I will not beat around the bush here when it comes to the most important detail about The Rogue Prince of Persia. This game is Dead Cells 2 in all but name. The Rogue Prince of Persia was developed by Evil Empire, one of the two development studios that made Dead Cells, and it is clear they reused and expanded on many of the ideas from Dead Cells.
Okay, that is out of the way, now to talk more about the game in general.The Rogue Prince of Persia was first released in Early Access, but between that initial launch, and the 1.0 launch of the game, there have been a number of changes. The visual depictions of the characters have been altered ( although you can unlock a skin for the Prince that is the original look) and the gameplay feels far more polished and refined. Imagine Dead Cells with the parkour acrobatics of Prince of Persia and you will quickly realize you are in for something special.
The story sees Persia dealing with a Hun invasion ( even though the depiction is far closer to that of a Mongolian culture than Hun) and the prince is killed in the invasion…..only for the bola around his neck to rewind time and bring him back to life a few days before. This time loop fits perfectly with the Prince of Persia series, given the many entries that utilize time mechanics, and the Dead Cells elements are woven in brilliantly. The prince will gather resources like spirit glimmers for more unlocks, and you even gain new blueprints for weapons, tools and gear similar to Dead Cells.
Of course, The Rogue Prince of Persia does do some things differently to Dead Cells, such as bringing characters back to your oasis where they will help create new equipment and weapons for you to use. Another difference is the use of medallions which will affect the Prince’s stats and abilities, and many can be unlocked with spirit glimmers. You will also earn experience points as you level up and you will gain new skill points that can be used in a variety of skill trees that will give the Prince new abilities, skills and stats, such as unlocking more healing potions and revives.
What makes The Rogue Prince of Persia stand out is the heavy use of story and narrative in contrast to Dead Cells. The NPCs you interact with will have a lot to tell you and the Prince has real relationships with the characters and genuine goals to accomplish. Even as you gain access to new routes, you will need to head to the older routes several times in order to achieve quest objectives. and find certain characters, and this feels like a real growth and evolution of the Dead Cells formula that makes full use of the Prince of Persia series. That is not to say everything is perfect though.
As good as The Rogue Prince of Persia is, there are a few hiccups here and there. The controls take a bit to get used to and can be a bit cumbersome at the start, although you will eventually get used to them. Added to that, the movement feels a little awkward at times, especially when it comes to dodging enemy attacks, which can lead to you losing more lives than you intend.
Still, the overall game is fantastic, with excellent visuals, amazing enemy design and great music. There is something just so utterly addictive about roguelikes and Evil Empire managed to take what was already amazing about Dead Cells and built on it to create something so utterly brilliant that you want to just keep playing. There are so many great quality of life improvements here, such as not losing your blueprints if you die before making it to the next area, an option to end a run and take back the progress you made to the oasis, which is great for those runs that are not going well, but you have gained resources on.
Evil Empire also included a number of things to shakeup runs such as needing to rescue people being actively kidnapped and other surprises, which manages to make The Rogue Prince of Persia feel like a game that is more unique than other roguelikes. Other touches include the way you unlock new routes by completing quests, and finding hints in areas. You also need to clear challenge rooms to find many blueprints for more gear, medallions and weapons, and you will eventually also unlock the aforementioned alternative skins to use.
The Rogue Prince of Persia is a game that builds on what came before it, in terms of both its mechanical predecessor, and the franchise it is a part of. It asks actual questions about the narrative reality of roguelikes and how it would affect other characters, and manages to have incredibly fun combat and design ideas that show that Evil Empire is able to innovate and evolve its design philosophy. If you are a fan of either The Prince of Persia series or Dead Cells, then The Rogue Prince of Persia is a game you absolutely need to play at all costs. This is easily one of the best games of the year and one that I hope will continue to get content in the future for years to come.
Disclaimer: A review key was provided
