u/PCH2018

Ah, Blue Prince. I went from maybe never playing the game again after a few days, to having my mind completely blown on day 28 and looking like the Charlie day conspiracy meme with all of my screenshots and handwritten notes. 

I love the game, but one uniquely cruel thing about it is that unless you’ve fully beaten the game (which, at this point, I’m not even fully sure what I think that even means) you never really can talk candidly about it with anyone else without potentially spoiling something for yourself. I also have no sense of how far along I may be in the game either as much like the house, my list of outstanding problems left to solve is ever changing.

So because this stupid, perfect game has completely taken over my brain over the last week and I need somewhere to talk about it, I come to Reddit. I’m gonna bullet out things I’ve accomplished in my 28 days below and my question for you guys is - when you were hovering around day 30, were you in a similar spot to me, or no? Am I solving things at a good clip, or am I painfully slow? Around what day did you ‘beat’ the game, or at least feel like you had a strong grasp on how to play and what completion really entailed? No hints or spoilers please!

• >!Unlocked the foundation elevator!<
• >!Opened the garage and permanently opened the outside room to the west, I think ive accessed all the potential rooms here unless there are ones I can unlock later!<
• >!I’ve made it inside the antechamber once but wasn’t able to get the key to any underground entrances!<
• >!I’ve opened doors in the antechamber a couple of times from either the secret garden or the room with the 7 locked doors!<
• >!Figured out the pictures eight dates/eight safes puzzle!<
• >!Solved the sheet music puzzle and added the room found at the white trees/two stones but haven’t drafted it yet!<
• >!I’ve figured out how to work the pump room and drained the fountain, but I’ve never gotten the antechamber key down there!<
• >!I’ve made it underground via a workshop creation that was able to break a wall in the front of the estate (did this in the greenhouse to read the groundskeepers diary, and in the freezer too). Went into the basement and solved the walking-on-crates puzzle to go down to the rotating gear and unlocked the machinerium but haven’t drafted it yet. Couldn’t access any other areas but think I recognize them as other places you can access underground from above (i.e. the blue flames, the fountain, etc.)!<
• >!I also made a souped up lock pick thing that was really cool. I wish the devices were permanent! (But yes I know about the coat check)!<
• >!Ive gotten the wrench once and was able to change the rarity of a few of the mechanical rooms!<
• >!I’ve figured out what the stars mean, how to benefit from them in the observatory and the list of what happens with each individual star value!<
• >!I can do the dart board and parlor puzzles !<
• >!I’ve got 3 red letters from safes (Budoir, Study, Shelter)!<
• >!Made the boiler room once and solved the puzzle/turned it on, but haven’t been able to use it to do anything yet (only thing im aware of to use it for is the machine in the lab, but last time I drafted a lab I didnt have a boiler room so it wasn’t on - or maybe my lab was just not in the right place? Who knows. I believe I solved the periodic table puzzle that gives instructions for this machine as well)!<
• >!I’ve read all the initial library books and added drafting volume 4 and have read it in the library, from the bookshop !<
• >!I’ve been up to grade 3 in the classrooms!<
• >!I think there are only 4 or so rooms so far that I totally haven’t drafted yet i.e. are blank in the directory. Im sure there are more that I can unlock through puzzles and the drafting room though. !<
• >!I’ve turned on 2 blue flames.!<
• >!I’ve turned on the lights in the dark room!<
• >!Ive found treasure maps/dug up at least one treasure chest!<
• >!Talked to the fortune teller machine once in the rumpus room!<
• >!Outstanding items top of mind are drafting the two new rooms I just uncovered, get back to the office to check email for more instructions on the thing in the breaker room (ive gotten the instructions and seem to get all the purple lights on easy, but have no earthly idea what exactly this is doing), try draining other things than the fountain, use more upgrade disks!<

>!I still have no idea what the freakin chess pieces mean, lol. !<

I recently discovered the piece Carrot Revolution by Gabriella Smith and am just enamoured with it, but having some trouble finding more contemporary music that could be recommended in the same breath. Anything you love that you'd like to share? LMK!

I've been a longtime IGN reader but they have burned me too many times recently with high review scores on games I ultimately did not enjoy, or at least would have waited for a deep discount to buy (Mixtape and Metroid Prime 4 come to mind).

What other news outlets, journalists, sites, etc. besides IGN are your go-to's when you're deciding whether to buy a game or not?

Hello - hoping the community of experts here might be able to help guide my wife and I on next steps for our kid.

For background we have an awesome, spirited, willful little 5yo kiddo. For the last year (minus maybe two months where she was recovering from a surgery) we have been doing swim lessons but progress feels extremely slow. She loves to play in the wading pool but is anxious in the larger pool, to the point where for months she wouldnt uncling from her instructor, and they actually moved her lessons to the younger kids pool where they still are. She is still refusing to float on her back, or sit on the instructor's knee freely without holding onto their body. I will say she has made some progress with holding onto the wall and pushing off toward the instructor, but she will have a backslide every few lessons and every other lesson seems to be very emotional/full of angst.

We tried to start swim lessons maybe two years ago in a family member's pool taught by a local lifeguard/graduating senior, but she basically ran the lessons (refused to do things, or provided 'alternate instruction', and the teacher was young and quiet enough he wasn't able to take charge even with our help, it was a bit of a nightmare) so we took a break.

Now, we're wondering if we need to take a break again, but also don't want to lose ground on the progress that we have made. We want her to be water safe and confident in the water, and we want her to be able to have fun, but we're worried if at some point this is causing her more stress than anything else. Any guidance on questions to ask her instructors, styles of instruction to look for, etc. goes appreciated.

Thank you!

I found herrah first, then Lurien. Haven’t found the third one yet, but for some reason this feels like I found them in reverse order?