The Rogue Prince of Persia – Early Access First Impression

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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 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