In Blue Prince, one of the trickier brainteasers you’ll come across is the dartboard puzzle, a colorful mix of numbers, symbols, and hidden rules. At first glance, it might just look like you’re throwing darts at random, but there’s a clever logic behind it. Each ring and color represents a different mathematical operation, and the solution requires working through a series of steps in a specific order. It can be a little confusing at first, but once you understand how it all fits together, it’s actually pretty fun to solve. Here’s a breakdown of how it works and how to crack it.
How to Solve the Dartboard Puzzle
The darts puzzle is made up of randomized math equations, with each color representing a different operation tied to a number on the dartboard. You can figure out what each color means by examining a document in the Nook using the magnifying glass. Here’s what you’ll find:
- Blue = Addition
- Yellow = Subtraction
- Pink = Multiplication
- Purple = Division
Unlike standard math rules, this puzzle doesn’t follow traditional order of operations. Instead, you solve the equation starting from the ring closest to the bullseye and work your way outward.
During testing, we noticed that the first equation is usually super simple just a single blue number. Since anything plus zero equals itself, you just pick the blue-highlighted number and you’ll automatically progress to the next puzzle.
To figure out the right order for solving each puzzle, start at the bullseye and work your way outward toward the edge of the dartboard.
Sometimes, you’ll see a square symbol in the bullseye. That means you’ll need to square a number – but only after you’ve applied the color-coded math operation. In some cases, the square symbol appears alongside a color. That means you wait to square the number until you reach that specific color in the sequence.
If the square is tilted like a diamond (turned 45 degrees), that’s your cue to transpose the digits of the number meaning you flip them around but only after you’ve done the math for that color. Basically, begin at the center and work your way outward. Start by figuring out the values based on the color first, then apply any special symbols, like squaring or transposing, afterward.
