Blue Prince: A review of a game that will change the way you think about puzzle games

Imagine: you are standing in front of the door of an old mansion, and behind it could be anything – a mystery, a treasure or a new riddle. Blue Prince is addictive from the first minute: you explore Mount Holly, build it with your own hands and unravel secrets where every day is different. It’s a puzzle game with roguelike elements that has already garnered 61,000 viewers on Twitch in its first week. Here you’ll find out why players can’t tear themselves away, how to fall in love with the game from the first click and what tricks will help you not get lost. No spoilers – just tips and emotions to make you want to step over the threshold yourself.

Secrets of Mount Holly: First step into the labyrinth

In Mount Holly, you are Simon, looking for room 46 to inherit his uncle’s estate. But this isn’t just any mansion: there’s no pre-made layout, and you choose which doors open. As IGN writes, it’s like mixing The Witness and Outer Wilds – a world that unfolds with every decision you make.

Your task is to wander through the rooms, noting how they are connected. Did you notice that one of the doors often suggests choosing a bedroom or a living room, and that the pantry offers a lot of useful things? You can build a smarter route next time. Each day teaches you new things, and even if it ends, you get craftier. It’s like a puzzle that builds up in your head as Mount Holly tosses up new pieces.

Check out the official trailer from the game’s website to get a feel for Blue Prince’s atmosphere:

Secrets and vibe: What Mount Holly looks and sounds like

The task seems simple at first: find the room your uncle’s will says you need, and the estate is yours. But the further you go, the thicker the secrets – family quarrels, a missing writer of children’s books, shadows of something bigger. As The Guardian writes, Mount Holly hooks you in a way that won’t let go. The cel-shaded rooms warm with the coziness of a nursery, then freeze with the chill of a basement. Cello and piano from Trigg & Gusset are woven into the silence, and every creak feels like a hint. Here loneliness is your companion and the atmosphere is like a magnet.

How the game was created: Love of detail

Blue Prince is the first project of Dogubomb indie studio. As PC Gamer writes, they’ve been polishing it for 8 years, perfecting every corner of it. Founder Tonda Ros, according to Rock Paper Shotgun, wanted you to feel like Sherlock on the trail. At GDC 2024, he said: knowing all the secrets, the game can be completed in a day, but for most, it’s dozens of hours of discovery. According to Adventure Games, Dogubomb created thousands of room combinations so that no run is repetitive. Every candle or shadow could be a clue – that’s where their passion lies.

Blue Prince gameplay: Overview of rules and mechanics

Mount Holly is a maze that you build yourself, and each door is like a surprise die roll. At the heart of the game is a selection of rooms, where a single step can open a stash or lead you into a corner. As The Verge writes, it’s a cocktail of logic, strategy, and flair that keeps you from getting bored.

The day starts with a blank slate – a 5×9 grid and three doors in the lobby. When you want to open the doors – you’re faced with a choice of three rooms, each with their own exits and counters. The corridor allows you to go straight through, and many rooms contain keys, coins and crystals, but can be dead ends and won’t let you through to the coveted room. You have 50 steps, and each entrance burns them off. Run out – the day “resets to zero” as if it never happened. It’s like trick chess: one wrong decision and that’s it, but tomorrow you’ll come back smarter.

Blue Prince Puzzles: What challenges await you

Rooms are not just walls, but tasks that wake up the brain. Somewhere to find the code for the computer, somewhere to flick a switch to make a light appear at the other end of the mansion. In the billiards room, darts turn colors into math: blue is plus, pink is multiplication. As The Verge writes, the game makes you think in all sorts of ways – counting, searching, keeping in your head. According to Adventure Games, the questions get more complicated without letting you exhale. This is not Portal with its hints, but Return of the Obra Dinn, where the answers come if you keep your eyes open.

Resources and strategy: What to bring

To get deeper, you need finds: keys for locks, gems for rare rooms, coins for purchases. Bedrooms add steps, and red rooms, like the gym, “steal” them. As Rock Paper Shotgun writes, it’s a whole science to figure out what to save up and what to toss. Dreaming of a library? Collect gems. Want a key? Pick a pantry, but be prepared that it may not lead any further. Over time, you’ll start to get a feel for what to take and what to leave behind.

Helpful Hints: Tricks of the Mount Holly game

Mount Holly tests how sharp and patient you are, but with a couple of tricks it will become your ally. We’ve gathered tips from players and critics like PC Gamer who say: don’t run after guides, rather think for yourself. Here are seven ways to make every day in the game cooler.

1. Keep a notebook handy. Players split up: if playing with a friend, one can roam the rooms and the other can write down finds, switching from time to time. A code or item from the living room might come in handy five days later, and without notes, you’ll get confused.
2. Don’t be afraid of new things. Unfamiliar rooms are like a lottery ticket. ⦁ Rock Paper Shotgun writes: they often hide notes that lead to hiding places.
3. Think where you’re going. Go back for the key? Sometimes it’s better to rush forward to avoid getting stuck, as one player complains on the forum.
4. Bet on bedrooms. They give steps to walk around longer, praises ⦁ IGN. On Reddit, they advise starting with them in the lower rows of rooms in the mansion.
5. Save up gems for the lab. It gives game-changing bonuses – better than spending them on nothing.
6. Avoid the red rooms. Gym or dark room are like traps, stealing steps. ⦁ PC Gamer advises: choose them only if you are sure that they will definitely benefit you.
7. Look for constant bonuses. Find improvements, like those that increase the chances of keys – it makes future days easier. For example, you might find an apple orchard.

How to unlock Mount Holly’s secrets: useful tips

Players sometimes get angry that Mount Holly is leading them around by the nose, but with the right approach you’ll start to outsmart him. It’s not about how rooms work or what to save up, but tactics to move toward a goal – whether it’s Room 46 or a rare find. Here are four ways to keep the game under control without losing your way.

Build from the bottom up

To “fish out” rare rooms, start at the bottom rows of the grid First you “burn” the regular rooms and increase your chances of something cool like a lab. It’s like laying out the board game Carcassonne, where the first moves set the game, writes Rock Paper Shotgun. So start at the bottom rows of the grid – keys and gems are more likely to be found there – so you don’t get stuck in a dead end.

Change plans on the fly

Don’t fixate on one goal, like “I’m going to find room X today.” See a note in the pantry? Look for what it touches and what it gives you right now. Got a terminal? Figure out how to use it tomorrow. Such flexibility, players say, makes randomness a helper rather than an enemy.

Collect combinations

Some rooms are like puzzles that are better together. Players praise green rooms with a shovel – they yield more finds. Picked a garden? Look for another green one to amplify the effect. IGN notes: such bundles turn the day into a strategic puzzle game where you don’t just walk around, but create a plan.

Every day is a step forward

Even if Room 46 is far away, you always find something. Players write about “expansive postgame” – the secrets that await after the first victories. Catch bonuses, like the ones we mentioned above, to make the keys drop more often. It’s like the board game Dominion, where little things add up to a powerful move.

Pros and cons of Blue Prince

Mount Holly is an experience that keeps your brain sparking and coming back for more, but not without its pitfalls.

What makes the game appealing

Mount Holly is a maze that won’t let go. As Rock Paper Shotgun writes, it’s as cozy as Gone Home and as confusing as possible. On Reddit, players compare the high of playing the game to meeting Subnautica for the first time. Five reasons why it will thrill you:

1. Replayability. Every day is a new mansion, and it keeps the game from being put off.
2. Depth. One task is followed by a network of puzzles, like in The Talos Principle, only longer.
3. Innovation. Choosing rooms is like a Ticket to Ride board game where you work your way step by step.
4. Design. The furniture, the shadows, the little things – everything seems to invite itself to be scrutinized, PC Gamer notes.
5. Emotion. “I’m obsessed, even though puzzles aren’t my thing,” one player shares on Reddit.

Where Blue Prince stumbles

There’s no such thing as perfect. As IGN writes, sometimes chance breaks the plans – the route is ready, but the rooms fail. For example, the forums complain about the lack of gems in the beginning. The Verge also mentions that without colorblind settings color tasks are not to everyone’s liking. And, as PC Gamer complains, on PC you can not save in the middle of the day – sit until the end or lose progress.

Who’s going to like Blue Prince?

Speaking of Blue Prince, it’s easy to get bogged down in its rules, but the main thing is the high it gives. Mount Holly won’t appeal to everyone, but if you love clever worlds, this could be your new passion. Let’s break down who will love it.

The game is for those between 18 and 35 who get high on puzzles, bagels, or stories that unfold in bits and pieces. If you like games that get your brain fuming, Mount Holly is your ticket to a high. It’s closer to The Witness, where you find the answers yourself, than Portal with its clear clues. As Adventure Games writes, it’s a game everyone should try.

Do you love bagels where randomness is like a spice? There’s hours of discovery waiting for you. Do you like stories hidden in the details? The Mansion will tell them without words, just like Edith Finch. And according to players, it’s also great for couples: one plays, the other writes – like an evening at a board game.

Blue Prince game review: Why it’s worth a try

Mount Holly is not just a game, but a maze that sucks you in. You are a detective, an architect and a mystery hunter all in one person. It surprises you with freedom, warms you with a sense of “I did it!” and teaches you to pick up on the little things. As Rock Paper Shotgun writes, it’s a place you want to come back to. Yes, there are occasional hiccups, but they are drowned out by how deftly the game juggles challenge and buzz.

The Blue Prince experience is one where you spend half the night scrolling through a note in your head or smirking at having outsmarted a mansion. On Reddit, they admit: “Stuck for 10 hours in a day.” In 2025, indies like Blue Prince and Balatro are tearing up the charts, garnering 82.94% positive reviews on Steam, according to Perplexity. Don’t like the rush? This is your puzzle game. Take the plunge and post in the comments: which room surprised you the most?

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