Lee —
The Rogue Prince of Persia – first impressions
Right here I used to be, casually getting myself pumped up for one of the most 37 Xbox video games introduced all the way through Gamescom 2025’s opening rite, then bam. An afternoon later, all the way through the Xbox Gamescom show off, The Rogue Prince of Persia shadow drops on Recreation Move. Through the tip of that night time, I am already hooked. Sorry, new Xbox video games — we will check out once more in a couple of weeks.
As a long-time fan of the Prince of Persia sequence, I might been eagerly looking ahead to this access from Evil Empire to hit consoles. It is been out on Steam Early Get entry to on PC for a short time already, however on the subject of working platformers fluidly, I consider my PC so far as I will throw it. This factor weighs a ton, via the best way.
Now not most effective did I am getting my console-bound want, but it surely additionally introduced into Recreation Move Final day one, so I have been ready to play The Rogue Prince of Persia on each my Xbox Sequence X and by the use of cloud streaming on my telephone. I in fact want the latter, too! Even this frantic, action-packed roguelike suits horizontal hand-held gaming completely.
What is it about and the way does it play?
The Rogue Prince of Persia is a 2D action-platformer that has you’re taking at the function of the titular (but unnamed) Prince of Persia. As is typically the case within the sequence, the Prince is a talented warrior, and his kingdom of Persia is as soon as once more underneath assault via a shadowy threat (this time, it is a possessed Hun military led via the fearsome Nogai).
Initially of the sport, The Prince will get bested via Nogai and taken again from the threshold of dying 3 days later to seek out his kingdom in tatters. From there, he units off in opposition to the palace for a rematch with Nogai. On the other hand, with this being a roguelike recreation (smartly, technically, a roguelite recreation), he does not make it that some distance till he is died and retried tens of instances (until you are a terrifying gaming savant, after all).
That units us up for the construction of the sport, which can really feel very acquainted to any individual who is performed a roguelite ahead of (the kind of roguelike that allows you to stay a few of your upgrades whilst you get started a run over). Rogue Legacy, Useless Cells, and particularly Hades, will all most likely be at the leading edge of your thoughts as you play The Rogue Prince of Persia, with each dying bringing you again to a hub (The Oasis) the place you’ll improve the Prince and his tools, chat with folks, and get quests.
Gameplay-wise, The Rogue Prince of Persia has you parkour-running alongside partitions, leaping, and mid-air rushing to transparent stumbling blocks, steer clear of traps, and growth thru every procedurally generated stage. In the meantime, you’ll be able to run into a number of enemies in every level. You might be incentivized to overcome them as much as declare their gold for upgrades as you run, however you’ll additionally pick out your fights and stay shifting when you want.
You get two platforming phases to play ahead of every boss battle, and when you sink a while into exploring as you run, you’ll be able to to find stepped forward guns and rewards that’ll let you within the run forward. Die, and also you lose the entirety however the rewards you ship again to the Oasis. You’ll be able to additionally now and again to find different characters on this planet, maximum of whom will sign up for The Oasis whenever you meet sure stipulations.
The stuff I in point of fact like
I am a sucker for a excellent roguelite gameplay loop, and I imply that fairly actually — I am getting suckered into this stuff moderately simply. That stated, it most effective ever takes cling of my existence when the moment-to-moment gameplay feels fulfilling, and I am happy to file that the core motion and platforming gameplay of The Rogue Prince of Persia is superb.
In particular superb is the best way by which the controls for each ability units feed into one any other. Finding out to get excellent at studying the placement and parkour alongside partitions is not only helpful for fending off injury whilst platforming, but in addition frees you as much as get inventive and keep protected all the way through struggle. In the meantime, your air sprint could also be the button you utilize to vault over enemies, so that you at all times affiliate urgent the best cause with lively motion.
Paired with a moderately easy struggle device (you’ll assault, particular assault, and kick to make space), you have got simply sufficient equipment to make the common struggle a laugh and the boss battles riveting. Positive, you’ll beat the primary boss via simply whaling on him if you have got sufficient well being and respectable guns. Nonetheless, it feels a lot better to wall run over each assault and vault over his silly head to make space. You realize, in point of fact clown at the man.
Past that, it has got the entire addictive options you favor to look in a cast Hades-like roguelite. Demise at all times looks like a mini-reward as you get to after all spend the entire sources you gathered and improve the entirety. It makes you’re feeling like you are at all times making growth, which ends up in a comments loop that you simply fight to become independent from of. You will not be able to forestall taking part in even if it is 2AM and you are desperately drained and know that you’ll be able to wish to write a dozen new online game articles the next day to come.
In spite of everything, and in some ways most significantly, the sport appears to be like stunning. I like the fluid animations, and I admire that the easy colours and environmental paintings make the motion simple to trace even if streaming on a measly telephone display screen.
The stuff I really like rather less
Granted, The Rogue Prince of Persia is not an ideal recreation. I am positive there are many individuals who presumed that just because it is a roguelike, and roguelikes are more or less having a second presently.
Some would possibly chafe on the procedural technology of the sport’s platforming phases, as an example, even supposing that is one thing I in fact like on this case. Whilst procedural technology can from time to time feel and look moderately sterile in sure video games (I really like Rogue Legacy, as an example, however it has got actual procedural-feeling stage layouts), the consistent combine up right here assists in keeping the platforming from feeling rote, which I admire.
On the other hand, if I’m doubtful about one component, it is the dimension of those procedural ranges and the way they issue into exploring. Platforming phases can sprawl out to a moderately daunting dimension, and whilst the sport cleverly refuses to will let you get misplaced with a beneficiant choice of rapid go back and forth checkpoints, it doesn’t suggest exploring them to the fullest at all times feels rewarding.
Occasionally, you’ll be able to undergo a whole not obligatory gauntlet of traps simply to discover a weapon or merchandise you do not need or want. Positive, you are typically incomes different sources as you move, but it surely looks like the sport is balanced in any such option to make sure that you want to at all times discover the entire nooks and crannies of every stage to understand you have got the most efficient loadout conceivable.
That is a laugh to start with, however as my time with the sport is going on, I believe this component an increasing number of of a chore. Occasionally, all I wish to do is tools up rapid and transfer instantly to the meatiest problem, and right here we now have a recreation that makes that impractical.
Theoretically, that gating of your growth and how briskly you’ll transfer on is one thing that may have afflicted me about Hades, too. On the other hand, a minimum of in that recreation, you at all times knew what you had been combating for in every house, so that you knew what the present used to be forward of you, and it stored you invested. In The Rogue Prince of Persia, you do not have that luxurious; there is a loss of incentive.
Additionally, whilst I really like that this has characters and writing, and that our Prince has a little of a character, there is no longer so much to carry onto right here. Once more, it is tricky when you find yourself following up Hades, which ropes you in with easy courting dynamics (the adventures of hot-headed son, his controlling jerk father, and his many, many fanatics). In contrast, The Prince’s courting to everyone seems to be in large part one rooted within the energy of his place, which makes his relationships really feel just a little dead-eyed and dry.
Those problems have not detracted a lot from the revel in for me (a minimum of, no longer but), however I will see them being giant turn-offs in case you are no longer already offered at the entire roguelite gameplay loop factor.
How are the achievements having a look?
Whilst I am making respectable growth thru The Rogue Prince of Persia‘s 74 Xbox achievements — maximum of which entail upgrading stuff, beating bosses, finishing quests, and so forth — I do know I’m going to by no means whole this one. Peeking at one of the most recreation’s secret achievements, I see that there is a minimum of person who calls for you to overcome the general boss with out taking a success. I do know rightly that, for me, that can by no means occur.
If you are a diehard completionist who most effective will get into the video games they know they may be able to totally beat, then you’ll be able to wish to have some self assurance on your talent to live on wave after wave of boss assaults with out taking a blow. And, as a result of it is a roguelike, you will not be able to have a rematch with that boss once more at once after shedding — you will have to get started all your run over.
If that sounds such as you, you are a extra succesful (crazier) soul than I. You’ll be able to additionally greater than deserve your new uncommon success whenever you get there, as a result of no doubt few will have the ability to unencumber it.
Abstract
The Rogue Prince of Persia‘s clever motion and struggle design pair without difficulty with its procedural components to create a gameplay loop that is laborious to position down. It is not with out some flaws, and the ones flaws will indubitably begin to gnaw at the participant in the event that they take too lengthy mastering the sport, however till that time, you have got probably the most relaxing roguelikes round proper right here. It is a no-brainer obtain for Xbox Recreation Move Final and PC Recreation Move subscribers.
Lee performed The Rogue Prince of Persia on his Xbox Sequence X the usage of his Xbox Recreation Move Final account. He additionally performed it on iPhone with a Spine controller by the use of Xbox Cloud Gaming. He is nonetheless taking part in it now. He in point of fact must get again to paintings, however we will’t appear to forestall him taking part in it.
