There’s been a veritable smorgasbord of roguelite games over the last few years, so many that the release of yet another entry in the cram-packed genre elicits plenty of yawns and little excitement. Well, stifle your sleepy exhalation, as The Rogue Prince of Persia – a roguelite imbued with the thrilling free-running platforming that Ubisoft’s best franchise is famous for – is worth getting excited about.
The Huns have only gone and invaded Persia, which, quite frankly, is proving problematic for the Prince and his allies. As not only are the Huns formidable warriors in their own right, but they also possess potent dark magic. At the start of the game, the Prince faces off against their despicable leader, Nogai, but is quickly killed off. Thankfully, the Prince possesses a magical amulet that restores him to life and, as a Brucey bonus, partially rewinds time, to just after our hero was first killed. And so, with the death loop cycle of the roguelite established, the Prince sets off on a fateful quest to vanquish the Hun menace before they destroy all of Persia.
He’ll do this by wall-running, leaping, backflipping, rolling, and tumbling through a series of 2D levels, stylishly taking down henchman before defeating a series of ultra-hard bosses. Visually this is a sumptuous treat, with gorgeous evocative environments and accompanying background art. The cartoon-like characters are equally pretty, with fluid, smooth, seamless animation, which effortlessly brings to mind the iconic rotoscoping of the original Prince of Persia game. The graphics are tied up with a lovely Bande dessinée comic-style ribbon, ensuring that the Rogue Prince of Persia is one of the most beautiful 2D games released in recent memory.
Platforming is precise and fluid, just as it should be in a Prince of Persia game. As the Prince continues to free-run he accelerates, until he’s barrelling through the level like a particularly acrobatic freight train. Speed-runners are going to have a blast with this, but even us regular mortals can enjoy a silly grin slapped on our face as we hurtle past buzz saws, spike traps, and hordes of enemies with such agility even Sonic would be jealous. Being able to climb up the background is a genius touch, enabling developers Evil Empire to construct levels with impressive ingenuity. Indeed, I haven’t quite experienced anything like this in my 2D platformers before. What I really appreciated though, is how the Prince reacts very quickly if he hits a trap. Sure, you’ll still take damage, but you can rabidly recover and continue your wall run or flip away from danger, preventing the frustration that would occur if being struck with a trap was an insta-kill situation.
Combat is just as brilliant, with the Prince using his dexterity to counterattack an impressively varied array of Huns. With a backflip that apes the one seen in the classic game Prince of Persia: Sands of Time, the Prince can nimbly strike his foes from behind for increased damage, before darting away to prevent their superior numbers and strength from overwhelming him. It’s thrilling best-in-class stuff.
This being a roguelite, exploring each level rewards the Prince with numerous temporary buffs, from powerful new weapons to special ability granting medallions. Of course, you never know what the randomness of each run will grant you, but I always found that I had a decent chance of progressing, even with one of the naffer builds. Collecting magical gunk from defeated Huns provides permanent stat boosts, additional weapons, medallions and access to upgrades.
Progress initially comes thick and fast, with early runs always providing something new. Whether that’s allies to rescue – who will return to your homebase to take on the role of merchants and talking heads – or new gameplay mechanics to uncover. I also must applaud Evil Empire from attempting to vary up the repletion of the roguelite genre by providing additional side quests, providing you with motivation for the necessary task of constantly revisiting levels. This takes the from of a ‘mind palace’ in which the Prince can discover clues to various mysteries – from finding secret paths between levels to rescuing family members and discovering the Hun’s diabolic plans – and progress further through the game’s story, even whilst frequently dying.
Having said that, if you’ve bounced off the roguelite genre before, you won’t be won over here. Sooner or later, and with inexorable inevitability, the tedium of running through the same levels again and again sets in. Sure, you’ll complete them quicker, faster and with increasingly effortless athleticism, but you’ll still have to get through early levels like the village, aqueduct, and the Hun’s headquarters far more times than is enjoyable. Additional foes only do so much in alleviating the boredom. Still, if you adore the rinse and repeat elements of the roguelite genre, then The Rogue Prince of Persia is an essential purchase. For me? I’d love it if the stand-out game making skills of Evil Empire could next be applied to a more conventional platformer, one without the roguelite trappings.