I want to talk more about Blue Prince (Dogubomb) because it’s still in my mind. I have not played another run. I want to, but every time I think about firing it up, my brain shrieks in protest. In the last post, I gave my quick opinion on it.
One thing I want to point out as a negative to the game is that you can’t save mid-run. You have to do a full run before saving and quitting. I get it from a thematic point of view beacuse each run is a day. And, as I mentioned in the last post, you cannot stay in the house during the night so you have to stay in a tent on the estate grounds. This is a conceit of the game, so it makes thematic sense to say you can’t quit a run during the day.
However. Sometimes, you have to make concessions to gameplay and in this day and age, it’s just not being respectful of tnhe player’s time. Jason Schreir, whom I mentioned in yesterday’s post, mentioned this as his one negative in the video I’ve included below.
I had this problem when I played Binding of Isaac: Rebirth (Edmund McMillen). By the time I got good at it, a run would take me well over an hour. When it first came out, you could not save a run. If I remember correctly, he did add it in one of the countless updates. Can you tell that I was not pleased with the endless updates? Binding of Isaac: Rebirth was the game at its best, and I stand by that.
Anyway, I have a feeling that Dogubomb will eventually add the ability to save. You really cannot be without it in this day and age. Then again, it’s not enough to put people off the game. It’s amazing how this is the indie game of the year so far. It seemingly came out of nowhere like Balatro (LocalThunk).
In the RKG Discord, someone mentioned that he was getting a little tired of the logic and math puzzles. He and his wife had been playing the game all weekend. He said that he would not have continued playing it if his wife hadn’t joined him. He’s not big on roguelites/likes and said he would have liked the game better without that element.
I had a think about it. Do I like the roguelike element? Again, *spoilers* for the game, but I’m only on the fifth day. So, there’s not much there to spoil, but fair warning anyway.
I do because I ilke roguelikes…to a certain extent. It’s very much hit and miss for me. The person in the Discord doesn’t like roguelikes that don’t have permanent upgrades. I get it (especially as I’m perma-stuck in Balatro, apparently), but I do enjoy some of those as long as I can keep making progress. In general, though, I like roguelikes that have permant upgrades.
Binding of Isaac: Rebirth is the one I’ve played the most (hell, it’s the game I’ve played the most in general). Hades (Supergiant Games) is my favorite roguelike, and it surprised the hell out of me by gripping me so hard. The reason for that, though, is it had very tight gameplay, but it was also the thousands of lines of dialogue. I was still getting unique interactions after I platted the game.
My problem with a lot of roguelikes is that I hit the ceiling and can’t go any further. Enter the Gungeon (Dodge Roll) and Nuclear Throne (Vlambeer) both fit this description. Oh, and Have a Nice Death (Magic Design Studios). Dead Cells (Motion Twin), too. These are all games I really enjoyed, but I just could not beat. No matter how hard I tried.
Back to Blue Prince. I wonder if I did not get nauseous while playing it if I would like it even more than I do. While I have tremendously enjoyed my time with it, I do see what the person in the RKG Discord was saying. I have done two ‘three boxes’ puzzles and been in certain rooms a few times. And there are areas that are boarded up.
I know that this is all going to unravel in time (in a good way), but there’s a delicate balance in games like this between what you dole out to the player and what you keep gated off for the time being. Not enough of the former and/or too much of the latter gets frustrating, and I felt like this game teeters on that edge all the time.
I will say that I’m not keen on the 50 steps a day thing. I know there needs to be limits, but that one feels harsh to me. In all the other games I’ve mentioned, if you don’t lose all your health, you can keep a run going infinitely (well, until you meet and beat the last boss). Again, I get that the conceit of this game is such that it makes sense (you’re fatigued from walking around), but I don’t like it. I felt pressured from the very start of the first day, and I found myself eying the count almost compulsively.
As I mentioned in the last post, there are ways to get more steps, but I feel like this is a particularly game-y gameplay thing, and I don’t like it. I cannot tell you why it bothers me more than losing hearts or health–maybe because it’s not commonly done. Or maybe because I hate stamina being checked like this.
Am I going to go back? I am not sure. Probably not. When I think about firing it up again, I flinch and my heart is filled with dread. No matter how much I tell myself that I’ll enjoy the actual game, I can’t get away from the fact that I’ll hate the headache and nausea that will accompany that gameplay. I’m not mad that the game is in first person, but I wish there was a way to switch it to third.
With t hat said, I’m glad that there are indie games that are surprise hits; it’s good for the indie game scene in general.