Summary
- The Rogue Prince of Persia prioritizes combat and platforming over story, following the franchise tradition.
- The game offers a streamlined narrative focusing on a ruthless Hun invasion and the Prince's quest to save his land.
- While hints of Ancient Persian mythology are present, the game mainly explores mystical and magical elements.
More often than not, story has taken a backseat in the Prince of Persia franchise. In the original 1989 Prince of Persia, there was virtually no narrative at all, with players simply being told that the vizier Jaffar has kidnaped the sultan's daughter and that it's now on them to make their way up the fortress to free her. Prince of Persia 3D added a bit more story, introducing the bizarre half-man, half-tiger antagonist Rugnor. And while Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time and its follow-ups attempted to tell quite complex narratives, they were never the main highlight of the experience. The same can be said for The Rogue Prince of Persia.
Just released onto Steam early access, The Rogue Prince of Persia continues the series' long tradition of pushing the story to the background of the experience and instead lets its combat and platforming act as the game's biggest draws. That being said, there is still an intriguing narrative backdrop in The Rogue Prince of Persia, and one that sets the game neatly apart from the recently released Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown.
How Rogue Prince of Persia Fits into the Historical Timeline
The Rogue Prince of Persia is just a month away from release, and long-time fans might be wondering how it fits into the overarching series timeline.
How The Rogue Prince of Persia's Story Differs From The Lost Crown's
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown Dives Head-First Into Mythology
While the Prince of Persia series has dabbled in Middle-Eastern folklore in the past, no entry has embraced Ancient Persian mythology quite like Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown. From the get-go, one of Ubisoft Montpellier's biggest goals was to shed more light on Persian mythology, and the team definitely succeeded in that. From its general story to its bosses to its biomes, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown wears its mythological influences on its sleeve.
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown's main story sees player-character Sargon head to the mystical Mount Qaf on a mission to save the titular Prince Ghassan from his captors. Along the way, Sargon follows the trail of the mythological Simurgh, an all-powerful, god-like bird that imbues Sargon with magical abilities and leads him toward his goal. Sargon also faces off against the manticore-like Jahandar, the winged-serpent Azhdaha, and the corrupted half-dog, half-bird Chamrosh.
The Rogue Prince of Persia Has a More Streamlined Story
During a recent interview with Edge, The Rogue Prince of Persia's game director Lucie Dewagnier stated that the team had to change a few story elements during early development as the game was originally going to have a similar setup to Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown. Regardless of where The Rogue Prince of Persia's story originally started, it now stands well apart from The Lost Crown for a few reasons.
Firstly, The Rogue Prince of Persia actually sees players take control of the titular monarch once more, this time needing to save his land from a ruthless Hun invasion that he may have inadvertently caused by provoking their leader. It's a fairly simple story, but it evolves nicely at a steady pace, with players unlocking new character dialogue options and story paths with each additional roguelike run they partake in.
Being in early access, it's likely that The Rogue Prince of Persia will receive a lot more story content before its full release.
While there are a few hints towards Ancient Persian mythology, The Rogue Prince of Persia primarily focuses on the more mystical and magical side of things, with the Huns using some kind of dark magic to terrorize the city of Ctesiphon. The Prince is also imbued with his own magical abilities, with the most important being his bola, which protects him from death and rewinds the game's events.
The Rogue Prince of Persia
- Released
- May 14, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
Experience a fast-paced, challenging but accessible roguelite as you master acrobatic moves and flow seamlessly between platforming and combat. Find new weapons, equip trinkets with special effects and upgrade them to make your own builds. Discover new characters, information and areas as you try to find a way to save Persia from a Hun invasion and become the hero you have always wanted to be.
Lead the Prince in his fight against a Hun army corrupted by dark shamanic magic and find your place in the royal family as you explore a vibrant reinterpretation of Persia. Put the pieces of the puzzle together and discover new areas as you enter the fight again and again, meeting a cast of colorful characters through non-linear story progression.
Flow seamlessly between platforming and combat, using your acrobatic moves to outmaneuver and outsmart your enemies. Use the iconic wall-run to open new routes of attack, avoid traps and explore hard to reach areas. Kick and dodge to manage groups of enemies when the odds are against you.
Choose from a variety of deadly weapons and equip new medallions each run to unleash devastating effects, giving you the freedom to change your fighting style as you wish. Secondary weapons offer even more options, from bows to shields to grappling hooks. Switch your loadout mid-run to adapt to new challenges.
- Developer(s)
- Evil Empire
- Publisher(s)
- Ubisoft
- Franchise
- Prince of Persia
- Platform(s)
- PC
- Genre(s)
- Action-Adventure, Roguelike
