The Rogue Prince of Persia – Hands-On Preview
Last night during the Triple-I Initiative Livestream, Ubisoft and Evil Empire announced The Rogue Prince of Persia™, a 2D action platformer – roguelike. The game will be available in Early Access on 14 May 2024.
Last week, I had the pleasure of participating in a “secret” playtest, organised by Ubisoft, where I spent 30 minutes with the new roguelike – The Rogue: Prince of Persia. It was an incredible experience to play an exclusive title, and especially not to be able to tell anyone what game it was, me, who struggles to keep any secret, no matter how insignificant… But, hey, the embargo period has expired and now it's time to share some impressions about the new 2D action platformer, in a very interesting cartoonish style.
Before I get into the gameplay details, I just want to briefly explain the context in which I played the 30-minute preview I mentioned above. So, the playtest took place remotely (don't imagine I was in the London studio), I logged into the proprietary Ubisoft Connect application, one of their employees gave me remote play access, and with a simple press of the 'X' button on the Xbox Series S/X controller, I stepped into the Persian prince's shoes and that's how the madness began. I only mention this to emphasise that what I tested was exclusively in the Cloud; I didn't have the demo installed on my personal PC running natively. Nevertheless, throughout the entire play session, everything was “buttery smooth”, without lag, glitches or other problems (thanks to Digi for quality internet, hehe).
I forgot to tell you that initially, before I found out what I would be playing in the playtest, I was mega-excited about a leak that mentioned Ubisoft was working on a new IP, specifically a World War II shooter. I was ready body and soul to play bang-bang with the Allied forces and defeat the Axis Powers for the 250th time, after all the hundreds of hours spent in Call of Duty titles. Yes, I know, the COD series is not part of Ubisoft's portfolio, but who remembers the tactical shooters – Brothers in Arms? Anyway, it doesn't even matter, the point is I was a little disappointed, I admit, to find out the day before the playtest that I would be playing a Prince of Persia title. I'm not saying I dislike the series, I just hoped for a brand new title.
Returning to our subject, my disappointment vanished after the first 5 minutes of play. The folks at Evil Empire, you know, those guys with Dead Cells, have done an excellent job! From a gameplay perspective, the game moves well and is very responsive, even in remote play via the Cloud. It's very pleasant to be able to climb everywhere and discover every inch of the map, especially since most of the time you'll be rewarded for your curiosity with various bonuses and magical items that will help you slice through enemies like butter.
Even the music in the game is incredible. The tracks composed by Persian-American producer Daniel Asadi sound simply outstanding. His music perfectly complements what's happening on screen and almost makes you want to synchronise your in-game actions with the beat of the background melody. In terms of sound effects, however, the game isn't great, but things can be improved. We're talking about a development build, after all, so it's excusable that not everything is polished and perfected at this stage of the game. It's more important to validate the product's main functionalities, and then deal with the details later.
In the 30 minutes of gameplay, I managed to experience two areas of the first level of the game. The first area, set in the desert, serves as a tutorial. So, you get accustomed to the prince's acrobatic movements and learn different mechanics the game offers: my favourite ability being to kick enemies, throwing them into spiked areas on the map, or into walls, immobilising them for a few moments (stun), so you can then go in with all your available arsenal.
The Rogue: Prince of Persia isn't just Dead Cells in a different skin; it's much more than that. Evil Empire have brought with them the best of their famous pixelated roguelike (in a good way) and given the new title a fresh, original form. What I mean is that The Rogue: Prince of Persia uses the classic 2D platformer recipe combined with roguelike elements, but at the same time, it manages to surprise with small details. Perhaps the artistic direction plays an important role here. The cartoonish style elegantly underlines the title's characteristic simplicity. It doesn't come with many pretensions; it creates low expectations so that it can then surprise you.
The enemies aren't very diverse, but that's understandable for the first level of the game. However, the combat is different depending on the weapon you choose. I managed to find a few during the preview, and I liked the axe the most. It's slower than the two daggers you start with, but it's much safer – one hit, one kill. You also have ranged weapons, similar to those in The Lost Crown, but at the same time different. This somewhat surprised me about Ubisoft: why would you consecutively release two games similar in gameplay and perhaps style!? But you should know that it's not quite like that… Both games have their own personality and complement each other. Plus, let's not complain so much; I know we all yearn for a remake of the legendary Sands of Time, but we forget that the Prince of Persia series was born as a 2D platformer-adventure, wasn't it!? Ubisoft certainly won't miss the opportunity to release that much-anticipated remake, but until then, let's give the titles we have now a chance. My only regret is that I didn't manage to reach the boss at the end of the preview, but I think it was more interesting to die and rediscover the first level, which now looked a little different and was populated by more aggressive enemies than in the first run. But in the end, that's the charm of a roguelike, isn't it? To reach a certain point and then return with fresh forces and new bonuses.
The 30 minutes of testing flew by as if they were actually 3 minutes. Although I'm not a fan of the genre, I absolutely loved doing tricks and discovering the game's secret areas, and after the time expired, I wanted to play another round; I had just “warmed up”.
It's a pleasure to play it with a controller. I don't know how “natural” it would feel with a mouse and keyboard, but if you have a console, or at least an older controller, then I recommend this option. Yes, I know, it hasn't been released yet, but it's not long until 14 May, when the game will be available on Steam in Early Access.
I know Ubisoft is a controversial topic among gamers, but I assure you that The Rogue: Prince of Persia is in good hands with Evil Empire. Oh, I almost forgot, if you're Hades fans, and I know you are, then there's an even greater chance you'll like the game even more. I won't tell you why, it's better to try it yourselves when it becomes available. Let's leave some room for mystery…
Next, I'd like to share a few lines received from Ubisoft, about the story and the collaboration with Evil Empire studio, and I want to thank them for the invitation received at GRIND magazine's address to participate in the playtest. I hope we'll have the opportunity to test Star Wars: Outlaws too, when it becomes available for playtest… hehe, fingers crossed!
“The Rogue Prince of Persia is set in a fictional rendition of the city of Ctesiphon, the capital of the Persian Empire. The city faces an invasion by an army of possessed Hunnish soldiers, led by the evil captain – Nogai. Players will embody the Prince, who has been endowed with a mystical power that revives him every time he dies. This magical artefact has allowed him to take immense risks to perfect his acrobatic and combat skills, becoming a formidable warrior. Attempt after attempt, players must help the prince explore different types of biomes, wield new weapons, equip new magical artefacts, and gather his allies to save the city from destruction.
Ubisoft, as publisher, and Evil Empire, as developer, have chosen to release the game in Early Access on Steam, to work together with the gaming community and thus make the best possible game. As time goes on, players can expect updates containing new levels, enemies, weapons, and upgrades, as well as content based on community feedback. For now, the game's story stops quite abruptly, but more improvements and surprises will come!”
Played on: PC (Ubisoft Connect)
Release date: 14 May 2024 (Steam Early Access)
Developer: Evil Empire
Publisher: Ubisoft
