Prince of Persia

Prince of Persia, electronic action-adventure game series, originally developed in 1989 by the American game company Brøderbund Software for Apple Inc.’s Apple II home computer. The series was created by American computer programmer and game designer Jordan Mechner. The first two releases were 2D platform games that were set in medieval Persia and followed the titular Prince attempting to rescue the Princess from an evil vizier. The franchise was later acquired by the French game company Ubisoft Entertainment after its first 3D game, Prince of Persia 3D (1999), failed commercially. Ubisoft revived the series with the critically acclaimed Sands of Time trilogy (2003–05) and subsequently released additional titles and reboots across multiple platforms. Boasting more than 15 releases for personal computers (PCs) and various video-game consoles, the series is considered one of the most influential and commercially successful video game franchises.

2D era

Prince of Persia (1989) was developed by Jordan Mechner for the Apple II home computer under a lot of technical constraints, including limited memory and restricted color capabilities. To achieve realistic movements despite these challenges, Mechner used a technique called rotoscoping, which involved tracing live-action footage to create fluid animations such as running, jumping, and sword fighting.

Set in a mythical Persian kingdom, the game follows an unnamed prince, the only playable character controlled by the player. Its villain, Jaffar, is attempting to rule Persia by rising to power in the Sultan’s absence. In particular, Jaffar plans to marry the Princess, who is imprisoned in the palace, to become sultan, but a side-scrolling adventure ensues when the Prince contests that plan. As an additional challenge, the player is on a timer and has only 60 minutes to beat the game. Whenever the Prince dies, he has to restart his current level, or section of the game, and loses time. Part of the opening narration of the game states:

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All the Princess’s hopes now rest on the brave youth she loves. Little does she know that he is already a prisoner in Jaffar’s dungeons…

The game departed from score-based arcade conventions that were popular at the time, instead prioritizing storytelling, puzzles, environmental hazards, and timed progression. Following its release, Prince of Persia became available in additional platforms, including PCs, the Apple Macintosh, and several handheld consoles. The game grew to be widely popular and commercially successful. In 1993 Brøderbund Software released Prince of Persia 2: The Shadow and the Flame, also developed by Mechner. The 1993 version had similar animations but with an expanded storyline, improved graphics and sound, and a greater variety of enemies.

3D and acquisition by Ubisoft

The first 3D installment of the series, Prince of Persia 3D, was released in 1999 and developed by Red Orbit Entertainment. The franchise was purchased by French video game publisher Ubisoft in 2001.

Sands of Time trilogy

In 2003 Ubisoft released Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, the first game in the critically acclaimed and popular Sands of Time trilogy. Developed by Ubisoft Montreal, a Canadian subsidiary of Ubisoft, the first part is set in Persia in the 9th century. The story revolves around the Prince, whose actions inadvertently unleash the mystical Sands of Time, after being tricked by an evil vizier. The Sands of Time turn everyone, except the Prince, the Vizier, and a character called Farah, a princess who aids the Prince, into Sand Creatures. The Prince comes into possession of the Dagger of Time, which gives him special abilities, such as limited environment manipulation and time reversal. Using these abilities, the Prince must fight his way through a variety of environments and enemies and stop the Vizier to undo the damage caused by the Sands of Time. The gameplay emphasizes acrobatic movements, including the ability of the Prince to run along walls, leap across gaps, and swing from poles. It also features environmental puzzles and sword-based combat.

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In 2004 Ubisoft released the second game in the trilogy, Prince of Persia: Warrior Within, which follows the Prince as he travels to the Island of Time, where the sands were created, to alter his fate. To achieve this, the Prince must navigate alternate timelines, confront numerous enemies, and solve complex puzzles while being pursued by a supernatural entity called the Dahaka. It builds upon the mechanics of its predecessor, featuring action-oriented gameplay such as stunt-based fighting combinations, dual-sword combat, and acrobatic traversal.

The following year Ubisoft released the final game in the trilogy, Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones. It continues the story of the Prince as he returns from the Island of Time to Persia, only to find it besieged by the Vizier and his forces. The game features a dual-personality combat system and builds on existing gameplay styles, with a focus on stealth-based combat.

New titles

In 2008 the franchise got a boost with its first open-world game called Prince of Persia. The game is noted for focusing more on environmental movement and exploration over traditional combat. The story follows a wanderer called the Prince who joins forces with a woman named Elika in an effort to contain a spreading corruption that threatens the land. Ubisoft released Prince of Persia for PCs and for Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and Sony’s PlayStation 3 video-game consoles. In 2010 Ubisoft released Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands, which tells the story of the Prince from the Sands of Time trilogy and is set between the events of the first two games. The gameplay features acrobatics, combat, and environmental puzzles.

Influence

Owing to its popularity, the Prince of Persia franchise expanded into other media. A graphic novel chronicling the Prince’s adventures, written by Mechner, was released in 2008. A film adaptation, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, starring Jake Gyllenhaal as the Prince, was released in May 2010, alongside the game Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands.