The Rogue Prince of Persia Steadies its Blades on May 15th
Following up on the unexpected success of Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, Ubisoft is looking to strike while the iron is hot. The Rogue Prince of Persia is an upcoming 2D action-platforming roguelite adventure that fans of games like Guacamelee and Dead Cells won’t want to miss. Developed externally by Bordeaux-based studio Evil Empire, The Rogue Prince of Persia drips with the potential to capture the hearts of those clamoring for the next great metroidvania/roguelite experience.
While comparisons between The Lost Crown and Rogue Prince of Persia are inevitable, the latter appears to be doing everything possible to separate itself from the former. Whereas The Lost Crown opted for a hybrid 2D/3D art style, Rogue sticks to a strictly 2D perspective. The environments shown off are beautiful, capturing the spirit of the Prince of Persia series while distinguishing itself from what has come previously. The Rogue Prince of Persia isn’t The Lost Crown, nor is it trying to be classic Prince of Persia released long before The Sands of Time.
A New Classic
That said, you’ll still find most of what Prince of Persia is known for within Rogue. Mainly, traversal looks every bit as satisfying as it needs to be. Players can scale the environments in whichever way they choose – an aspect necessary to any Prince of Persia game. As with the best metroidvanias, how one navigates through the stage is essential to the experience. In this regard, The Rogue Prince of Persia appears to nail the fluidity and nuance required to engage players from start to finish.
Of course, any roguelite/metroidvania also needs to deliver a stellar combat system. Thankfully, from the small sample we were shown of The Rogue Prince of Persia, I have confidence it’ll be a blast. Naturally, this will depend on how the mechanics evolve the further through a run you get. But the action looks fast-paced and crunchy. Each strike of a weapon lands with a visceral thud. Each enemy ends up a cloud of smoke and coin. I can’t wait to see how many weapons make the final cut, but the combination of melee, ranged, and stealth attacks will indeed offer a variety of ways to tackle each situation.
Music To Your Ears
Aside from the visuals and combat, The Rogue Prince of Persia’s musical score aims to build ambiance as much as anything else. We didn’t get to hear much, but what we were shown genuinely impressed me. A heavy, driving sitar-based theme accompanied the game’s first level, flawlessly setting the stage for the high-speed thrills to come. Roguelites force players to tackle the same levels repeatedly. A score that doesn’t make one want to hit the mute button is a necessity. So far, The Rogue Prince of Persia will do the opposite.
I can’t help but wonder, however, if The Rogue Prince of Persia may arrive too soon after The Lost Crown’s release. Are people even interested in another entry into the series? Time will tell. I’m not convinced yet that it will share the same level of success as The Lost Crown. I love a good metroidvania/roguelite. As such, I undoubtedly want to see Rogue carve out a name for itself. Whether or not it manages to do that remains to be seen.
Regardless of The Rogue Prince of Persia’s fate, I’ll be there to give my take on it next month. The Rogue Prince of Persia launches into Steam early access on May 15th.
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