The Rogue Prince of Persia Review: A Stylistic Roguelike | The Gamerheads Podcast

Platform reviewed: PC

Also on: Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S

Price: $29.99 USD

Run, jump, slash, repeat! This is the formula for Ubisoft's new game The Rogue Prince of Persia developed by Evil Empire. The game takes place in Ctesiphon, a city run by the Persians, after the city is attacked by The Huns and their chief, Nogai with an army of possessed soldiers, the Prince is tasked with saving the Ctesiphon as well as his family.

The Prince's medallion he wears is what brings this game into the Rogue like genre. After I died for the first time I was transferred back to the main base of the game called the Oasis. This is where I met Paachi, who is your guide to the basics of how The Rogue Prince of Persia works. Each time I would do a run I started out with a new random set of weapons. A base weapon as well as a tool that can be used to either pick off enemies far away or closing the gap between them.

The other factor of the game and one of the most important would be the Medallions; these are also random drops from the beginning of a run or found in treasures or shops I would find during my play throughs. These are similar to the boons you might be familiar with from another rogue like Hades. These could adjust the Prince's base damage of weapons or cause different damage abilities like some fire blades coming out of the Prince when I would use my heavy attack. Corrupted medallions are also a thing where they would cause a debuff to my character in a trade for a boon. I would usually chicken out from using these but I am sure paired with some other medallions they can be a great asset to my future runs.

Something new that The Rogue Prince of Persia brings into the mix is the new ability called Vayu’s Breath. Everytime I would do a well timed jump or any other sort of acrobatics I filled a small gold bar under the Prince’s health bar. Once full, activating it gave me a noticeable speed boost and altered the movement animations.This can also be used when incorporating the medallions into the mix. For example, I was able to get a cool combination of when I triggered Vayu’s Breath I would spread resin around my feet. I also had a medallion that would cause small explosions around the Prince when in this state as well, causing the resin to ignite causing all enemies in my trap to be slowed and receive fire damage. 

The design and animation of this game is something I can’t skip talking about. Evil Empire did an amazing job bringing each of these settings to life in a 2.5D style art that blends incredibly well into the smooth acrobatic combat and parkour animations. The music for the game is also something to enjoy blending fast techno beats with inspiration from middle eastern instruments and tones. The parkour is very akin to the Prince of Persia games of the last few decades. Allowing you to jump and wall run across different paths that can bring you to secret areas and new treasures. 

I never felt like my runs were a waste either. Even if an enemy’s strike or a hulking demon boss managed to take me down, I was still collecting one of the game’s currencies, soul cinders. These could be gathered during each run and deposited at designated points throughout the levels. These are sent to the Oasis and can be used to unlock new weapons or medallions in my next run. I was also gaining experience from defeating enemies, this can be used as well to unlock new skills in the Oasis, including another health potion or a revive after dying allowing me to keep going in my run.

Final Grade: A

The Rogue Prince of Persia is a welcome addition to the rogue-like family, mixing amazing fluid animations and satisfying combat. It provides an enjoyable progression without the feeling of having to start over every time I would die. I am excited to continue playing this game and finding all the secrets and ability combinations that come with each run.

Review code provided by Ubisoft