Scar Tries: The Rogue Prince of Persia

Despite the enormous success of Dead Cells, I only started playing it recently. It’s easy to overlook just how much influence Dead Cells had on the indie gaming industry. While I enjoy roguelikes, I’m a little burnt out on them. So many are out there now that it’s working out which ones are worth playing.

We’re still in the Steam Summer Sales, and I’ve been making a spreadsheet of stuff I’m interested in. I’m weird like that, but it helps me prioritize what games I want to play. I’m at the point with my library where I want to buy games I know I’ll play sooner than later. I will probably write up my Steam Sale pickups once the sale is over, but for now, I get to enjoy the endless search. Onto today’s episode of ‘Scar Tries’, that brings me to The Rogue Prince Of Persia. There was a reason I mentioned Dead Cells because the team that took over from Dead Cells development in 2019 (Evil Empire) is behind Rogue Prince! Some of my rambles are on topic.

Onto Rogue Prince. The Prince of Persia franchise has long been a popular one, and Ubisoft’s Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown back in January was a pretty good time, all in all. The Rogue Prince of Persia takes players back to the Persian realm as they try to fight off the massive Hun invasion. Launching in Early Access on the 27th of May, Evil Empire managed to push through some tricky times and the result is a solid piece of kit. Despite the technical problems and optimization facing players at launch, I was lucky to avoid most of it.

As this is a ‘Scar Tries’ article, I’m sharing only my early impressions of the game, so this won’t be a very long piece. I’ve finished just a few levels so far. The current Early Access version features the first act of the story with six levels, a bunch of secret areas, and two boss fights.

With Sargon under relentless attack by the mighty Huns, the player must save their beloved city from the horde. Rogue Prince is incredibly fast-paced even by action roguelike standards, blending aggressive swordplay and acrobatics to create a solid gameplay loop. The usual roguelike structure is in here: finding increasingly powerful buffs and artefacts, unlocking new tools for future runs, and finding new characters to interact with. It’s a difficult game for certain, but I like how well Rogue Prince balances challenge with accessibility. Evil Empire wants The Rogue Prince of Persia to be playable for everyone, and I’m having fun. Movement feels fluid and enjoyable. While I had success playing with a mouse and keyboard, Evil Empire recommends you play with a controller.

The enemy Huns come in different forms. Some like the classic grunts will die easily, while others need their stance broken before you can wail on them. Both you and your opponents can go down quickly if not careful, so keeping mobile is key. With the excellent movement and different tricks you can do during gameplay, the combat feels challenging and fair in equal measure. I got my ass handed to me several times during these initial impressions, particularly the first boss fight. Even when I lost, I still had fun.

Ultimately, that was the biggest takeaway I had. The Rogue Prince of Persia has a long way to go, and the current Early Access version only contains a sliver of the content available. Despite the early setbacks, Evil Empire is easing into this new development cycle. If you’re in the mood for a good-looking action roguelike with great movement, The Rogue Prince of Persia might just be worth looking into.