Find your way to the end in this puzzling game.
Solve puzzles, draft rooms and make your way to the mysterious room 46.
Blue Prince, created by Dogubomb, was first released last year for the majority of consoles and PC, with the Switch 2 getting its turn in early 2026.
You have been bequeathed Mt. Holly Estate by your now deceased uncle. In order to inherit though, you must find the fabled “room 46” within a single day. Failure to do so means you need to start again the next day.
You also cannot keep items you find through the day, resetting any collectibles which can help you progress.
Gameplay is simple, you’ll make your way across the map – it’s a 9×5 grid – where you’ll draft new rooms that change from day to day. Each room does something different – in some you might play a game that nets you rewards, some you’ll find valuables laying around, while others are simply a nice space to walk through.
Since the game is a roguelike, no two days will be the same. Rooms offered – each time you get to a door you have the ability to choose from three to draft – will change as you go. The rarity of rooms means that you will see certain ones more often than not, but you’ll rarely see the same rooms or orientation each run.
While the rooms change up – encouraging you to draft smart – rooms that eventually bar you from progressing is not the only thing about which you have to worry. You’ll also have to contend with a limited number of steps you can take each day.
You start the game with 50 steps – one is taken away each time you enter a new room. You can get yourself more as you play through, but there are also specialty rooms and items you’ll find along the way to get you more.
Rooms are all different, offering different layouts and prizes for you to score.
As you progress, you’ll be able to pickup keys, gems and coins – among items – along the way. These things do different things to help you continue progressing.
Keys will unlock doors, gems will allow you to draft certain rooms, and coins will buy you items as you progress.
Items will also do different things and help you in various ways as you continue forward.
But this game isn’t just about finding the mysterious room – there’s puzzles you need to solve along the way.
Getting to the end is a marathon and you’ll need to explore each room, reading notes, paying attention to details, and keeping track of information you see.
There are quite a few puzzles along the way, making this feel like a progressive escape room.
Puzzles do reset as you make your way through, meaning you’ll have to resolve things if you want to get to the end. The good news is that the solutions are always the same – for most of the bigger puzzles – meaning it’ll become commonplace eventually to solve these as you make your way through day 50something.
Things do all connect together so make sure you pay attention and keep notes as you progress because a note in one room, can help you in a new one four days later.
Mechanically the game is as simple as can be. You’ll use the right trigger to interact and start drafting rooms, the left trigger allows you to open the map. You can use the right bumper to get info on the rooms, and that’s basically everything you need to know.
Graphics in the game are excellent, featuring what looks like a hand drawn esthetic. The overall looks are excellent and play well with what the overall gameplay and space is doing.
There were no framerate issues or bugs experienced during play, and overall, the game provides an interesting twist on the usual roguelike experience.
Making your way to the end is a trek. There’s so many things to do and discover and the game really opens up your mind to think critically.
Drafting new rooms is not just about connecting spaces, it’s about ensuring you net items and gain access to the requisite puzzles to keep yourself going forward.
Blue Prince is really an exercise in patience wrapped up into a game – one that would certainly be fun if made into a virtual reality title. But nonetheless, it’s an engaging experience that will certainly be fun for most players who enjoy deeper experiences.
Blue Prince was reviewed on the Nintendo Switch 2 after receiving a key from PressEngine.