Have you ever visited or heard about the Winchester Mystery House? Located in northern California, it’s a massive Victorian home that was built and built onto over the course of more than three decades, from the late 1800s to the early 1900s. Its owner was Sarah Winchester, heir to the famed Winchester arms fortune. What began as an eight-room house burgeoned into a sprawling 160-room mansion. It sounds like a case of the rich being rich, and it is, but what makes it the world’s most famous and mysterious architectural marvel is that fact that its rooms and layout often make no sense. There are doors and staircases that lead nowhere, walled off windows that were never removed, scattered trapdoors, and apparently, two basements! And, of course, the mansion is purported to be haunted. Upon playing Blue Prince, the Winchester Mystery House was the first main comparison that came to mind.

Only…the estate in Blue Prince is much, much worse. It’s madder than any environment I’ve ever experienced in a game, and one that drove my brain to the edge of insanity.

Earlier this year, talk of and praise for the indie game Blue Prince could not be escaped. It was a massive hit, and one I had to try for myself. Part puzzle game, part strategy game, part adventure game, in Blue Prince, players take on the role of a fellow named Simon who has inherited his Uncle Herbert’s 45-room estate. But, to take its full possession, per his uncle’s will, Simon must locate the mansion’s hidden 46th room. Easy peasy, right? Mwahahahaha, no! For you see, by choosing and laying out different room plans (blueprints, get it?), Simon must locate the Room 46 within the span of a single day, and he only has so many steps to expend. Adding to Simon’s woes is that the mansion’s layout resets at the end of the day, and all of Simon’s floorplans are deleted. Ergo, with each new day, Simon faces the mansion anew, save for the static entryway, and must start his search over.

It’s madness, I say! MADNESS!

Can you imagine being saddled with a seemingly large and lovely abode only to realize that you cannot actually live in it!? Sadly, until Simon solves the mansion’s irritating riddle, he has to spend his nights in a tent outside. One could argue that Uncle Herbert honestly must not have liked Simon much to make him endure such hardship. Then again, perhaps he was hoping to build Simon’s character, or some nonsense. Simon couldn’t go into the mansion to eat (the kitchen was just here, wasn’t it??) or relax (my goodness the living room had a lot of clocks in it; what ticking!), and let’s not even get into the bathroom issues (where are the facilities going to be today? Who knows!). What a terrible nightmare for poor Simon!

Adding to the weight of Simon’s plight, there’s an inherent spookiness to the mansion that’s reminiscent of the Winchester Mystery House. There are riddles to solve within the house itself, and while there are no signs of hauntings, the fact that the house resets could mean that something supernatural is at play, toying with Simon…and that’s pretty creepy. It’s a game in which it’s easy to get lost in the details, thinking that something is watching over your shoulder (but nothing is there when you turn around), and wondering if a room looks more off-kilter today than it did yesterday. Blue Prince is a game that demands attention (and frankly, tells players that they should probably take notes) and keeps players guessing until the very end. Its descent into madness may be unintentional – it’s only just a game, after all, right? – but that it questions one’s saneness feels quite intentional, indeed.

All images, including lede, were captured by author during Xbox gameplay of Blue Prince (©Dogubomb).