Ubisoft’s ‘The Rogue Prince of Persia’ Is the Perfect Successor to ‘Dead Cells’
Ubisoft has surprised gamers with the early access release of ‘The Rogue Prince of Persia,’ an action-platformer roguelike developed by Evil Empire, the studio behind much of ‘Dead Cells” post-launch support.
The game follows a prince who must fight the Huns throughout Persia after emboldening them to attack. With gameplay similar to ‘Dead Cells’ but with its own unique tweaks, ‘The Rogue Prince of Persia’ offers a thrilling and challenging experience.
The prince has a primary weapon and tool; these default to daggers and a bow at the start of every run, but other weapons can be picked up, along with trinkets that influence his abilities, over the course of each run. Part of the fun comes from seeing what weapons, tools, and trinkets the game throws at me and adapting accordingly. Combat feels great, and there’s depth to learning the right times to dodge, slam into the ground, or kick enemies into each other or spikes.
Killing enemies sometimes gives spirit glimmers, which can be deposited at braziers located in levels and then spent at the Oasis to enable new weapons and trinkets to spawn during runs. On top of the fluid combat, ‘The Rogue Prince of Persia’ also emphasizes movement; it’s possible to wall-run on background walls, which gives this roguelike a sense of verticality most others don’t have.
All this is enough to give ‘The Rogue Prince of Persia’ a distinct gameplay personality when compared to the roguelikes it is clearly inspired by. It also helps that an excellent soundtrack and colorful comic-book-like visuals make ‘The Rogue Prince of Persia’ a joy to look at or listen to.
While still in early access, the game has six biomes, two boss fights, and a variety of weapons, tools, and trinkets to collect. However, content offering and progression could be improved to enhance the overall experience.
