of the Year.
The Lore of the Prince
Like most standout indie games, Blue Prince was created by the mostly unknown developer, Dogubomb, who is based out of Hollywood, California. Whipped up mostly by Tonda Ros, Blue Prince is their debut game, born from a deep passion for thought-provoking media and a newfound love of game development. Though Ros had always enjoyed creating puzzles for his friends, after playing through titles like Gone Home and The Witness, they started to dabble with the Unity Engine and realized that game development wasn’t as hard as it was made out to be. After over a decade of working on artistic endeavors with massive companies like Netflix, Wizards of the Coast, and NBC/Universal, Dogubomb struck out on their own, and Blue Prince is the result.
In Blue Prince, you play as the young Simon Jones, who inherits a massive mansion from his late great uncle, but with one condition. In order to secure ownership of the estate, Simon must locate the 46th room in the supposedly 45 room-large mansion. Already mysterious enough, things get only weirder as the mansion’s layout shifts around with each passing day, making it an ever-moving maze, though Simon has notable control of the floor plans as he explores. Though very far from a horror game, Blue Prince evokes the vibe of supposedly haunted mansions, like the real-life Winchester Mystery House, but presented with a whimsical and thought-provoking atmosphere. As you approach the familiar Entrance Hall and prepare to open the first door, the unknown awaits on the other side, beckoning your curiosity.
Mansion of Mystery and Puzzles
Luckily, Blue Prince‘s gameplay loop is just as awesome as its narrative premise, keeping you engaged and interested for dozens of runs. It’s part first-person puzzle game, part deck-builder, part roguelite, and part walking sim, but trying to nail down a genre label for Blue Prince feels futile. The game is incredibly easy to learn but continuously offers newer mysteries, easily immersing the player in its odd world. Each day, you enter the Mount Holly Estate, and when opening a door, get to choose from one of three rooms to enter. Rooms can contain logic puzzles, items to help in your adventure, hints towards the game’s deeper mysteries, and much more. The mansion exists on a 4×9 grid, with your overall objective being at the top, so you must also consider how rooms connect via exits and entrances. It’s common to run into dead-ends or “fail” puzzles at first, but with each new day, your knowledge grows and so does your ability to explore. With only so many “steps” per day, you’re eventually forced to camp outside for the night, as the layout resets along with your acquired inventory.
It’s important to note that Blue Prince is much more than just a random assortment of logic puzzles inside a variety of rooms. Instead, it’s far more like The Witness, where you’ll find standard puzzles to solve, but the true mystery can only be uncovered by learning the game’s language. There are endless “aha!” moments, along with some eye-opening twists, but the real fun of Blue Prince rests in discovering these things for yourself. In the end, it’s a superbly produced game that nails its themes and concepts, fueled by a deep passion for artistic expression and cool puzzles. Even if you’re not normally a fan of puzzle games, Blue Prince cannot be missed. At the very least, it’s a really cool puzzle game, but in my opinion, it’s one of the best examples of why video games are the best medium for storytelling, gripping its audience and delivering a memorable experience that wouldn’t be possible in any other way.
