Blue Prince is one of the most acclaimed puzzle games ever made, yet I almost put it down for good within ten hours of playing. Don’t get me wrong, I love puzzle games and roguelikes. I just quickly felt overwhelmed as I tried to gather clues and contend with the ever-changing Mt. Holly manor every in-game day. I started to think that this acclaimed mystery just wasn’t for me…until my girlfriend sat beside me on my couch and started to enjoy it with me.
No disrespect to Hazelight Studios’ stellar Split Fiction, but Blue Prince is one of my favorite co-op games of 2025. The House of Leaves-esque premise is reminiscent of tabletop puzzle games, and the roguelike structure is somehow perfect for two or more people to enjoy together. Here’s what a second set of eyes brings to this otherwise single player experience.
The notebook is a controller
To solve every riddle in Blue Prince yourself, you’ll need pen and paper by your side. That’s not an exaggeration: The game literally tells you to take notes, as the clues you find in one room might become relevant several in-game days later in a totally different location. If you’re flying solo, this can feel overwhelming to manage. There’s just so much to take in that constantly stopping to jot down notes can seriously slow your progression.
This is where a second person helps a lot! Not only does it help to talk through certain puzzles (looking at you, Parlor Room), a pair of hands dedicated to note taking means you don’t have to constantly stop to record observations. Additionally, when a second person can focus on reviewing notes during downtime, you’re both more likely to find that one missing link you need to overcome any especially baffling puzzles.
The roguelike structure makes it easy to take turns
Lest you think I’m encouraging player two to take on all the stuff you don’t want to do, the design of Blue Prince makes it easy to alternate who’s in the hot seat. Since this is a roguelike, the end of a run marks a convenient time to hand off the controller to your partner so you can become the notetaker for the next run. You’ll (probably) feel ready for a break after an hour-long run anyway, and your partner can start with a mostly clean slate as they get their bearings with the game.
This approach directly helps with puzzle solving too! It’s easy to get caught in a loop of exploring the same rooms repeatedly because you rely on certain items or resources. Watching someone else play lets you see rooms or details you wouldn’t normally notice yourself, or you might notice a clue that you want to pursue during your next run. Blue Prince is all about information gathering, and a different perspective makes that pursuit much easier.
All the action is cerebral
This technically applies to all puzzle games, and it’s doubly true of Blue Prince. No challenge in this game is a test of reflexes or memorizing complex combos; you’re here to read books, gather clues, and solve riddles. For this reason, you don’t need to be in literal control of Blue Prince to play Blue Prince. Two or more people can easily contribute to looking around a room, pointing out details that might be relevant later, or dissecting a vague note that might be helpful later.
More importantly, Blue Prince expects you to crack these granular puzzles while you simultaneously manage your stock of keys, gems, and steps to make the most out of your in-game day. This can feel stressful, especially in the early game. However, with two or more people, you can divide up the cognitive load to make the game more digestible. For example, I typically handled the resource management and house layout, while my girlfriend specialized in room exploration and picking out details that’d become helpful later.
You don’t have to follow this formula to a tee, of course. For best results, chat with your unofficial Blue Prince co-op partner about your strengths and weaknesses when it comes to puzzle solving, and come up with a game plan that works for you. Regardless of what you come up with, just exchanging notes and hints with another person is one of the most fun parts of Blue Prince. It’s an experience well worth sharing, and if it still doesn’t turn out to be your cup of tea, well, maybe you can give Split Fiction the respect I’ve so wrongfully snubbed it of instead.
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