October 3, 1989: Brøderbund releases Prince of Persia
The popular Prince of Persia who is today seen in action-adventure games such as Warrior Within and The Forgotten Sands, got his start as the cliff jumping, ledge swinging, platforming hero in a very 2D way. Originally produced for the Apple II, Brøderbund, an educational firm, produced the story of the prince and the princess he loved who was imprisoned by an evil sultan. Players had to navigate the prince through a series of levels, avoiding traps, fighting bad guys, and weaving around obstacles, in order to reach said princess. One interesting (or horrible, depending on your point of view) aspect of Prince of Persia was that the game was timed, and ideally it was to be completed in one sitting. There weren’t any save points either – dying brought the player back to the beginning of the level. But turn the game off, and you had to start all over next time. Oh, the joys of old-school games.
Today, you can find the remake the original platformer, Prince of Persia (2007) on XBLA and PSN. Its sequel, The Shadow and the Flame is available through Itunes and Google Play. Which version of the prince to you like the most? Sound off in the comments down below!
I knew a girl once who could complete Prince of Persia for DOS on just muscle memory. It was her party trick. Good times.
I liked the sequel better, even though I am ABSOLUTELY ATTROCIOUS AT PLAYING IT. Had a go at it recently and could barely get through the first couple of screens before I rage-quit :-(
Dontcha just love that old-school rage? Nothing quite compares to it today! I’m quite impressed by your friend — I only ever completed the original game ONCE in one sitting, and the elation I felt was like none other before. After that, I didn’t meet the Prince again until the Sands of Time. We got along much better then.
Oh yes! The Sands Of Time is still an excellent game that has aged really well I think. I didn’t like the two sequels to that game but I actually loved the second reboot (Scarf Prince) which I think puts me in quite a minority group.
Prince of Persia is the ultimate escapism for real life me. Being able to be a nimble, acrobatic man rather than a heavy-set rugby playing bloke who barely has the dexterity to stay upright when standing still is wonderful for me! (see also, Tomb Raider, Uncharted and all of their clones)
P.S While I was “under the weather” I really enjoyed this feature in its original incarnation and it is really good to see it up and about again!
Thanks! I missed writing about this stuff, and I’m glad to bring it back to this wonderful platform. :)
I’m quite intrigued by the newest PoP game, The Shadow and the Flame. Might have to give it a go…someday.
I loved the original Prince of Persia 2 where it starts with the Prince breaking through this window and then battling guards on roof tops. It was so freaking epic at the time!
I agree with Iamspacegiraffe about the scarf prince of persia. That was really awesome!
See, now I’m gonna have to play PoP 2 sometime…you guys make it sound great!