If you’ve ever found yourself in a strange room, staring at a closed door, wondering what’s on the other side, you’ll understand the captivating allure of “Blue Prince.” Will it lead to a winding corridor, a serene bedroom, or perhaps an opulent ballroom?
Hey there, I’m Tonda Ros. I’m an indie developer passionate about crafting atmospheric games. For the past eight years, I’ve been pouring my heart into a game centered around a vast manor filled with enigmatic doors. “Blue Prince” brings together grand ideas from diverse worlds. It combines mystery, strategy, and exploration, weaving together a first-person puzzle adventure with the strategic card-drafting elements of tabletop games. And guess what? It’s debuting on April 10 as a PlayStation Plus Game Catalog release.
So, what’s the gameplay like, you ask?
Let’s start with floor plan drafting. Way back when, I embarked on this journey with a simple idea: “Every door is a choice.” Those five words encapsulate the essence of “Blue Prince.” Mount Holly, the grand estate in the game, is no ordinary mansion. It’s a place where rooms shift and expectations constantly change. Each door you open could lead you to one of three types of rooms, and the choice is solely yours.
Will it be a storeroom to gather necessary tools, a library to unearth more clues, or maybe a long hallway that opens up even more doors for your exploration? Once you decide and step through, the room you chose awaits.
Creating this game feels a lot like playing “Blue Prince” itself. Both the player and I are building a house filled with surprises and challenges we couldn’t foresee at the start. We construct this unique mansion room by room, door by door, blueprint by blueprint. The rooms we decide to draft shape our journey, allowing us to travel through and seek out answers and clues.
However, the player’s adventure takes a twist at the end of each in-game day. Come morning, the mansion’s layout transforms. New doors lead to unexplored rooms, different items surface, fresh clues appear, and new puzzles await. Each day brings new discoveries as you unravel the curious rules of this mysterious house.
Crafting puzzles for a game set within an ever-evolving mansion proved quite the challenge. Some players might stumble upon a puzzle and find its clue in the very next room. Others might weave through dozens of rooms before uncovering the secret. This unpredictability is exactly what makes each playthrough uniquely your own, influenced by the rooms you choose and the items you uncover.
Moreover, no puzzle is indispensable. On the estate, there are always various paths and solutions to discover. If a particular puzzle has you stumped, don’t hesitate to move on. Roaming the manor will eventually lead you to the answers you seek, as many challenges require finding additional information scattered throughout other parts of the estate.
After eight years of developing “Blue Prince,” I’m thrilled to finally pass the torch to you. As you prepare for your journey, here’s a little advice: the less you know going in, the more thrilling your adventure will be. I’ve only shared a glimpse into the game’s core mechanics and the thought process behind its creation. The unfolding story of Mount Holly and its evolving gameplay is yours to uncover. Thankfully, the wait is almost over. “Blue Prince” is set to launch on April 10.
