The last Blue Prince secret? Sharp political commentary

In Blue Prince, you by no means see one other particular person. There are not any weapons, per se. You work together with the world solely by your note-taking skill and your wits. It’s, quintessentially, a puzzle recreation.

And taking part in Blue Prince like it’s only a puzzle recreation will get you to the credit. However that’s not the entire story. Hidden after the credit and between the puzzles is a well timed political warning.

All through the sport, as you stumble throughout letters and books, you’ll get hints at an underlying thriller taking place each within the background and previously — a lacking beloved youngsters’s creator; a disgruntled worker and a blackmail scheme; a daring heist at an area museum; and a closely redacted historical past ebook.

Even with only a little bit of in-game studying, I might inform there was extra to the story after I hit the credit — extra mysteries to discover, and a few lingering unfastened threads to tie up. I anticipated extra puzzles and possibly some extra perception into the mysteries of the Mount Holly Property, the place the sport takes place.

I actually didn’t count on an all-too-timely political thriller that touches on themes of fascism, jingoism, censorship, and political violence.

To clarify what I imply, I’ll need to spoil among the late-game mysteries of Blue Prince. You’ve been warned.

[Ed. note: Again, the following contains late-game spoilers for Blue Prince.]

The primary trace that I got here throughout myself was a rejection letter for a manuscript of a youngsters’s ebook named The Pink Prince. You be taught from a thought scribbled on the web page that the ebook’s ending needed to be modified as a result of it was “too political.”

Then, a bit later — and with a bit of labor — I discovered two variations of a historical past ebook. The primary model I learn was closely redacted, and informed the story of a drunken ruler whom nobody appreciated. Sure, I might see that some sections had been lined, however the phrases that remained painted all the image I wanted.

It wasn’t till later that I discovered an unedited model and will see what had been redacted. Censoring these strains with the elimination of selection phrases utterly modified the (hello)story. What was taught in colleges (you’ll find in-universe lecture rooms) and what really occurred have been utterly totally different.

By solely displaying me the redacted model first, the sport made me complicit within the cover-up. I absolutely believed that the drunken ruler nobody appreciated was the villain of the story. Why wouldn’t I? The historical past ebook informed me so.

As a substitute of a story of a rightfully ousted drunkard, the true historical past is one steeped in school warfare, with dissenting nobles backing a coup. After which, with cautious edits to the historical past books — altering the title of the dominion and erasing the previous one — and forbidding even sure flags from being displayed in public, the narrative shifted. “Historical past is written by the victors,” in any case. (It appears to me to be no coincidence that one of many kingdoms concerned within the coup is known as “Nuance.”)

All through the sport, the primary character’s mom — who can also be that beloved youngsters’s creator — is a conspicuous absence. Her books seem, however she has been lacking for years and is presumed lifeless. For a lot of the sport, it’s hinted — however by no means outright stated — that she fled the nation to flee the federal government’s goons.

That individual thriller culminates in a genuinely surprising second. Whereas Blue Prince had supplied loads of historical past in regards to the (in-game) political violence previously, none of it was essentially tangible within the current. There was a reference to households fleeing after the coup years in the past, nevertheless it clearly couldn’t occur now.

Apparent, that’s, till I reached the Safehouse (by a fittingly elaborate puzzle).

Inside, I discovered a map detailing an escape route. And plenty of weapons.

It’s a harsh actuality verify in a recreation that’s ostensibly about dropping your self in puzzles and mysteries. And one which, in the event you proceed to have interaction with Blue Prince previous the credit, serves as a reminder that all the issues it’s warning about can nonetheless occur.

Not dangerous for “simply” a little bit indie puzzle recreation.