Right here at Polygon, we aren’t strangers to the online game pocket book. Handwritten notes can create a bodily place that may function a information and help in our personal sport experiences. They will additionally improve enjoyment of a sport. Our employees has created assassination bullet journals and argued that taking notes could make video games extra enjoyable. Now, Blue Prince — the most popular puzzle sport of 2025 — has taken that inclination and set it on fireplace.
In Blue Prince, you discover and assemble a sprawling mansion property room by room utilizing a sequence of randomized blueprints. There’s a roguelike component, too: The home’s ground plan resets every single day (or run). Steadily, you’ll be able to piece collectively data and gadgets from varied rooms to unravel puzzles. As you play, your notes turn into an indispensable device for piecing collectively the numerous mysteries of the mansion. Nonetheless, it’s not all the time clear what the easiest way to take notes is.
We spoke to our personal employees and dozens of Blue Prince gamers to be able to clear up the puzzle of methods to take good notes whereas taking part in the sport. As you learn, don’t consider this as a “finest” checklist, however enable these suggestions to spark concepts of what you assume would be just right for you and the best way you play.
[Ed. note: Some of the images of notes below contain spoilers for puzzle solutions in Blue Prince. We hid some of them behind spoiler images, but click through the image galleries at your own risk.]
How do I even know what I ought to write down?
In Blue Prince, it may be powerful to determine what’s price noting and what’s not. Listed here are some suggestions we discovered helpful that helped information our methodology for taking notes.
- The related data can change. What it’s worthwhile to notice in a room would possibly change relying on the actual puzzle you are attempting to unravel. Due to this, you don’t have to get caught up capturing each single element of each room, however fairly be open to visiting and revisiting. Don’t sweat getting all the pieces you want on the primary go!
- As you’re taking notes, you’ll be able to simply ask your self: What stands out to me on this room proper now? Go searching after which jot down a few notes.
- In case you can’t instantly discern what’s helpful, you can begin by writing down each quantity, title, city, and occasion you come throughout. If an individual is tied to a specific occasion or position, notice that data as nicely.
- Each time you hit some kind of block, like a machine you don’t know methods to use or a bizarre room that looks as if it has no use, write that down. It will also be useful to put in writing down every time you see a notice or the rest in the home that references one thing you haven’t seen but or that confuses you.
How one can take notes for Blue Prince
For some individuals, writing one thing down might help them recall data extra simply than in the event that they kind it. In case you’re this type of particular person — and also you don’t thoughts writing as you play — listed below are a few of our favourite suggestions for taking notes for Blue Prince.
1/4Graphic: Julia Lee/Polygon | Supply picture: Dogubomb/Uncooked Fury through Polygon
To begin, think about using a devoted pocket book for this sport. As you play, you’ll add so much to the notes, and it’ll seemingly develop past the confines of some pages or so. You should use any previous pocket book you have got mendacity round, however Polygon’s personal Susana Polo suggested utilizing a dotted pocket book, since you need to use the grid construction to attract diagrams along with taking common notes.
That is positively not a should, however I used a multicolored pen that may change between black, blue, and purple ink. I underlined names, dates, and story data in blue and marked puzzle data and room data in purple. This helped me discover sure varieties of knowledge extra simply. (I additionally cherished this strategy as nicely as a result of it was according to the general red-and-blue visible themes of Blue Prince.)
When you get settled with a pocket book and pen, you have got lots of choices for methods to set up your notes. Nonetheless, there was a prevailing pattern amongst commenters. Manage your notes by room and go away loads of area everytime you begin a brand new part for a room. Some individuals we spoke to allotted a whole web page per room, though not each room will want that a lot area.
Simply make one part per room. From there, you would possibly need to take into account creating extra sections for characters you find out about, particular puzzles, and instruments, and even maintain a little bit of area for common observations or ongoing questions.
If this feels like so much, there may be one option to deal with it. You may cut up the work! Charles Harte advised Polygon that he and his companion performed collectively. Charles performed as his companion took notes. Their pocket book has a color-coded part for every room the 2 have discovered up to now and comprises a number of pages within the entrance for miscellaneous clues.
How one can take notes digitally for Blue Prince
You may not get as a lot tactile satisfaction as you’ll writing one thing down, however there are a bunch of advantages to utilizing digital notes whereas taking part in Blue Prince. You may set up and reorganize notes as you go alongside and also you don’t have to allot pocket book pages for an unknown quantity of knowledge. Additionally, you’ll be able to embody screenshots and search your paperwork with Ctrl+F.
We heard from gamers who used each note-taking software program underneath the solar — just like the Notes app on iOS, Freeform, Obsidian, spreadsheets, and even Google Slides.
The perk of taking part in on a pc is you can simply write up notes as you go alongside and embody screenshots. In case you’re taking part in on Home windows PC or Steam Deck, now’s pretty much as good a time as any to lastly use Steam’s built-in notes app. Our personal Cameron Faulkner has vouched for its performance up to now, and at least one particular person advised us they beat Blue Prince utilizing it.
Different individuals, like Bluesky person Critical Bichon, performed the sport utilizing two screens. One monitor confirmed the sport, whereas the opposite monitor displayed OneNote, which Critical Bichon used to create a bunch of tables to trace vital data. (Equally, CJ M on Bluesky used OneNote and arranged all the pieces alphabetically by room and added screenshots, tables, and notes.)
Some individuals used applications like Freeform, Miro, and Notion to arrange data and lend a corkboard-like really feel to the notes. We have been significantly impressed by the best way Liz England used Miro to arrange screenshots and notes. England advised Polygon she organized them by coloration and mixed textual content and screenshots. You may view her board under, however know there are late-game spoilers in it.
In case you don’t need to make a grand previous digital Pepe Silvia-esque notes board or use fancy tables, you may as well simply maintain a doc. Polygon’s personal Ryan Gilliam used Google Docs, as did a complete bunch of individuals we spoke to on-line. Bluesky person Jambatt described a easy and streamlined strategy to organizing a Google Doc for notes. Jambatt made 46 strains for the room previous to beginning the sport and added notes and screenshots whereas taking part in. Moreover, they created a headline for every character title and crammed it in as they found extra data.
1/3Graphic: Julia Lee/Polygon | Supply picture: Dogubomb/Uncooked Fury through Polygon
Screenshots will be good (particularly in case you’re taking part in on PC), however that’s not all the time superb for console customers. A number of individuals I spoke to who took digital notes opted for taking pictures of the sport fairly than screenshots. My colleague Matthew Reynolds advised me he took pictures of the sport as an alternative of screenshots as a result of it was the best option to import photographs whereas taking part in the sport throughout a number of platforms.
On the finish of the day, it’s about what works for you and what’s according to the expertise you need of the sport. No matter notes will can help you take pleasure in and progress the sport can function “good” notes. You don’t have to have all the pieces completely organized on a regular basis — so mess around with strategies till you discover one thing that works for you.
Diving into Blue Prince and searching for hints? See our Blue Prince newbie’s suggestions, or our guides on methods to clear up the darts puzzle, methods to unlock all everlasting additions, and a full walkthrough on methods to attain Room 46.
Why it issuesThe objective of Blue Prince is so simple as it’s paradoxical: Discover the forty sixth room in a house with 45 rooms. Deliver a notepad and a pen. Create a display seize folder, since you’ll be spamming F12. And completely discover a pal to play alongside you, so somebody understands what you’re on about.
— Chris Plante, Editor-in-chief