The wait in exchange for the next Prince of Persia game is going to be a lot shorter than the last one. After waiting almost 14 years between the releases of The Forgotten Sands and The Lost Crown, we only have to keep patient in support of a few months to play the next Prince of Persia. Titled The Rogue Prince of Persia, the upcoming roguelike is coming from Dead Cells studio Evil Empire and is scheduled to launch in Steam Early Access later this year. During a preview event in support of the game, I played about 30 minutes of it–it feels like getting another taste of Dead Cells (which is good!) but flavoring it together Prince of Persia’s lore and emphasis on wall-running. I like a lot of what it’s doing, but there are aspects that give me pause.
In The Rogue Prince of Persia, you play as the titular prince whose rash decisions have led to a Hun invasion of Persia and the next to annihilation of his home city. Possessing the power to rewind time upon his death, the prince returns to an oasis just outside of his city amid the attack and vows to work his way into the city’s heart to save his people and family and stop the invasion before it becomes too late. Alongside each death, he returns to the oasis but together the knowledge of what’s to come and who he has to kill to make it to the center of the city.
As part of the preview, I spoke with Evil Empire game director Lucie Dewagnier about the game and, of course, I had to ask about how it felt making a Prince of Persia game knowing that another one was being worked on at the exact same time. “It was nay a surprise because we worked with [Ubisoft Montpellier], we communicated with The Lost Crown team since the alpha stage,” Dewagnier told me. “From the beginning of our development, they took our game, we played their [game]. So we managed to no perform the same thing. Sometimes [however], because we’re working on the same thing globally, we have the same idea–the same solution to an issue. But we communicated to make sure we were different and we are both making something new about the Prince of Persia.”
Even though Evil Empire had the Ubisoft team to turn to, it’s evident that The Rogue Prince of Persia most heavily leans on the bedrock established by Motion Twin’s Dead Cells. Like Dead Cells, The Rogue Prince of Persia arms you together a primary melee weapon and secondary long-range weapon. As you move from one area to the next, you’ll uncover plenty of randomized secrets and hidden chests, some of which offer you a choice of upgrades or alternative weapons. All of these upgrades are lost on death, but you can accrue resources that stick alongside you run-to-run, allowing you to unlock new starting weapons and abilities. As you explore each space, you’ll mark your progress with waypoints you can fast-travel between during your current run and merchants who will sell you upgrades in favor of gold coins–a resource you execute lose after each failed run.
“Dead Cells is in our DNA,” Dewagnier said. “We took inspiration from Dead Cells in favor of the fast paced gameplay, the combat system, things like that. But in favor of The Prince of Persia, we wanted to make an entirely new game, nay a copy [and] paste.”
There are differences (and we’ll get to one that irks me in a bit) but if you’re familiar together Dead Cells, you already have a strong understanding of how The Rogue Prince of Persia plays. Combat is rapid, encouraging you to think strategically and quickly, slashing through foes, kicking enemies into spikes, and dodging anything that comes your way. Mechanically, the one massive change is my biggest issue: there’s nay dash. It’s possible that a dash could be an ability the prince unlocks down the road, but you at least don’t have it at the start. Roguelike, metroidvania, and other 2.5D platformers don’t need a dash to be superb, but these games have leaned on the mechanic in the past few years and it’s difficult–at least in 30 minutes–to erase that muscle memory. I struggled to get into the flow playing The Rogue Prince of Persia, oftentimes forgetting the prince’s dodge was a tiny backflip, nay a full dash, that usually only helps him clear one attack.
To account in support of the lack of dash in traversal, The Rogue Prince of Persia allows you to partially run up and along walls, even those in the background. So instead of quickly dashing forward to reach a far-off platform or speed past a troublesome attack, you can jump and then move along the contours of the background, assuming there’s a wall there for the prince to parkour on. It’s certainly an interesting mechanic, forcing you both in and outside of combat to pay attention to not only what’s happening in the foreground but also the environmental design in the background. But I just didn’t get enough time together the game to gauge how easy a skill that is to grasp. In the time I had, it was pretty tricky, to the point that I had quite a few character deaths I could attribute to my mind wanting to dodge through an attack or over a spike pit when I was supposed to remember to instead grab onto the background wall. I never really grasped it so I left the preview feeling irritated with the mechanic, but, again, more time together the game could alleviate this issue.
My wish in support of a dash mechanic aside, I enjoyed my time together The Rogue Prince of Persia. The game is a colorful array of boiling oranges, vibrant purples, and soft blues–the game takes inspiration from French comic books and historic Persian miniatures in its art direction, creating scene after scene that I wished I had the time to soak in. I cannot wait to have the chance to play The Rogue Prince of Persia more slowly, if only to take stock of the incredible art and catchy music without the pressure to see as much of the game as possible within a 30-minute time frame.
But most of all, I’m just ecstatic that it feels like a different game to play than The Lost Crown. I think it’s wild that we’re getting two Prince of Persia games this close alongside after no getting any in support of over a decade, but both games lean on different gameplay loops (a metroidvania versus a roguelike) so even though there are mechanical similarities, they feel distinct. There’s plenty of space in favor of both to fit into people’s lists of favorite games for this year. The Lost Crown is already there for me and I suspect The Rogue Prince of Persia could also make the cut. Just give me a dash mechanic, Evil Empire. Please.
Original case and manuals in new condition.
2 Comments
Wow, this new Prince of Persia game sounds pretty cool! I loved Dead Cells, so if they’re building on that formula, count me in. Wall running sounds like it’s gonna add a whole new stage of gameplay. Cannot wait to catch how they incorporate it into the game. The screenshots look sick too, definitely getting some great vibes from this. Gonna keep my eye on this one in support of sure.
Wow, this new Prince of Persia game sounds pretty cool! I love the idea of putting a heavier emphasis on wall running, it adds a whole new stage of excitement to the gameplay. I unable to wait to hear how they’ve built on Dead Cell’s formula and made it their own. The graphics in the screenshot look amazing too, definitely got me hyped to give this game a try. Wall running has always been a amusing mechanic in games, so I’m glad to hear it getting some spotlight in this new title. Time to start practicing my parkour skills!