4Gamers – Hands-on Preview | Life and death in the rogue Prince of Persia

We've had to wait many years for The New Prince of Persia, which became an instant hit with The Lost Crown, but now we're unexpectedly getting a second game in the series this year: The Rogue Prince of Persia, made by Evil Empire. .

The name Evil Empire may not mean anything to you right away, but if we told you that they are also the developers behind Dead Cells, that would undoubtedly ring a bell. Now they're bringing all that knowledge from their own game to this title to create a Prince of Persia-like roguelike.

We recently had the opportunity to play the game for half an hour and our initial results were very positive. The game revolves around a version of the prince – yes, in this game you play as the prince – who is brought back to life when he dies thanks to a piece of magical jewelry. This made him a bit of a reckless fighter, but he's very useful in the game's story. By the way, that story is about the Huns invading our prince's country.

What immediately struck us during our short play session was the combination of combat typical of the genre, mixed with plenty of platforming. In this regard, the Wall Race also appears in The Rogue Prince of Persia. However, it does provide some variety and more options to explore early in the game.

Platforming is also well integrated into combat, with dashes and stomps needed to surprise enemies from all sides. You can also kick them to stun them and deal some damage quickly.

There are also different options in terms of weapons, although we haven't been able to test them all yet. We were mainly able to play with dual daggers, which basically deal damage quickly. There are also large swords, spears, and hammers in the game, all of which play differently.

You can also add various add-ons to improve your gameplay. For example, you can make sure that enemies burst into flames when they are kicked against a wall or that poison is released when you let two collide with each other. As is often the case in these types of roguelikes, you'll initially have to figure out what works for you and then work from there to find a way to reach the end of the game.

Every time you die, you end up back in the Oasis, which serves as an in-game hub. There you can discover a little new story content and at the same time purchase the necessary upgrades with the resources you have collected.

Visually, The Rogue Prince of Persia has a style all its own. Everything is very colorful and almost looks hand-drawn. It works within the genre and combat and platforming clearly take priority, which we can only applaud.