I have to admit, I wasn't familiar with The Rogue Prince of Persia until it was offered to us by Ubisoft for review. But as you will see in this The Rogue Prince of Persia First Impressions article, it has since overtaken our days and nights. It's a great game. And hopefully, with our brief review, more people will find out about this game and give it a chance.

Now, one of the reasons why I didn't know about The Rogue Prince of Persia earlier on is because it's not a Ubisoft first-party title. Sure, it's published by Ubisoft, but it's not developed by any of its studios. Instead, the game was developed by Evil Empire, the same studio that maintained Dead Cells post-launch.

Evil Empire pitched this game while Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown was still in its alpha stage. When the game was nearing its release earlier in May, Evil Empire decided to postpone its release when Hades II released on Early Access out of nowhere. There wasn't a lot of fanfare when the game finally came out, also in Early Access, earlier last week, hence, it's very easy to miss.

Thankfully, the game speaks for itself. It's a game that, while still in Early Access and obviously still has a lot of room for improvement, already packs a lot of punch and hours of fun. I'm also extra thankful that the game is out on Steam, which means fans who love it can gush about it with their reviews and through the game's community Steam page.

So, what is The Rogue Prince of Persia all about?

The Rogue Prince of Persia's Gameplay Hooks You In

The Rogue Prince of Persia's gameplay is very easy to get into. Its simplicity is its biggest strength. The Prince can parkour across platforms and obstacles easily. The usual movement mechanics are all here: jump and run to get around, and use the environment to your advantage.

However, what raises the game's skill ceiling is the Prince's ability to wallrun. As long as there's a wall visible in the background, the player can hold a button to have the Prince run perpendicular to the wall for a short time. This extends the Prince's mobility range. Wallrunning also resets the Prince's jump and dash, which becomes vital in solving the game's platforming puzzles.

Combat so smooth it can slice through butter

May you be a newbie or a veteran, the movement and combat are so fluid that you'll always feel in control. I tried playing the game with both a controller and the default mouse and keyboard configuration. While the controller setup is preferable, the game is still completely playable with the mouse and keyboard.

When it comes to combat, the game is smooth as butter. The mechanics are simple: the player has a weapon and a tool at all times. Then, you can execute a simple attack combo to damage enemies. You can kick enemies to displace them and to stun them when they bump into each other. And finally, the tool can give players additional combat options, like a boomerang-like chakram or a bow.

Combat controls also feel smooth and responsive. Dodging and jumping feels like a natural part of the game's combat especially since the rest of the game has strong emphasis on traversal. Thus, every small brawl you have throughout the game feels like an intense battle where you dance against the enemy as you dodge and hit them with your weapon and kicks.

Roguelite elements need some work

As a roguelite, The Rogue Prince of Persia is still a bit underbaked, although it has solid foundations. The game initially features seven levels for the Prince to traverse, and a total of two boss fights and one final boss. Every time you die, you go back to The Oasis, the game's main hub where every run starts off.

At the hub, players can unlock different weapons that they can start each run with, as well as the tools we mentioned earlier. During the Early Access launch, there are seven different unlockable weapons and six unlockable tools. You will need to accumulate a resource called Glimmers to forge the weapons so you can start a run with them.

However, all of these weapons and tools can still be picked up on your runs, regardless if you started with them or not. That means you can always switch your play style up on the go as long as you find them in the wild.

Currently, the options provided are still shallow. The game also doesn't offer any permanent upgrades that will make future runs easier. The game can only be beaten if you yourself become more skilled in the game. This could be a game breaker for many, as Roguelites have always been more forgiving when it comes to repeated replays.

The Persian Trap Music Keeps You Playing

What subconsciously kept me going between runs was the game's energetic soundtrack. Composed and performed by ASADI, the music mixes traditional Persian music through the use of traditional instruments with modern trap beats. It's no overstatement when I say that the game's music goes HARD. It's very emotional, dramatic, and energetic, and the bass drops are to die for.

That said, the game also keeps you going between runs by not interrupting the music even after you die. The music will fade a bit as you get transported back in time, but the music will continue as soon as you regain control of The Prince. This subconsciously pushed me to keep going, and I think that's smart game design, whether or not it was deliberately made that way.

The Gorgeous Graphics Tells You Everything You Need To Know

Finally, the game has great art direction. It effectively evokes Prince of Persia while also giving the game a unique feel. According to Evil Empire, French graphic novels lend a huge influence on the art design of the game, and The Rogue Prince of Persia stands out because of its vibrant colors.

Apart from the art design, the game also has a very clean look. By clean, I mean it's easy to make out what's happening on the screen at all times. There is enough contrast in how safe spaces and enemy attacks look. This makes it easy to inform the player of their movement, giving players enough information to discern how to navigate and avoid damage.

I also love the Prince's red flowing cloth tied to his waist. It makes it easy to follow the Prince's movement, making sure that he doesn't get lost in all of the actions that might be happening at the same time. The red cloth also gives the Prince a distinct look, making him easy to distinguish inside and outside of the game.

The Rogue Prince of Persia's Future

Evil Empire has a good track record in taking good care of its games. Not only do they take care of it through constant balancing updates and squashing bugs and glitches, the studio is also known for its consistent release of new content.

According to the game's Steam Store Page, the game is expected to stay in Early Access for a year or so, receiving feedback from the community along the way to continue improving the experience. The full game, once released, will feature more levels, weapons, features, enemies, bosses, story acts, and meta progression. The plan is to “double the amount of content from Early Access launch to 1.0.”

The Rogue Prince of Persia is out now in Early Access exclusively on Steam for $19.99.