Summary

• The Rogue Prince of Persia combines classic parkour and time-bending abilities with newer roguelike mechanics, delivering a new but familiar experience for fans of the franchise.
• Developed by the team behind Dead Cells, this title offers modern mechanics like procedurally generated stages to keep gameplay fresh.
• Set to enter Early Access on Steam, the game aims to evolve based on player to enhance content and gameplay in the future.

A new The Rogue Prince of Persia was announced in April 2024 along with a trailer as part of the Triple-i indie showcase that showed off its new, vibrant art style through an action-packed sequence featuring the parkour and time-bending abilities that the franchise is known for.

A longer sequence was also shown from the game's earlier levels, providing a better look at the 2D side-scrolling gameplay, as the newest Prince moves through platforming sections with wall running, timed jumps and other feats fans of the franchise would be familiar with and takes on a variety of mystically-powered foes. While all of this is familiar to long-standing fans as the Prince of Persia series started as a 2D platformer back in 1989, The Rogue Prince of Persia takes it a step further with the more modern mechanics found in a roguelike such as procedurally generated stages that change after the Prince dies that keep it fresh and exciting.

Ubisoft Has Experimented With The Prince Of Persia IP

Both A Metroidvania And A Roguelike Launch This Year

Since the launch of the first Prince of Persia game, the series has undergone several stylistic changes across different incarnations, moving from 2D side-scrolling platformers to 3D action-adventure titles and back, with the Sands of Time era of the series exploring a darker tone with more violence than the original games, something that seemingly put the series' creator, Jordan Mechner, off returning for the second game in the reboot, Warrior Within. Mechner later commented in an interview with Rock Paper Shotgun that Ubisoft had to struggle to find an identity for the series, especially after one of the 3D sequels morphed into Assassin's Creed, which has since become its own successful franchise.

While the remake of The Sands of Time seems to be indefinitely delayed, having originally been announced in 2020 before moving between development studios, 2024 sees the Prince of Persia series returning to its roots but with modern twists in what Mechner called "a really elegant solution​". The first of these titles, the Metroidvania Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, was released in January 2024 to positive reviews, receiving an 86 Metacritic score and an 8.6 score, and just months later, the series is returning with yet another take on the franchise in The Rogue Prince of Persia.

It's clear that Ubisoft is keen to bring back the Prince of Persia IP, but it's also surprising that both titles are being released so close together. The titles were developed by different studios, with The Lost Crown at Ubisoft Montpellier and The Rogue Prince of Persia being made by a non-Ubisoft studio, the award-winning Evil Empire. However, with the titles only releasing mere months apart, it's possible that The Rogue Prince of Persia may be slipping under the radar, with many general gamers already assuming that they've had their Prince of Persia fill for the year.

The Rogue Prince Of Persia's Developers Have A Great Track Record

Dead Cells Is One Of The Best Roguelikes On The Market

After Motion Twin made the surprise announcement that it was pulling the plug on the acclaimed Metroidvania roguelike Dead Cells' post-launch , Evil Empire - who handled the post-launch and DLC content for the game - revealed that it would be working on a number of new projects, including The Rogue Prince of Persia. Evil Empire's track record with Dead Cells, which has an 89 on Metacritic with an 8.3 score and is one of the best roguelikes on the market, bodes extremely well for the new Prince of Persia title, with several elements fans enjoyed from Dead Cells' gameplay seemingly being carried over, while integrated with the storytelling established by the wider Prince of Persia title.

With the Prince of Persia games already featuring time-bending mechanics and abilities stemming from artifacts such as The Medallion, Staff, Hourglass, and Dagger of Time, the series seems like the perfect fit for the roguelike genre. As reported by PC Gamer, since the latest Prince was a baby, he has owned a magic item that returns him to a safe place - a hub world called The Oasis - in the event he's about to die, making him reckless throughout his life. While this works for the story and character's traits, it also perfectly reflects the key mechanics of the genre, as players will have to start over each time with different twists and turns to levels after leaving The Oasis.

The Rogue Prince Of Persia Is Being Developed With Players' In Mind

The Early Access Period Allows Evil Empire The Chance To Work With Players

Unlike other Prince of Persia titles, The Rogue Prince of Persia is being developed with players' in mind, as it will be coming to Steam via Early Access. Not only does this mark the first day-one release of a Ubisoft-published title on Steam since 2019 - with Ubisoft opting to launch PC versions of its titles on its Ubisoft Connect launcher or Epic Games Store in recent years, with Steam releases coming later - the intent is to expand the title based on community from there.

Evil Empire noted that it worked for over 4 years on post-release updates and DLC for Dead Cells, which also went through Early Access, and has seen how effective the process and the importance of open communication between the dev team and the players can be. It's worth noting that the Early Access version is described as essentially being a full game in its own right with six levels, two bosses, several primary & secondary weapons, and upgrades/medallions, but this window, which Evil Empire suggests will only last around a year, is to work with the community to add extra content and enhance the gameplay further, with the plan being to ultimately double the amount of content from Early Access when going into its proper 1.0 release.

Despite its delay - having been pushed back from a May 14 release date likely to avoid the surprise Early Access launch of the popular roguelike Hades' sequel, Hades 2, on May 6 - players, fortunately, won't have to wait too much longer to get their hands on The Rogue Prince of Persia and see exactly what Evil Empire has in store for the latest entry in the franchise. The title is now expected to launch on Steam Early Access on May 27, 2024.

Sources: Rock Paper Shotgun, Metacritic (1, 2), PC Gamer