4/5 ★ – jackohdee's review of Blue Prince.

I've never played Myst, but I've always been enamored with its cryptic architecture and surreal atmosphere. It's the kind of game that was owned by fathers and marveled at by confused children in my youth. The sense of solitude appealed to me, and I've always wanted to give it a try. When I started up Blue Prince, it felt like I was finally getting that feeling I'd been chasing for so long. The cel-shaded nooks and crannies of Mount Holly seemed to reveal a new mystery at every turn. Every run brought new rooms, new lore, new puzzles - it was addictive. I couldn't put it down. Then, like so many others, I started to feel the churn of the random number game. I knew I had all the pieces I needed to get into Room 46, and ideas for tackling several more of the mansion's riddles - I just needed the right set of rooms to fall into my hand. Unfortunately, that can be a considerable slog. So many times I'd reset, jog out to the west gate, jog back to assemble my foundation in the early layers of the estate, only to run out of steam somewhere around row 5. Not enough gems, not enough coins, too many dead ends, no coat check - you name it, there's countless ways for a run to die. When I did eventually reach the end, I was extremely grateful to have been tipped off about the misaligned minecart that needs to be addressed in advance. If I had made it that far only to be stopped dead, I don't know if I would have finished this game. I was getting frustrated. The magic of this world that had enthralled me so thoroughly had disappeared behind a curtain of systems and bad odds that was too clear to see. I just kept thinking - couldn't they have been a BIT more generous with the dice rolls? That said, it's still a very special game. I'm glad I saw it through. I'm very happy for all the puzzle freaks who really dove into this labyrinthian challenge. When I finished, the first thing I did was go and look up all the puzzles I never cracked, all the end-game content I would never see. I'm okay to have sat it out - the story seems to leave a little be desired. Like so many great puzzle boxes, it's not really about what's inside. I was briefly awakened by the sound of a dropping coin, but I ultimately went back to bed on this one. I probably shouldn't try Myst.