blue.

About

Blue. is the part puzzle game, part visual novel, story of a young cubie growing up in a colorful mined out world of gems. Play as Violet through their adolescence, meet their friends and family and learn about the Cubie world. And most of all learn when it takes to succeed in this underground place.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

55%

Audience ScoreBased on 66 reviews

story6 positive mentions

gameplay3 negative mentions

The game has a meaningful story that explores themes of identity and gender dysphoria, resonating with players who relate to these experiences.
Despite its flaws, the game is short and can be completed in about an hour, making it accessible for those willing to try it.
The unique control scheme serves as a metaphor for the struggles of identity, providing an interesting perspective on the topic.

The dialogue advances too slowly, making it tedious and frustrating for players who want to progress through the story.
The controls are poorly designed, often inverted and confusing, which detracts from the overall gameplay experience.
There is no option to save progress, forcing players to restart if they exit before finishing, which can be very discouraging.

story
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
55%
15%
The game's story has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating its depth and emotional resonance, particularly in relation to character growth and thematic messages. However, others criticized the storytelling as hamfisted and disjointed, with dialogue that felt clichéd and unengaging. Overall, while the narrative is a central focus, its execution and pacing detracted from the experience for many players.
- “Although it has a simple design, it has a great story with a great message.”
- “Blue is a short and sweet game with a heavy focus on storytelling.”
- “I really enjoyed its story of a little cube trying to find themselves in a world where you only know half of the story.”
- “The game was incredibly hamfisted in its storytelling and the inability to advance dialogue at your own pace made the game boring.”
- “The writing, which should be important in a story-based game like this, isn't anything special.”
- “The story is very disjointed, almost adds nothing to the game.”
gameplay
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
50%
38%
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with some praising its integration with the narrative for a simple yet enjoyable experience, while others criticize it for poor mechanics, lack of clarity in navigation, and frustrating dialogue pacing. The absence of a text-skipping feature and frequent changes in gameplay mechanics contribute to a sense of confusion and frustration for players. Overall, the gameplay experience is marred by technical shortcomings and design choices that detract from its potential.
- “The design and mechanics of gameplay mesh together nicely with the overall narrative for a simple but enjoyable experience.”
- “Good intentions and message clouded by very poor gameplay, graphics, and UI.”
- “It didn't help that there was no mechanic for skipping text and you had to wait, wondering whether the dialogue was over or not.”
- “Constantly changing the mechanics was frustrating when combined with the fact that it can be unclear where to go; the entire world has no clear marker for where 'important' areas are, and there are about 5 areas you have to walk through for a few lines of stuttery dialogue.”
music
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
60%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews; while some players find it repetitive and not fitting, others appreciate its inspiring quality and how it complements the art style. Overall, the feedback highlights a divide between those who feel the music detracts from the experience and those who believe it enhances it significantly.
- “Effort went into this; the background music is inspiring, the art style really helps boil down the ideals to their simple roots. While the game is a bit stuttery, I finished it in under an hour.”
- “9/10 for music.”
- “The controls are inverted, the music is repetitive and they don't let you skip the cutscenes.”
- “Some of the color choices were too saturated and the music wasn't very fitting and repetitive.”
- “The changing controls and the music really made me feel gender dysphoria.”
graphics
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
33%
33%
The graphics are noted for their artistic style that effectively conveys the game's ideals, but the overall execution suffers from poor quality, including stuttering performance. While the visuals have good intentions, they are overshadowed by the game's gameplay and user interface issues.
- “Effort went into this; the art style really helps boil down the ideals to their simple roots.”
- “Good intentions and message clouded by very poor gameplay, graphics, and UI.”
emotional
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its poignant storytelling, which resonates deeply with players, evoking feelings of heartbreak and empathy. The use of changing controls and music effectively conveys themes of gender dysphoria, enhancing the overall emotional impact. Players appreciate the game's bravery in tackling personal and sensitive topics, particularly in its early levels.
- “It's heartbreaking at times because you know that the creator has had some of these exact conversations, and that also makes this an incredibly brave project to undertake.”
- “The changing controls and the music really made me feel gender dysphoria.”
- “We got it the first time—the first two levels really made me feel for the ideals behind this game.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users report significant stability issues, including slow dialogue progression, frustrating control changes, and instances of the game freezing, which prevent saving progress and hinder overall gameplay experience.
- “The dialogue advances far too slowly, and the way the controls change becomes annoying after a while. At times, the game freezes, the dialogue doesn't show up, and you can't save your progress, which is quite frustrating.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious, often requiring excessive back-and-forth movement that can feel repetitive and frustrating.
- “The way they challenge the player is quite tedious, and you have to go back and forth a lot.”
- “Grinding feels like a never-ending chore rather than an engaging part of the game.”
- “The repetitive nature of grinding makes it hard to stay invested in the story.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The game is widely regarded as very funny, making it an entertaining way to pass the time.
- “A very funny game to waste time, my dude.”
- “The humor in this game is top-notch and keeps me laughing throughout.”
- “I love how the game incorporates witty dialogue and hilarious situations.”