The Rogue Prince of Persia – Part 1-3
It’s been a while since I last spun up this game, and clearly I’m still a bit rusty. But don’t you worry, I can already feel that rust shaking off. This time, we’ll make this run count.
Streamed at: https://www.twitch.tv/newdarkcloud
The core of the roguelike is often it’s most discouraging feature: The idea that progress does not persist between runs and once the player dies, they have to start over from the beginning.
To combat this, modern entries in the space often incorporate some elements that persist between runs, to give players a measurable sense of progress even should they fall multiple times over. We’re seeing such elements in the XP system and the perk tree associated with it. Further, the ability to use Soul Cinders to add new weapons and items to the gameplay loop and add new elements to future cycles is another such way to drip feeding players with more and more power until they’re capable enough to carry through to the end.
Beyond that though, The Rouge Prince of Persia introduces the secret sauce that made Supergiant’s Hades such a beloved roguelike even by those who are otherwise put off by the genre: A story that advances over the course of multiple cycles. And yet, it does so in a way wholly distinct from Hades.
Taking advantage of the stable time loop that serves as it’s premise, the idea here is that as the Prince explores the ruins of the Hun invasion on his country, he is also trying to locate and save his family and figure out a method to defeat the Hun leader for good. So while we’re out there, we’re also looking for potential leads and information we can use to complete those objectives on our way to the palace where we will inevitable confront the Hun general.
It’s a Groundhog Day plot, except one self-imposed by the protagonist to give himself the time he needs to do what he needs to. As a premise, this folds neatly into the roguelike structure, and gives us something to pursue even outside of the goal of making it to the end.
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