The Secret Lives of Games 156: Filling Buckets with Tonda Ros (Blue Prince)
We chat with Tonda Ros (Dogubomb) one year after the release of his genre-blending room-drafting puzzlebox sensation, Blue Prince. Our discussion covers Tonda's year as the game's representative in the world; his inspirations across digital, analog, and tabletop works; cultivating player appreciation for virtual spaces; managing player hunches through playtesting; balancing lore with puzzle mechanics; comparing game development with filmmaking; and so! much! more! Kind of like the game itself, we just keep going.
Audio edited by Dylan Shumway
Discussed in this episode:
Blue Prince https://www.blueprincegame.com/
Mythic Spoiler https://mythicspoiler.com/
My Perfect Console – Tonda Ros https://www.myperfectconsole.com/episode/129
realMyst https://cyan.com/realmyst/
Digital version of MAZE: Solve the World's Most Challenging Puzzle by Christopher Manson https://www.reddit.com/r/Python/comments/1l9urle/website_version_of_christopher_mansons_1985/
"It Seems I Have Found Myself In Another Mysterious House" by Rob Dubbin https://roblemsolving.com/games/2025/04/25/mysterious-house.html
The Castles of Mad King Ludwig https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/155426/castles-of-mad-king-ludwig
Dominion https://www.riograndegames.com/games/dominion/
Ascension https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/69789/ascension-deckbuilding-game
Blue Prince Soundtrack by Trigg and Gusset https://triggandgusset.bandcamp.com/album/blue-prince-the-original-soundtrack
Jewels in the Attic https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/16608/jewels-in-the-attic
Tales of the Crystals https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/9755/tales-of-the-crystals
The Last of Mrs. Cheyney (1937) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0029120/
The Graduate (1967) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061722/
MIO: Memories in Orbit https://store.steampowered.com/app/1672810/MIO_Memories_in_Orbit/