The Rogue Prince of Persia Review – An Ocean in a Storm

Dead Cells is one of my favorite rogue-lites of all time, so much so that I had to stop playing because it became an unhealthy obsession. Seeing Evil Empire continue that formula, especially in a new Prince of Persia with increased mobility, a greater emphasis on platforming, and a weightier narrative, it felt like a dream come true. Last year’s early access launch fueled that enthusiasm, even if it clearly still had a ways to go in terms of progression, weapon impact, enemy variety, etc. With Version 1.0 now available, The Rogue still feels like a compelling addition to the genre, even if it pales in comparison to the developer’s previous work.

Unlike the early access launch, which haphazardly exposed the Prince’s bravado, leading to the Hun army capturing him and wreaking havoc on the kingdom, the story starts in a significantly different fashion. We see the Prince battling against King Nogai, the leader of the Huns, and losing badly. Seemingly on the verge of death, he’s brought back to life by the mysterious Prachi, and, in true Prince fashion, believes he can save the day. This is thanks to a magical bola around his neck, which allows for going back in time after his demise (hence the run-based structure of the game).

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“Despite many of the same bones as Dead Cells – including the ground-slam from mid-air – there are several fundamental differences. You can kick opponents into hazards or each other, which is essential for quickly breaking past their defenses.”

It’s also a narrative tool to propel you into branching biomes. Gathering clues in one location means heading to another on the next run for more clues, often running into allies who can be recruited and sent back to the Oasis. These include Sukhra, a blacksmith who can take the blueprints gathered on each excursion and turn them into weapons and tools for future runs. Keeping track of all these clues and where you should go next is possible with the Mind Map, and while it’s great to have different reasons to revisit certain biomes, there can be some odd narrative kerfuffles.

One objective involves finding out who was kidnapped by the Huns, and on continuing that run, I eventually entered a boss fight where the Prince’s brother is corrupted beforehand. On the next run and venturing into the Grand Library, I discover clues confirming that, yes, it was the Prince’s brother who was kidnapped (cue shocked face in-game). The illusion that my decisions and actions have an impact on future runs isn’t completely shattered, but it is shaken, and hearing the same conversation after more than two rounds against the same boss doesn’t help. Overall, the story is pretty straightforward, but I feel like the Prince’s commentary on different locations, including endearing memories of his family and the rich history of a location, could have done with a bit more pizazz.

The key appeal of a rogue-lite, especially from the team behind Dead Cells, is the combat. The Prince is proficient in several different arms, from the hard-hitting Tabar to the Royal Sword for quick and easy melee combos. Each weapon also has a special attack that’s unleashed with charging the button, resulting in all kinds of unique effects, from dashing through enemies to poisoning them from afar.

However, despite many of the same bones as Dead Cells – including the ground-slam from mid-air – there are several fundamental differences. You can kick opponents into hazards or each other, which is essential for quickly breaking past their defenses. Instead of dodging past them, the Prince acrobatically leaps overhead, allowing for mid-air attacks and repositioning. There’s a heavier emphasis on leveraging the environment and outwitting your enemies, from their exploding projectiles to the lack of self-preservation. It can take some getting used to, especially when attempting to interrupt a combo mid-slice because your opponent didn’t outright die from the last one, and you should have vaulted over them to dodge their next attack.

“The level design facilitates the extensive acrobatics incredibly well, as you’re dodging buzzsaws, collapsing ground, and spikes to progress. These can get especially devious in the side areas, which challenge your platforming prowess, and it was fun trying to figure out the least harmful path forward.”

The other difference is the lack of a second main weapon. Instead, you have tools, from a bow and arrow and a chakram to a saw blade and even armaments from bosses, which rely on energy. Main weapon attacks restore that energy, but this overall setup, even with so many options available, does feel like a step back from Dead Cells’ build variety. That’s even more apparent when equipping Medallions, which bestow passive benefits. While you no longer have to rearrange their positioning or calculate, ahead of time, where each Medallion should slot in, the current system feels like it’s lacking something. I don’t mind increased weapon damage, increased special damage or – my favorite – more damage dealt and received. It’s just picking up a left and right Medallion to stack certain benefits, which feels too basic.

There are some strong synergies, but I kind of miss the risk of strongly pivoting from one build to another a la Dead Cells, because you happened to find a higher-level weapon or something that feels better. Such instances are reserved for hyper-specific builds leveraging statuses like poison or fire damage over time. As annoying as balancing three core stats could be, the additional layer of strategy they lent to build-crafting and Mutations is also missed. Instead of the latter, you have more traditional skills, unlocked across runs with skill points, and offering the usual – increased health, an additional healing potion, and the chance once on death with half HP (a la Hades). It’s straightforward and slowly increases your odds of venturing further on the next run.

Wall-running and dashing, used to dodge most enemy attacks, will become your go-to traversal methods, with the Prince picking up speed as you execute them flawlessly (and kill enemies). Entering that flow state of seamless parkour can feel great, especially when quickly dispatching enemies and avoiding traps. Wall-running can sometimes feel a tad slow, but it’s made up for by mid-air dashing. Some iffy interactions tend to play spoiler, including enemies not quite landing in environmental hazards, sections requiring a specific combination of wall-climbing and air-dashing, but they’re only occasionally apparent. What’s more annoying is the awkwardness of sometimes vaulting over an armored enemy to kick their friend into them, and failing because of their positioning. Or attempting to vault over multiple enemies in a row, where the second attack may miss, but the third definitely won’t.

The level design facilitates the extensive acrobatics incredibly well, as you’re dodging buzzsaws, collapsing ground, and spikes to progress. These can get especially devious in the side areas, which challenge your platforming prowess, and it was fun trying to figure out the least harmful path forward. Some more variety in side areas, alongside fewer empty, inconsequential rooms in the biome, would be appreciated. As it stands, the distinction between each biome – from the water slides of the Ruined Aqueduct to the machinations of the Grand Academy and the mutant plants of the Flooded Gardens – is excellent. Each location also feels well-paced, offering a significant amount to explore without overstaying its welcome.

“It’s still an incredibly crafted, gorgeous title that leverages the Prince of Persia license to deliver one of the strongest combinations of movement and traversal, even with its hang-ups.”

The presentation is also amazing, really adding more vibrancy and detail to the environments, including their backgrounds, while retaining the game’s animated feel. Asadi’s music also remains as sublime as ever, and I’ll be really disappointed if it doesn’t get some nominations before the year is up.

Unlike Dead Cells or many other rogue-lites, The Rogue Prince of Persia feels like it’s geared more towards its conclusion. Which isn’t a bad thing, but it does hinder the replay value in comparison. It’s still an incredibly crafted, gorgeous title that leverages the Prince of Persia license to deliver one of the strongest combinations of movement and traversal, even with its hang-ups. Here’s hoping that just like with Dead Cells, Evil Empire puts in the time to transform it from quite good to something truly legendary. The Prince would certainly settle for nothing less.

This game was reviewed on PC.