It may come as a shock to anyone who doesn't know me, but Dead Cells is one of my favourite games. I randomly picked it up on Switch back in early 2019 and it hooked me into the world of indie games and roguelikes. After years of post-launch updates and expansions, Dead Cells has been announced as complete, and when Ubisoft invited me to go hands-on with a new roguelike from developer Evil Empire, I had to be there.
While the situation is a bit confusing, Dead Cells was developed by Motion Twin, but Evil Empire was created to continue post-launch support a few years back, with many developers helping to continue Dead Cells content while Motion Twin moved to other projects. So, it's no surprise that Evil Empire's development of The Rogue Prince of Persia feels very familiar.
With The Rogue Prince of Persia, you play as the titular Prince. He's young, reckless, and provokes the Huns leading the army to invade the kingdom of Persia, and ultimately, cause the Prince's death. Much like the time-rewinding mechanics of The Sands of Time, The Prince has a special item which repeatedly takes him back to an Oasis, allowing him to experience the roguelite loop of fighting through stages again after every death.
There's no real connection to previous games in the series, at least, when it comes to the narrative. The Rogue Prince's design looks similar to The Sands of Time's version of the character, but the game fittingly brings the world of Prince of Persia into a roguelite. Everything from the heroic nature of the Prince that leads to his original demise, all the way to the locales you'll find yourself playing in - they all feel like a true Prince of Persia game.
It's hard to explain without playing it yourself, but The Rogue Prince of Persia's gameplay feels like Dead Cells. The weight of various weapons, the dodging, even selecting one of two levels when you reach the end of a stage is almost a carbon copy of Dead Cells' formula. Combat has been expanded upon, giving you the option to wall run for extra verticality, as well as kick enemies to break shields, but you're essentially experiencing an expanded reskin of the 2018 indie hit.
There's a variety of enemies to fight, and it can become challenging quickly if you don't pair your gear with the right items. The Prince can hold four items (at least, during our preview), each with different attributes that can be boosted by putting them in the right slots. These items add a distinct twist that can suit your playstyle, but during your first runs, the terms may be confusing. Stuff like Acrobatic Dodges isn't explained in the menus, but it's basically a dodge over enemies.
I got to experience two different weapons - a pair of daggers for speed, giving me quick attacks to overwhelm my foes, or a large hammer-like weapon for damage, but at the cost of my speed. Making the right choices to suit your style seems more consequential in The Rogue Prince over Dead Cells, as I found the latter to be much easier in my personal opinion.
In fact, this is something that I felt was apparent over my hands-on session. While I was only allowed to play up until the first boss of the build, I struggled to defeat the large Minotaur-like beast in three different runs. Dead Cells, even in my first few playthroughs, felt like a breeze to enjoy, but The Rogue Prince of Persia is certainly upping the challenge, which is great to see.
The music is also incredible. Each level has a distinct track that felt that immersed me into Evil Empire's take on Ubisoft's beloved franchise, with the music offering intensity that suited the world. Unfortunately, the visuals are a bit mediocre to me. Dead Cells' simple design oozes with style, and while I can see what Evil Empire was going for, I wish the bright colours of its Persia popped more - they feel a bit muted, and it comes off a bit cheap in some ways. However, the backgrounds of each level are, admittedly, beautiful looking.
However, that doesn't take away from the positive opinions that I left the preview session with. The Rogue Prince of Persia is a solid roguelike already, despite releasing in early access in May, and it certainly gives me the "just one more run" vibe that I desperately need in a roguelite. Evil Empire promised that the core gameplay is there, and future updates will just bring more content, and I can't wait to return to The Rogue Prince of Persia soon.