Just about the time the tongues were limbering up to start ‘s’ into speculation, here came a quite unceremonious entry into the Xbox Game Pass. And the definition of Blue Prince is the mysterious exploration of manors that nobody ever anticipated. It is shadow-dropping this very day without so much as an announcement! Of course, we define “without an announcement” as the devs tweeting, “The doors of this mysterious manor are opening,” just to make it feel like an invitation to some haunted house party. Spooky season just got kicked in.
So, what is Blue Prince? Really good question. From what I can tell from the trailer, it seems to show abandoned estate first-person exploration rife with mysteries-hardly more than what your freaky uncle keeps in the basement. There would naturally be puzzles, atmosphere, and jump scares too: classic indie vagueness.
It’s definitely surprising how quiet it is in the replies. Normally, you’d expect at least a “HYPED” and maybe “Wishlisted this last year,” but nope. Crickets. People are either playing or this ghost was just conjured from thin air like a spirit from the manor itself. But hey, since it’s free with Game Pass, the risk is minimal to try it: you can always get out if the paintings bleed within the first five minutes.
Kind of sketchy, though. The Summer Game Fest just ended, and there it is-here it comes-oh, no hype? Publisher must have just forgotten to tell the marketing department to send that email. Or perhaps they’re trying to run some della “mysterious viral vibe” thing where the less you say, shell exists. We are in. No better feeling than stumbling upon one of those gems that popped out on Game Pass scrolling at 2 in the morning.
Early players say puzzles are pretty clever (none of that tiring “find the key” nonsense) and that the ambience is THICK with a capital T. The controls, however, feel a bit unwieldy when it comes to item manipulation. Classic indie horror stuff, am I right? Apparently, there’s some semblance of survival mechanics in this game, where players needed to keep track of resources? Could go either way, guess we’ll keep our eyes peeled for that.
If you like things along the lines of Gone Home or What Remains of Edith Finch and think they’d benefit from some gameplay mechanics, then this might satisfy your craving. Or it could just be another of those ‘walking simulations’ with some extra steps thrown in. Only one way to find out, right? In your subscription is where you left it, as an unopened mystery box. Do you dare step into the manor? We surely will… with all the lights on. Maybe a friend on voice chat, too, for some moral support.
Pro tip: Do it at night with headphones on. Or don’t, if sleep is something you want to value this week. Free Game Pass drops are always worth investigating, especially when one perks up on your radar like a ghost in your download queue. Just a second, we’ve gotta go find out what was up with that grandfather clock in the trailer ticking backwards….
