Ever feel like the Prince of Persia franchise was just spinning its wheels? For years, fans were stuck between the nostalgia of Sands of Time and the radio silence of Ubisoft’s main offices. Then, something shifted. Ubisoft didn't just release a sequel; they handed the keys to the kingdom to Evil Empire. Yeah, the same folks who turned Dead Cells into a legendary roguelike. The result is The Rogue Prince of Persia, and honestly, it’s a total vibe shift that the series desperately needed.
It’s fast. Like, really fast.
If you’ve played any Prince of Persia game before, you know the drill: parkour, timing, and a bit of rewinding when you inevitably fall into a pit of spikes. But this version? It’s lean. It’s mean. It’s colorful in a way that feels like a French comic book come to life. Most importantly, it’s a roguelike, which means you’re going to die. A lot. But in The Rogue Prince of Persia, death isn’t the end of the story—it’s basically just the Prince’s way of practicing for the perfect run.
Why the Move to Early Access Actually Matters
Ubisoft isn't exactly known for doing the Early Access thing. They usually drop a massive, 100-hour open-world game and patch it later. With The Rogue Prince of Persia, they took a different path. By launching on Steam in Early Access, the developers at Evil Empire are actually listening to what players want. They’ve been tweaking the difficulty, adding new biomes, and refining the combat flow based on real-time feedback.
It's refreshing.
Usually, a Prince of Persia game is a "one and done" experience. You finish the story, save the girl (or the kingdom), and put the controller down. Here, the structure is built on the "just one more run" philosophy. You start in an oasis, venture into a procedurally generated Ctesiphon, and try to stop a Hun invasion fueled by dark shamanic magic. If you get sliced up by a Hun warrior? You wake up back at camp, spend some Glimmers on new weapon blueprints, and go again. It’s a loop that feels addictive because the movement is so fluid. You aren't just running; you're flowing.
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The Art Style and That Incredible Soundtrack
Can we talk about the purple? The Prince has purple skin. People lost their minds about it on Reddit when the first trailer dropped. But once you see it in motion, it makes total sense. The art direction, led by the team at Evil Empire, draws heavily from bande dessinée (French comics). It’s vibrant. It’s stylized. It looks nothing like the gritty, "realistic" reboot from 2008 or the cinematic Forgotten Sands.
Then there's the music.
Asadi, a Persian-American producer, handled the soundtrack. It’s this wild mix of traditional Persian instruments and heavy electronic "trap" beats. It gives the game a modern, edgy pulse that matches the speed of the gameplay. When you’re wall-running over a pit of fire while a heavy beat drops, you realize this isn't your older brother's Prince of Persia. It’s something entirely new.
Combat is More Than Just Mashing Square
In The Rogue Prince of Persia, combat is a dance of positioning. You have your twin daggers, sure, but you also have a kick. Don't ignore the kick. Kicking an enemy into a wall stuns them. Kicking an enemy into another enemy damages both. It’s all about environmental awareness.
- You can find primary weapons like broadswords, spears, and even a heavy axe.
- Secondary weapons include the iconic bow, chakrams, and a grappling hook that lets you zip around the arena.
- Medallions provide the "rogue" element. These are perks you find during a run. One might make your kick trail fire. Another might release a cloud of poison when you take damage.
The synergy between these medallions is where the real depth lies. You might start a run feeling weak, but by the time you reach the second boss, you’ve stacked enough elemental buffs to turn the Prince into a walking natural disaster. It’s incredibly satisfying to see a build come together, especially when the difficulty spikes.
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It’s Not Just a Dead Cells Clone
People keep comparing this to Dead Cells because of the developer. That’s fair, but it’s also a bit reductive. The Rogue Prince of Persia feels distinct because of the wall-run. In most 2D platformers, the wall is a limit. Here, the wall is a highway. You can run along the background of almost any surface. This adds a verticality to the combat and exploration that Dead Cells doesn't have. You’re constantly moving between the foreground and the background, dodging projectiles and finding hidden paths.
It’s also surprisingly story-heavy for a roguelike. You aren't just a nameless prisoner; you’re a Prince who messed up. You used a magical bola to save your life, but in doing so, you’ve put your city in a time loop. The NPCs you meet in the oasis—like the blacksmith or the court healer—all have things to say about your progress. They remember your failures. They comment on your successes. It makes the world feel lived-in, even when the layout of the city changes every time you leave the gates.
Facing the Hun Invasion
The enemies aren't just mindless drones. The Huns have been corrupted by "dark magic," giving them supernatural abilities. You'll run into shielded guards that require a bash to break, agile assassins that teleport behind you, and hulking brutes that can smash the ground and send shockwaves your way.
The bosses are the real test. They require pattern recognition and precise movement. You can't just tank hits. You have to use the Prince’s agility to survive. If you’ve played The Lost Crown, you might recognize some of the DNA here, but the rogue-lite structure makes every encounter feel high-stakes. One wrong jump, one mistimed parry, and it's back to the oasis for you.
The Evolution of the Prince
Think about where this series started. 1989. Jordan Mechner rotoscoped his brother running and jumping to create the original animations. Since then, the Prince has been a 3D action hero, a brooding warrior, and a cel-shaded adventurer. The Rogue Prince of Persia feels like the next logical step in that evolution. It embraces the "platforming first" mentality of the original games but updates it for a generation of players who grew up on Hades and Slay the Spire.
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It’s also worth noting that the game is quite accessible. While it's challenging, the developers have included various ways to tune the experience. You can find shortcuts that let you skip earlier biomes once you’ve mastered them. This respects the player's time, which is a common complaint in the roguelike genre. You don't always want to spend 20 minutes clearing the "easy" areas just to get back to the part that actually challenges you.
What to Expect Next
Since the game is in Early Access, the content is constantly expanding. We’ve already seen the addition of new weapons like the "Flaming Dagger" and new environmental hazards. The roadmap suggests more biomes, more bosses, and a deeper dive into the Prince’s relationship with his father, the King.
Is it perfect? Not yet. Some of the platforming sections can feel a bit finicky when the screen gets crowded with enemies. The procedural generation occasionally creates rooms that feel a bit "samey" after your 50th run. But that’s the beauty of the development model. The game we have today is significantly better than the one that launched a few months ago, and it’s only going to get better.
How to Get the Most Out of Your Runs
If you're just starting out, don't get discouraged. The first few hours are meant to be a learning curve. Focus on unlocking the permanent upgrades first.
- Prioritize Health: Look for the fountains that increase your max HP. It sounds obvious, but survival is more important than raw damage in the early game.
- Experiment with Medallions: Don't just stick to the ones you know. Some of the weirdest combinations—like combining "Resin" (which slows enemies) with "Fire"—can break the game in your favor.
- Master the Wall-Run: Use the wall-run not just for platforming, but for combat. You can often run past a group of enemies, get behind them, and kick them into a trap before they even know you’re there.
- Talk to Everyone: The NPCs in the oasis provide more than just lore. They often unlock new paths or provide hints about boss weaknesses.
The Rogue Prince of Persia is a bold experiment. It takes a legendary IP and throws it into a blender with modern indie sensibilities. It’s fast, it’s stylish, and it’s incredibly fun to play. Whether you’re a long-time fan of the series or someone who has never touched a Prince of Persia game in their life, this is one worth your time. It proves that there’s still plenty of life left in the Prince, as long as he’s willing to keep running.
To see the most progress in your gameplay, focus on mastering the "kick-into-wall" mechanic early on, as it provides the most consistent crowd control against the Hun mobs. Keep an eye on the official Steam community hubs for the latest patch notes, as weapon balancing happens frequently. Finally, make sure to explore the corners of every map; the blueprints hidden in secret areas are often far more powerful than the standard gear you find in chests.