Seven years after its original release for Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4, Steam gamers are treated to one of Nippon Ichi Software’s most captivating and wholesome games in the past decade, The Liar Princess and the Blind Prince. This 2D puzzle-platforming adventure game was seriously refreshing to play, and it’s the very definition of a “storybook” tale with its story and aesthetic meshing quite well together. The Liar Princess and the Blind Prince isn’t a long game by any means, either, so it’s one that should make its way up to the top of any player’s backlog, even amid the biggest releases of 2026.
The Liar Princess and the Blind Prince is the story of a young prince who is charmed by a beautiful voice at night. When following the voice, he finds a wolf, who is started by the prince and accidentally slashes his eyes—blinding him. Feeling immense guilt over her actions, the wolf turns to a witch for help to restore the prince’s eyesight. The witch agrees to help, but the wolf must pay a price—trading her singing voice in order to gain the form of a princess. Of course, her new princess form comes with the catch, as she will revert back to her wolf form under the moon. Her mission is clear—travel with the young prince back to the witch’s hideout in order to restore his eyesight. However, the journey to get this done is easier said than done.
The Liar Princess and the Blind Prince is a Beautiful and Memorable Platformer
The gameplay systems of The Liar Princess and the Blind Prince are really straightforward, but that’s to its strengths. Simply put, you’ll be traversing and jumping through various levels while guiding the young blind prince and keeping him safe from monsters. In order to guide the prince, you can hold his hand while in princess form and give him commands, such as walking a set distance or picking up and setting down items. While holding his hand, the prince will match the princess’ movements, including jumping. Commands can be given in wolf form as well, but this form is mostly for clearing monsters nearby to make sure the coast is clear. Switching between forms is seamless and can be done at virtually any time as long as the princess on the ground. The only difficult moments of the game involve having to get around puzzles and obstacles while ensuring the prince also makes it out alive, but these really only ramp up in the latter half of the game. There’s no upgrade system either, so this is essentially the gist of gameplay.
The lack of depth in gameplay is by design, as there’s an emphasis on the overall narrative, the art style, and the music, all of which are really great. This is a wholesome game that brings the prince and princess together on their journey, and its themes stem around lying to protect someone close to you. In the case of the princess, she lied to the prince about being a princess, since she’s really just a wolf in a human form. She lied in order to make amends for her deed, but it’s also selfish on her part since she wants to be accepted and happy with him. A lie can only go on for so long, but the game also emphasizes making memories in the moment, despite the hardships that may come. These memories can be made in the form of the petals and flowers that can be collected and plucked in each level, which can be tracked from the stage select screen. Petals will unlock character art that you can peruse at any time, and giving flowers to the prince unlocks new lore entries regarding the witch.
This is in addition to the picture book-like cutscenes that play out in The Liar Princess and the Blind Prince. Aesthetically, the game is really beautiful with its charming and fantastical art style, and the character designs for the prince, princess, and witch are all great. If you’ve played Hollow Knight, you’ll likely appreciate the dark and dreary colors that this game goes for at times. Despite the monsters and dangers that lurk in the forest and the subsequent stages, the prince and princess’ journey is lighthearted and fairy tale-like. This is a feel-good story about having to overcome obstacles, both physically and mentally, and being truthful with the ones you care about, with an ending that gets a good message across, too.
The Liar Princess and the Blind Prince is Short and Sweet
The Liar Princess and the Blind Prince is only around six to seven hours long, but it may be a little longer you’re planning to 100% the game and get all achievements on Steam. Those hours are really fun and relaxing, and the wholesome story, well-designed environments, and ear-pleasing Japanese narration and music really immersed me. I played through the entire game in a single sitting, and I came away satisfied and content with what I played. My only real critique for the game involves its gameplay systems since its very simplistic at its core, which makes some of the puzzles somewhat bland in return. It’s not that big of a deal though, since the game is already very short to begin with.
That being said, The Liar Princess and the Blind Prince reminds me that this medium is truly a myriad of art, and experiences like this can last and stand on its own in just a few short hours of a playthrough. I certainly think The Liar Princess and the Blind Prince is well worth the $19.99 MSRP, and I’d imagine this will be a cozy and delightful game to play on Steam Deck, too. Going forward, I’d love to see Nippon Ichi Software make another game in a similar vein, since I think the art style of The Liar Princess and the Blind Prince could translate well with other stories and settings.
Disclaimer: NIS America provided a Steam key of The Liar Princess and the Blind Prince for review purposes.
