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  • For the first week in almost a month I'm taking a break from Blue Prince. I'm still enamored with it and am watching a couple or let's plays of it still, but I'm now at the very end-endgame and I have probably only the final puzzle left and I'm stumped. My brain is fried and I'm taking a breather and hoping my sister and her fiancé catch up to me so we can all have a crack at the last puzzle together potentially.

    In the meantime I'm continuing my extremely impatient gaming by jumping on Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. I promise I will get back to my backlog soon and do this sub justice. I have F.E.A.R. installed and everything.

    Anyway, Clair Obscur is amazingly good. Actually worth paying full price for and I don't mind supporting small developers either. Could this be the best AA game of all time? I honestly can't believe a small studio pulled this off. The gameplay feels like a fresh take on turn based while still giving Souls-like satisfaction at beating a tough boss. The story has been stellar so far and the voice acting is phenomenal. I'm playing with French VAs because it just feels right for this game and this setting. If you don't mind reading subtitles I highly recommend it, the french voices are fantastic and Maelle in particular is stealing the show. I actually prefer her to the English one.

    • blue prince frustrates me so much because it just won't let me play. people keep saying you can bypass the rng with things you find but the game still has to let you find the things. it took me almost 40 days to first roll credits despite getting the initial basement stuff done on day 16 because i just keep. getting. shafted.

      i have pages and pages of notes and nowhere to use them.

      • I had the same issue in the late game of Blue Prince.

        The RNG is pretty fun at first but it quickly becomes frustrating when you have specific layouts in your mind. You gain some control but not enough to make it fun to restart over and over again until you don't get shafted.

        My solution was simple: I cheated. I gave myself infinite dice and rerolled the rooms until I got the layout I was looking for. Much more enjoyable that way.

      • You do get RNG control eventually, but like everything in Blue Prince it's locked behind a puzzle. Well, that and certain room upgrades like taking any upgrade that gives you +2 Dice.

        It takes some time, but you have tools to mould the house however you want. However, RNG is definitely a factor there is no denying that. In the beginning though I didn't mind so much as there are so many mysteries to investigate that no run ever feels "dead" - you always learn something or progress somewhere. It's mostly towards the end where it can get frustrating as you're looking for for example specific room combinations, but as I said - by then you have the tools to control it somewhat.

        I also never really got frustrated because there is no time limit and no penalty to calling it a day. If a run doesn't work out it's so quick and easy to just go again.

        • i think the main thing that's lacking in discussions is the acknowledgement that by its very nature people are going to have very different experiences. one thing i thought of was that the game should probably not be described as a "roguelike puzzle game" but as "a roguelike game and a puzzle game" just like how cult of the lamb is "a roguelike game and a management game". they are the sum of their parts, not greater.

          it just feels like i keep having to fight to find things. it's more frustrating than anything. and the worst part is that hints are usually useless because even when you know you still have to roll the dice.

          • Well, it looks like you have a pretty solid list of tasks to work on. Have you been back to room 46? That should be on your list as well.

            • no, it was such a tedious task that i don't want to go through it again. i dropped the game after credits. maybe i'll pick in up again in the future but right now all i associate with it is annoyance.

              i've never seen the conservatory while drafting either, i've had it for 20 days and never pulled it.

              • Conservatory can only be drafted on the corners of the manor, and it's an Unusual room I believe. Helps trying to put stuff like Solarium and Greenhouse on the board before opening a corner room to maximise your chances.

                But in the end if you're not having fun then you're not having fun. Better play something else then.

                • never seen solarium either.

                  ill probably come back to it in a few months on a new save to hopefully tame the rng. i want to solve puzzles, not draw cards, and it seems everyone who praises the game is just luckier than me.

                  • It's definitely a game that is split in three parts: one part roguelite resource management and house-building, one part puzzles and one part detective game about putting together the narrative and lore. And I can absolutely see how it is frustrating if you don't enjoy all three aspects. Which is a shame because some of the puzzles are really great puzzles.

                    • but like... i do enjoy those things in other games. i just feel like the parts to not complement eachother here.

    • I’ll definitely have to give Clair Obscur a look. Sounds promising!

      • It'll be all over the Game Awards this year, I think. It's sold 2 million copies for a reason. Absolutely gorgeous music too. Heavily recommended!

55 comments