The last Blue Prince secret? Sharp political commentary

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

And enjoying Blue Prince like it’s only a puzzle sport 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 a neighborhood museum; and a closely redacted historical past e-book.

Even with only a little bit of in-game studying, I may 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 anticipate an all-too-timely political thriller that touches on themes of fascism, jingoism, censorship, and political violence.

To elucidate what I imply, I’ll need to spoil a few of 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 e-book named The Purple Prince. You study from a thought scribbled on the web page that the e-book’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 e-book. The primary model I learn was closely redacted, and instructed the story of a drunken ruler whom nobody favored. Sure, I may see that some sections had been coated, 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 alternative phrases utterly modified the (hello)story. What was taught in faculties (yow will discover in-universe school rooms) and what truly occurred had been utterly totally different.

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

As a substitute of a story of a rightfully ousted drunkard, the true historical past is one steeped at 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 outdated 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 called “Nuance.”)

All through the sport, the principle 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 useless. For a lot of the sport, it’s hinted — however by no means outright mentioned — 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 offered 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 way of a fittingly elaborate puzzle).

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

It’s a harsh actuality test in a sport that’s ostensibly about dropping your self in puzzles and mysteries. And one which, in case 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” somewhat indie puzzle sport.