Anybody else torn between playing this or just watching a Let's Play?

[carllyngholm]

I don't know... maybe this is a dumb question, I can't decide whether to fully commit to playing this, or just taking the easier (and arguably more enjoyable) route of just watching someone else do it who is most likely better at puzzles that I am. That way I get the more-or-less same sense of discovery the game provides without the effort and aggravation. (and note taking). In some respects that would be kind of lame seeing as I already bought it, but just wondering if anyone else has had similar thoughts. Just curious if I'm on an island here...

[Lactose Intolerant Volcano God]

I think it completely depends on what you want to get from the game.

If you want to know the story, like finding out what happens in the plot of a movie, then I think that watching a Let's Play or other player-created content makes sense. You will be able to get the story faster that way and you won't have to deal with any challenges or note taking.

As an alternative perspective, consider that playing the game provides you with an opportunity to try the puzzles yourself and build skills in solving them. You don't have to be good at puzzles to begin with - you just have to want to get better. If that's want you want, then I'd play the game, but have realistic expectations on how long it will take for you to complete it. Don't compare yourself to people who are investing a lot of time and are experienced at these sorts of games.

Another reason to play the game could be to have the experience of playing. For example, if your friends were also playing the game, you might want to be able to join their conversations on what it was like when they made a particular discovery or unlocked a certain room. I'd suggest that you can get the visuals from a Let's Play, but you can't get the feeling of making a discovery unless you're actually playing... although maybe I underestimate the talent of some Let's Play content creators!

[der.dida83]

I totally get you.

The mandatory massive note taking kills it for me. Making a game like this without any such function is just stupid. They really should patch that in. Just give every room you draw a comment field on the map and it would be so much more enjoyable figuring sh*t out.

Better yet, a comment and screenshot section.

[Hup]

I am admittedly only 15 hours into the game so take with a grain of salt but I suspect early reviewers are probably making a bigger deal about the notetaking aspect than is needed. Remember that many of those folks got a prerelease version of the game to make a content, like a review, so they set themselves a deadline to finish the game for the purpose of their content creation. For the average person, there's no reason that speedrunning the puzzles needs to be your goal.

Also remember, the Steam Bar does include a notepad widget; that and screenshots are so far sufficient for most of the useful information I've carried from Day to Day. That said, there are some puzzles I've come across that I've decided yes, are much easier to solve on paper, but for these, so far it isn't it a situation of jotting down hints and clues aimlessly. Once you recognize the type of puzzle your setting out on, finding the solution has been a matter of pattern recognition and persistence.

[Lactose Intolerant Volcano God]

Originally posted by Hup:

I am admittedly only 15 hours into the game so take with a grain of salt but I suspect early reviewers are probably making a bigger deal about the notetaking aspect than is needed.

I haven't read many reviews, but I just wanted to point out a reason why notetaking is important for this game. In many other puzzle games, if you want to take another look at something in the game world, you just travel back to that location and look again. Those gameworlds are typically static, so you can easily go back to something you saw previously.

In Blue Prince the gameworld is dynamic. It might take an hour of gameplay for you to reach a particular location or see a particular clue for the first time. If the next day you realise you forgot to make a note of something you saw, you may not be able to just go back to that location. To see it again, you may have to recreate many of the same features in the gameworld that lead you there the first time, which takes time and maybe some luck if you’re early in the game.

So, whilst I would agree that you do not have to take notes, then you may need to be comfortable with longer gameplay and repeating past actions to gain access to the same clues repeatedly so you can keep viewing them until they make sense.
Having extensive notes and screenshots reduces the need to revisit places.