The Rogue Prince of Persia Review: Roguelite Action Meets Classic Platforming

The Rogue Prince of Persia swings onto the PlayStation 5, trading its traditional linear path for a fast, fluid, and dangerously addictive roguelite loop. You play as the Prince, desperately trying to save a beautifully ruined Persia from a Hun invasion powered by dark magic. It’s a 2D kinetic platformer where every death is just a reset button for your next high-stakes run through shifting palace walls.

Developer: Evil Empire

Publisher: Ubisoft

Genre: Roguelite / Action-Platformer

Release Date: August 20, 2025

Website: therogueprinceofpersia.com

UK Store: PlayStation Store UK

Quick Nav: Specs & HUD |
Gameplay Review |
Performance |
Settings & Controls

The Rogue Prince of Persia PlayStation 5 Review: Specs & HUD

• The bar shows at the top of the screen when entering a new area.
• When finding a weapon, a text pop-up shows the weapon’s power number and the DPS figure.
• Uses a handy red and green colour system to tell you if it is worse or better than the currently equipped.
• When adding mods, it tells you if it takes off or enhances the currently equipped mod.
• The map for an area fills in as you explore.
• Earn exp from kills, and it fills in your level icon at the bottom; earned exp amounts show when earned.
• Tutorial pop-ups as you play and a tutorial menu with all the information on mechanics and controls.

Gameplay Review & Mechanics Breakdown

The Rogue Prince of Persia swings into action with a full release that refines its roguelite formula into something fast, fluid, and dangerously addictive. This isn’t just another spin-off; it’s a kinetic platformer packed with wall runs, sword strikes, and high-stakes decisions that reward bold movement and smart loadouts. Every run offers a new chance to master the chaos and carve your path through a beautifully ruined Persia. The general flow of the game is massively improved since early access; it’s so easy and satisfying to swing and climb around the massive world. You have a 2D perspective that maintains the elements of Prince of Persia, like the ability to wall run and scale walls in the background. You can slide down the wall for a slower descent, and the levels are quite high and do allow a lot of exploration.

The combat is fast-paced, you can do attacks in four directions, and particular attacks break shields and blocks. I particularly like that you can vault off an enemy to avoid attacks. One cool thing is you can kick enemies into each other to stun them, or kick them into spikes or off the screen or kick boulders at them. Fall damage on enemies exists, which is a nice touch. Auras are shielded enemies that need other attacks, like boulders and tools, to break the shield and take them out normally. Combat can get so mashy, and it’s hard to balance it all out, especially when shields are part of it. Boss fights are huge difficulty spikes that can really halt your progress. You can go a long time without any combat encounters sometimes, and a lot of the rooms start to feel the same early on.

Progression is the hook here. Spirit glimmer is the currency you earn from runs and is used to unlock new weapons on future runs. Soul Cinders can be found and earned; you spend these at the Oasis to unlock items and gear for future runs. You have to bank these Cinders at altars. In a risky twist, you can break the altar instead and get a load of cinders, but then you cannot bank them. Spirit glimmer can be dropped upon death unless you find the special glimmer fires that allow you to bank the glimmer on you at the time. You also earn cash from enemies to spend during your run on items and buffs, but you lose it all upon death. Blueprints can be found to unlock new weapons at your main camp. It gets very addictive as you just keep looking for the next pickup or an item that could change everything. Sacrifice altars give you the option to sacrifice health for a random reward, and puzzle elements are usually rooms with a huge reward. Every area you enter for the first time will have a fountain that gives a touch of health and replenishes your health potion.

The Rogue Prince of Persia PlayStation 5 Review: Performance & Fidelity

• Gorgeous hand-drawn graphics style with fluid animations that make moving around and fighting a lot of fun.
• 1.50GB download size on the PS5.
• Fast loading times throughout the experience.
• The mouse cursor stays on the screen even when using the controller, which is a bit of a nuisance.
• No voice work, so character interactions bring the story notes via text.
• Excellent soundtrack that fits the vibe perfectly.
• There is no way to move the camera around, which would help with learning routes and knowing if a drop is safe.

Settings, Customisation & Control Details

• Handy dash button for evading attacks and navigating bigger jumps.
• A loadout consists of a weapon and a tool, which is usually a ranged weapon. You can then add mods to weapons to change how they play and increase stats.
• Tools are like secondary weapons or gear and require energy to use; you gain energy with regular attacks.
• You have a small area of movement of the camera to see a bit around you before dropping down or going up a level.
• Wells of dreams are plentiful and used to travel fast between the discovered ones, plus you can unlock fast travel points within the game world.
• Includes a Platinum trophy for the hunters out there.

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