The Rogue Prince Of Persia Early Access Review — Roguelite, Parkour, And A Ton Of Dead Cells

The Prince of Persia franchise holds a special place in my heart. The 7-year-old me had never experienced something as technologically brilliant as Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. The legendary level design, the brilliant parkour, and the tough-as-hell combat were my entry points into this iconic series, and I’m grateful for its majesty. 

Unfortunately, the series had been in hibernation for quite some time until The Sands of Time came to rescue it once again. Though the much-anticipated remake is nowhere to be seen, it did re-spark interest in the franchise, and along came Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown to shock the world. And now, we have another side-scrolling Prince of Persia with a Roguelite twist, the topic of today’s review.

Story And Setting

Before you embark on this journey, I should let you know that it’s not that big on the story. If you came looking for a profound plot, I’m afraid this is not the answer.

The Rogue Prince of Persia decided to embrace the series’ parkour supremacy despite being a 2D side-scroller.

The backdrop is pretty straightforward. Set in a fictional version of the historical Persia with some supernatural elements mixed in, the game follows our titular “nameless Prince” as he protects his brethren from a mysterious, demonic-looking army of The Huns. The time-bending artifact this time around is the Bola, The Prince’s prized possession that rewinds time upon his death.

And that’s essentially it. Provided the game’s still in Early Access, the plot is still extremely barebones; it contributes nothing meaningful or thought-provoking. The “interlinked quest map” system shows some potential; we’ll have to wait and see. 

Moreover, the complete non-existence of voice acting really bothers me. On top of that, NPCs and even bosses just keep writing the same dialogue over and over. It’s a “time rewind” concept, yes, but Prince himself isn’t affected. He has plenty of reasons to take a jab at the enemies’ repeating dialogues, but instead, he indulges in the monotony himself. It’s a major missed opportunity.

Gameplay

Now for the spicy part. Since it’s a game by the Dead Cells devs, and considering how much I love Dead Cells, I was looking forward to the gameplay the most. 

Your standard gameplay loop includes taking out enemies, navigating tough, randomly generated rooms, and dispatching the boss at the end to reign triumphant. Die, and you’re back at the start. The game stays true to its Roguelite brutality. Plus, to make every run distinct, the game gives you 9 different weapons and 6 different tools (secondary weapons) and says, “Go ballistic!”

Your primary weapon has a standard and a charged attack, and each is proficient in a particular niche. Stunning foes with the Double Dagger, aerial juggle with the Broadblade, ranged attacks with the Spear, and my favorite, the rapidly attacking Falcata that gains a buff for consecutive hits, The Rogue Prince of Persia has something for every taste.

The tools require energy to execute, which you gain by hitting and killing enemies. They make a specialized attack that is useful in controlling a certain situation, like the grapple hook for closing distances or the chakram to play boomerang.

The plot is still extremely barebones; it contributes nothing meaningful or thought-provoking.

Complementing these mechanics is the Medallion system, this game’s version of charms. They provide specific auxiliary actions like triggering a dagger throw, spreading resin, regenerating energy, or an irreplaceable second chance.

Parkour And Combat Fluidity Are The Highlights

A system like this is incomplete without evasive maneuvers, and thus you have two options. Either dash forward, but be mindful since this has no iframes, or vault over enemies to both throw them off balance and gain some respite thanks to the momentary invincibility.

The combat is entertaining, but it cannot make up for the utter lack of content.

Let me tell you a fascinating little detail. The Rogue Prince of Persia decided to embrace the series’ parkour supremacy despite being a 2D side-scroller. It’s a pretty ingenious mechanic, too. You can essentially climb and run over any wall you come across, confuse your foes with your nimble demeanor, and cross over puzzle sections with finesse.

It’s a creative concept in theory, but the execution is a little weak for now. When facing stuff like windows and tight-knit corridors, the parkour works against you sometimes.

That said, the game’s slick combat and smooth animations are its best part. Hitting enemies is satisfying, but the real problem begins when they decide to hit you back. The combat’s fluidity and landing fast-paced combos to overwhelm your foes is a sublime feeling.

Repetition And Overwhelming Encounters Plague Its Roots

Alas, it’s not all a bed of roses. Certain very prominent thorns exist in the game, and it better get rid of these problems soon.

The first is monotony. This fancy word always follows a rogue-lite game closely, as the concept itself is grounded in repetition. Making this repetition enjoyable is key. And unfortunately, The Rogue Prince of Persia seems to be failing at it so far. Although you have multiple weapons to try, there are very few ways the game makes subsequent runs exciting.

The level design changes, but it’s still more or less the same. The combat is entertaining, but it cannot make up for the utter lack of content. The level of design and puzzle creativity is genuinely good. When you see it for the first time, it amazes you, but you have little to no incentive to restart once you’ve seen it all. The final product promises twice as much content, but seeing this, even twice, might not be enough.

Moving on to the next problem, which is how easily the enemies can overwhelm you here. The combat’s certainly exciting, but when you’re the only one getting bullied, it’s not as much fun as doing the bullying. Most of the time, you’ll find yourself escaping encounters, panic spamming dashes, and vaulting, anything to save that precious health till the boss. It’s a waste considering the excellent combat mechanics.

The Recent Update Brings Some Welcome Changes

While I was working on this review, the huge Temple of Fire update landed, so I think it’ll be insulting if I judge the game without it.

In a nutshell, this update convinced me that the devs are very serious about consistently improving the game. Not only did it improve upon the “lack of content” problem with a new, exciting area full of challenges, but it also added the character skill tree, which makes the game’s progression system much better. You now have a lot more incentive for subsequent runs with a cool new area and more room for growth. The commitment to excellence is real.

Visuals And Performance

In the end, I would like to bring your attention to the visuals, and I must say, this is where I was sold. I’m a sucker for beautiful and creative hand-drawn art and backgrounds like these, and the game’s artistic appeal is through the roof. A gorgeous visual presentation through and through.

Just as Dead Cells was pretty unique in its art style and presentation, The Rogue Prince of Persia is similarly novel and charming. These picturesque backgrounds incentivize the exploration of the levels and make you appreciate the effort that went into the details.

As for performance, I don’t think I ever ran into a hiccup during my experience. I played the game on a pretty modest PC, yet it never suffered from performance dips or crashes. Needless to say, you won’t have any problems running it smoothly on your hardware.

Verdict

All in all, the Prince of Persia fan in me was extremely happy to see the franchise making a triumphant comeback. It’s no Lost Crown, but The Rogue Prince of Persia is still a great game to sate your Prince of Persia cravings. Though monotony plagues its roots, the slick combat system and charming art style make The Rogue Prince of Persia a solid pick for fans all around.

That was all about my The Rogue Prince of Persia Early Access review. If I managed to keep you entertained, consider checking out some more of our reviews:

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