In hindsight, it’s surprising that nobody jumped on an idea like The Rogue Prince of Persia sooner: with the series’ roots as a fast-paced action sidescroller featuring tricky platforming sections, a roguelike twist sounds like the perfect way to shake up the formula. Thankfully, Evil Empire is here to remedy that, and this roguelike Prince of Persia game couldn’t be in better hands than with the folks who redefined the genre with Dead Cells.
Game ZXC recently spent around 30 minutes dashing our way through a few of The Rogue Prince of Persia’s biomes, testing out the Prince’s arsenal of weapons, dodging our way through platforming challenge rooms, and getting smacked around by the game’s brutal first boss. Although we didn’t get to explore the game’s deeper progression systems in detail, we did catch glimpses of how the narrative evolves with each death and how the Prince’s potential for a coveted roguelike “god run” grows with each successive run.
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The Rogue Prince of Persia's Soundtrack Is an Instant Favorite
The first thing that struck us was the game's visual and audio presentation. While the hand-drawn cartoon-like art style may be hit or miss for some players who prefer the pixel art approach, the animated cutscenes transitioned so smoothly into gameplay that one can’t help but be impressed by how cohesive it feels. The game also has an absolute banger of a soundtrack: The Rogue Prince of Persia's music teeters between moody Middle Eastern melodies and deviously groovy hip-hop beats where gliding 808 basslines underpin catchy sitar riffs. It's the sort of soundtrack that makes one bob their head involuntarily, and we looked forward to revisiting certain biomes purely for the music.
The Rogue Prince of Persia has cut down a fair bit on visual noise compared to Dead Cells’ dense pixel art packed with explosions of gore, currency, and debris, which seems to work in the game’s favor. The environments are by no means unimpressive, but the cleaner art style is effective at communicating traversal elements and doesn’t get in the way of the surprisingly complex combat system.
The Rogue Prince of Persia's Combat Is Perfect for Dead Cells Fans
Speaking of combat, the Prince’s default toolkit is well-rounded and fun straight away. He sports a pair of agile daggers boasting a gap-closing dash special attack, a bow for faraway problem-solving, and two moves that are independent of weapon choices: a kick and a downward smash attack. Kicking enemies can hurl them off platforms into spike traps or stun them when they collide with their buddies, and the game thankfully provides ample opportunity to do so.
While we uncovered a solid variety of playstyles with our first few unlocks, it’s clear that there are plenty of other weapons to discover that we didn’t get the chance to try out. In the early game, we found a hard-hitting two-handed axe that forced us into a more deliberate playstyle focused on landing devastating blows. We also found a throwable spear that allowed us to keep our distance but was balanced by the spear’s recovery time.
These weapons and abilities serve as the foundation for the game’s roguelike progression, and this is where the so-called “god runs” will take their shape. The Prince can equip and replace a handful of power-ups throughout the run, just like Dead Cells, which have clear thematic synergies that make it easy to get a workable build online. These power-ups might trigger an effect on kill, modify weapons with new damage types, or launch projectiles when the player dodges. Found weapons will also grow stronger throughout the run, so there’s a cost-benefit analysis where players may need to consider detouring from their dagger build in favor of a significantly more powerful axe.
While the standard enemy types are what one would expect from the early areas of a roguelike game, featuring a mixture of straightforward melee and ranged opponents, the first boss offered a serious challenge. This hulking minotaur had a devastating moveset that demands mastery of the game’s dodging and wall-running to avoid its attacks, and there’s a sharp rise in the difficulty curve after having taken virtually no damage leading up to it.
The Rogue Prince of Persia Combines The Best of the Franchise and Genre
Death is inevitable in The Rogue Prince of Persia, like any roguelike, but it’s also how much of the game’s narrative and gameplay progression unfolds. Similar to Dead Cells and games like Hades, new dialogue, NPCs, or even features become available occasionally upon returning to the hub. This helps soften the blow of an unsuccessful run, and we saw something new each of the three times we were forcibly sent back home by the minotaur.
From the hub, we can unlock new weapons and power-ups to find in future runs, and by making certain discoveries on our runs, we can even choose alternative routes to kick off with upon exiting. It feels good to have a few different biome options to start our run in case players are seeking something in particular or are frustrated by one route. Exploring these biomes was a joy thanks to the game’s Prince of Persia DNA which emphasizes skillful, creative traversal. The game’s wall run mechanic is intended to be used frequently, and combo-ing wall runs into rope grabs and ledge climbs often had a rhythm similar to parkour games like Dying Light.
Throughout each biome are a generous helping of teleporters to cut down on backtracking and a handful of side rooms leading to full-blown platforming challenges. The ones we came across were quick and weren’t terribly difficult, but their damaging traps can present a survival risk that could throw off an otherwise promising run. Similarly, risky sacrificial altars reward a useful item in exchange for a chunk of health.
Given how well Dead Cells was handled throughout its time in Early Access, it’ll be exciting to see this already-solid Prince of Persia roguelike evolve once player feedback starts making its way to the developers.
The Rogue Prince of Persia will be released on Steam Early Access on May 14.
