It’s time to put your parkour and fighting skills to the test with the goal of stopping the Hun invasion in The Rogue Prince of Persia! Read our review to see what it did well, what it didn't do well, and if it's worth buying.
The Rogue Prince of Persia Review Overview
What is The Rogue Prince of Persia?
The Rogue Prince of Persia is a 2D action platformer roguelike developed by the same studio that created the critically acclaimed Dead Cells, Evil Empire Studio. The game combines fast-paced and fluid combat with precise platforming to create what could be considered as a new and improved version of their previous masterpiece. You play as the Prince, who has to stop the Hun invasion that he accidentally started. Armed with a way to protect himself against death, the Prince must keep going to save the kingdom from peril.
The Rogue Prince of Persia features:
⚫︎ Fluid combat and controls to match the fast-paced movement
⚫︎ Different available weapons, tools, and powerups to fit your playstyle
⚫︎ Creative stage design and platforming segments
⚫︎ Great boss fights and arenas
For more gameplay details, read everything we know about The Rogue Prince of Persia's gameplay and story.
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The Rogue Prince of Persia Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
 Fluid Combat and Controls Well-Designed Platforming and Traversal Mechanically Great Boss Fights |
Certain Weapons Feel Lackluster Medallion Balancing |
The Rogue Prince of Persia Overall - 88/100
The Rogue Prince of Persia is what I would describe as the spiritual successor to Dead Cells, or as close as we can get to Dead Cells 2. It’s fluid and fast-paced gameplay complemented by gorgeous backdrops and earwormy music, makes every run a treat to play. However, it’s not all roses since it feels like there are certain things that still need a little tweaking when it comes to the synergy of the weapons and the medallions. Regardless, it’s a roguelike that you’d want to keep running again and again.
The Rogue Prince of Persia Story - 7/10
With the Huns invading Persia, you play as the Prince whose goal is to stop the invasion by killing the leader of the Huns. It won’t be easy, however, as they’ve employed shamanic magic to make themselves stronger. With the enchanted Bola protecting the Prince from death, you will be reliving the Hun invasion until you get to the bottom of things. Throughout your runs, you’ll piece together certain events that happened during the invasion of Persia and how you can change the course of history by travelling back to the past after every attempt.
The Rogue Prince of Persia Gameplay - 10/10
If you played Evil Empire’s preceding roguelike, then you’ll feel right at home with the fluidity of combat and how the different powerups work together. But even if you’re not familiar with Dead Cells, the game is easily understandable and gets you up to speed quite quickly. The combat mechanics are easily the best part of the game, where the exhilaration of slashing, dodging, and kicking your enemies puts the gameplay on a whole new level.
The Rogue Prince of Persia Visuals - 8/10
The visuals in the game are what I’d describe as a comic in motion. From the animations, art style, character design, and stage design, the game is a visual treat. However, there are a couple of hiccups when it comes to the color palette of certain stages. Some platforming elements blend into the background which makes it hard to see, especially when it requires you to run long segments of platforming.
The Rogue Prince of Persia Audio - 9/10
With no voice acting, only the sound effects and the music carry the weight of the audio design. While the former is good as I didn’t find any problems when it comes to the SFX, the latter is where the game shines. I found myself bobbing my head and vibing to the music while bringing the pain towards the enemies of Persia, and I have to say I definitely need that soundtrack now.
The Rogue Prince of Persia Value for Money - 10/10
For $19.99, you’ll be getting a high-quality game that will be in Early Access for what is expected to be a year. Even so, it feels like the game is already at a high level of polish in its current state and I can’t wait to experience the full game. It’s a worthwhile investment for both lovers of the genre and those who want to give it a try. I daresay it could even stand up to the game that made them delay their initial release in the first place!
The Rogue Prince of Persia Review: Another Amazing Roguelike For the Year
If I had a nickel for every great major roguelike release there were this month, I’d have two nickels, which isn’t a lot but is definitely weird to say the least. The Rogue Prince of Persia is the next project from Evil Empire, the famed developers of Dead Cells which elevated the roguelike genre back in 2018. The game is honestly what I’d call the spiritual successor of their previous game, but with the fancy additions of better platforming and a different art direction.
The visuals of the game are amazing! I’m honestly surprised by how much I liked the art style of the game especially when I wasn’t that convinced by the earlier trailers. Seeing the game in motion first-hand is a whole different experience than just watching the trailer, the crisp animations combined with the stellar art direction definitely made the game a treat for the eyes. There are a couple of issues I had with the game’s color scheme, as some areas had some platforming elements harder to distinguish due to the colors blending in with each other, which I hope could be addressed before the game’s full launch.
Another big surprise was how much I loved the music in the game. The use of the hard hitting "hip hop-like" beats and how well they meshed with the gameplay. I found myself vibing to the beats a lot during my runs and I formally request Ubisoft and Evil Empire to put the game’s soundtrack on streaming services as soon as they can.
Now, let’s get to the main point of the game’s review: the gameplay. If you were able to play Dead Cells prior to trying out The Rogue Prince of Persia, then you’ll adjust to this game no problem. If you haven’t played Dead Cells however, there’s absolutely no problem. It only took me about an hour to actually learn how to use the platforming mechanics, the combat, and how it all works together to get through areas. It’s not that the game is easy, but it’s very accessible to learn and quickly adapt to.
The combat mechanics are easily the best part of this game. The fluidity of how everything moves and how you can string together your on-the-fly decisions is superb. Dodging and weaving while incorporating the kicks, air attacks, and Medallion system are what make the combat great. The different weapons and tools also offer different playstyles for you to enjoy, and there’s enough for you to find the weapon that you feel comfy playing as well as enjoy the most.
With the combat being amazing on its own, how does the platforming fare? Honestly, it's also amazing. At first, it felt overwhelming with how many movement options you had, but after getting used to it, I started asking myself if I could actually go up to places by using a series of different moves. The platforming segments are well-placed and well-spaced, as they didn’t feel overbearing, but they were always there when things started to center too much around the combat.
Overall, the Rogue Prince of Persia is a certified steal. While it was understandable that they delayed their initial early access date to not clash with a fellow roguelike giant in Hades 2, Evil Empire has proven that they can stand tall against quite a titan. With a proven background in both updating and enhancing a roguelike in the past, this game’s future is bright and hopefully you could help the Prince stop the Hun invasion.
Pros of The Rogue Prince of Persia
| Things The Rogue Prince of Persia Got Right |
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Fluid Combat and Controls Well-Designed Platforming and Traversal Mechanically Great Boss Fights |
Fluid Combat and Controls
The best part of the game is its fluid animations and combat. It feels as though the game responds to your commands quickly which leads to the satisfying feeling of outplaying the Huns in combat. This, in conjunction with the Medallions, makes for an amazing gameplay experience.
Well-Designed Platforming and Traversal
The Prince of Persia franchise has always been known for its platforming, be it the original, the 3D series, and more. I’m glad to say that this game carries the torch well. The platforming segments are well-designed, and I could even argue that they’re well-placed with how intuitive it is to get around. This also leads into how you can use the different traversal options in combat and how it enhances the gameplay by a ton.
Mechanically Great Boss Fights
With the amazing combat and platforming, both of these go hand-in-hand to elevate the boss fights that the game currently has. While it took me a couple of run to understand how to both evade and deal with the bosses, it clicked with me as soon as I started to understand how certain mechanics worked in your favor as well as how to move around the arena quickly. It seems overwhelming at first as you need a few learning runs to see the patterns, but I assure you, it picks up quicker than most.
Cons of The Rogue Prince of Persia
| Things That The Rogue Prince of Persia Can Improve |
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Certain Weapons Feel Lackluster Medallion Balancing |
Certain Weapons Feel Lackluster
This could easily be a skill issue on my part as I preferred to use the quicker and more straightforward weapons in the game, like the Daggers and the Sword. But I can’t help but feel like the other weapons needed a little tune-up as the aforementioned weapons were TOO synergistic to use with the Medallion System. The other weapons weren’t weak by any means; it was just that these two weapons stood out as you could easily hit and run with ease.
Medallion Balancing
The different Medallions that you equip in your run are your secondary source of damage and could also be your main source of survival. These are the ways for you to apply debuffs and create elemental combos to really amp up your damage throughout the run. They are all similar in a way, as they are all achieved the same way by breaking a shield, attacking a stunned opponent, kicking a marked enemy, and more. However, the other medallions are locked by you turning in Spirit Glimmers after every run. This means, that your early runs will have you rely on the same few Medallions to breeze through runs.
Also, there are certain Medallions with conditions that are harder than others. An example is having to wall-run over a marked opponent as opposed to just attacking a marked opponent. I, for one, don’t exactly see why I should take certain Medallions as opposed to the simpler-to-use ones which I think they tweak a bit to reward the player for using the harder-to-use Medallions.
Is The Rogue Prince of Persia Worth It?
Absolutely! It’s Time to Loop Back and Stop the Invasion!
Look, it’s weird enough that we got two amazing roguelikes to come out in the same month and even weirder that they have a similar concept of looping time as well, but this game certainly surprised me. My expectations of mixing the platforming aspect that’s known in the Prince of Persia franchise with Dead Cell’s fluid combat were already pretty high, and they managed to still top that. For the price of $19.99, I guarantee that you’ll have a lot of fun wall-running and slicing your way through the Huns.
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| $19.99 Currently wishlist only |
The Rogue Prince of Persia FAQ
When will The Rogue Prince of Persia release for consoles?
As of writing, there have been no exact announcements for the game’s final release date, as it is currently in Early Access. The devs, however, have stated that the Early Access will last up to a year, which means that the console versions will probably be released by 2025 at the latest.
Why did The Rogue Prince of Persia delay their release date?
Evil Empire stated that the main reason for the delayed release was because Hades 2 dropped around the same time. To avoid competing with another heavy-hitting roguelike, they made the decision to delay the game’s Early Access release by two weeks.
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The Rogue Prince of Persia Product Information
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| Title | THE ROGUE PRINCE OF PERSIA |
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| Release Date | May 27, 2024 (Early Access) |
| Developer | Evil Empire |
| Publisher | Ubisoft |
| Supported Platforms | PC (Steam) |
| Genre | Action, Platformer, Roguelike |
| Number of Players | 1 |
| ESRB Rating | RP |
| Official Website | The Rogue Prince of Persia Website |
