Family finds a shared challenge in Blue Prince
The Verge’s John Higgins says the puzzle roguelike has become a weekend project for his wife and nearly 11-year-old son.
By James Whitfield · Staff Writer
2 min read
Blue Prince has become a shared family game for The Verge senior reviewer John Higgins’ wife and son, according to a July 12 essay by Higgins. The account shows how a puzzle-heavy game can turn screen time into a joint problem-solving routine rather than a solo hobby.
Higgins wrote that gaming has long been his role in the household. After his son was born nearly 11 years ago, he expected games to become something they would share, and he described early moments when his son watched him play Sea of Thieves with friends while wearing an oversized headset and giving directions.
That relationship has shifted as his son has grown, Higgins said. He wrote that he now sits beside his son while the boy fights Calamity Ganon in Breath of the Wild, reversing the earlier pattern of the child watching the parent play.
According to Higgins, his son’s strongest attachment has been to Minecraft. He said the child likes the game’s structure, its creative mode, and the calm it provides, while also enjoying the spectacle of stacking TNT blocks and setting them off.
The unexpected development, Higgins wrote, was the connection that formed between his wife and son through gaming. He said his wife has tried to participate in Minecraft by occasionally joining their son’s worlds, though it is not her preferred game.
Blue Prince changed that dynamic, Higgins said. Because his wife enjoys puzzles and stories, she bought the game after a friend recommended the recently released Switch 2 version for both her and their son.
Higgins described Blue Prince as a puzzle-solving roguelike built around exploring a 45-room mansion across repeated days. The goal, he wrote, is to find the hidden Room 46 and claim an inheritance.
Since buying it, Higgins said, his wife and son have played together whenever they can. He also wrote that they have progressed beyond the friend who first suggested the game.
The essay frames the game less as a product recommendation than as a family experience. Higgins said watching his wife and son work through Blue Prince together, while the game challenges both of them, is something he expects to remember.
This story draws on original reporting from The Verge.