Wait, wasn’t a retro-styled Prince of Persia game released only a few months ago? That’s correct – but Ubisoft’s going in hard on the franchise with an early access state of The Rogue Prince of Persia for Steam. This time, it’s even more of a throwback than its predecessor with Evil Empire developing a 2D side-scrolling platformer that wouldn’t look out of place on the Sega Genesis in the mid-90s. That isn’t the worst thing in the world, though, since there’s an ever-growing demand for simpler games that cherish gameplay more than all the other bells and whistles.
So, what’s the deal with this game? It’s a fairly simple story, really. The Prince ticks off the Hun army, so they decide to attack the city of Ctesiphon. Using parkour, weapons, medallions, and a devil-may-care attitude, the Prince fights across six environments and procedurally generated levels. Needless to say, the roguelite The Rogue Prince of Persia provides a different type of playing experience – even in an early access state – and holds the potential to have incredible replay value.
The Rogue Prince of Persia shines as a slick, fun roguelite platformer
The Rogue Prince of Persia runs slick and smooth as it favours fast-paced action in the simple but expertly designed biomes. Using dashes, wall runs, leaps, and traversal rooms, the Prince gets around the levels in experiment fashion – however, it gets progressively harder when obstacles and traps get thrown into the mix. Special mention also needs to go to the soundtrack here, as it carries the right kind of upbeat tempo that adds to the atmosphere and gameplay.
To take down the enemies, the Prince comes equipped with melee attacks and a few weapons, such as swords and daggers, but these can be expanded upon within the game as he collects more gold, interacts with other characters, and chooses which combos to use. Collected medallions also play a pivotal role here, as they enhance the Prince’s abilities in several ways – some may have healing qualities for the character while others increase damage to opponents. It’s best to play around and mix and match medallions, too. For example, a medallion with stun qualities might be useful to score more time among a group of enemies, but it also stops the Prince from jump-kicking them into a pit of knives, which might be more useful in certain levels.
The game also encourages interaction with the supporting characters scattered throughout the game – not only in the Oasis. It’s through these exchanges that the Prince discovers important information about what lies ahead and a few secrets, too.
As a side note: It’s recommended that players use a controller for the game, and it’s easy to see why. With all the quick parkour movements required to get across sections, the W,A,S,D of the keyboard might be more of a nemesis than an ally here.
Too much too soon?
It’s a massive gamble for Ubisoft to drop The Rogue Prince of Persia so soon after Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown. On the one hand, the publisher might be trying to capitalize on the predecessor’s goodwill and lean in harder on the franchise. Conversely, it could be too much too soon, especially considering how The Lost Crown wasn’t a financial success, according to Insider Gaming. It does feel like Prince of Persia overkill in 2024, taking into account how long this franchise remained dormant – even as an early access release, this could have been held off until 2025.
That said, the gaming industry works in mysterious ways, so time will tell if the risk pays off in the end. Nonetheless, The Rogue Prince of Persia shows how this is one franchise that shines best when it sticks to what brought it to the party in the first place. Long-time gamers should also appreciate the little touches – such as the colour scheme and loading screens – that Evil Empire includes here as tributes to the past. If anything, it’ll make people dust off their old floppy disks and long for the MS-DOS-fueled days of Prince of Persia and Karateka.
