Prince of Persia (1989 video game)

Prince of Persia (often shortened to "POP") is a platform game, originally developed by Jordan Mechner in 1989 for the Apple II, that was widely seen^{[citation needed]} as a great leap forward in the quality of animation seen in computer games. Mechner used a process called rotoscoping, in which he studied many hours of film of his younger brother David running and jumping in white clothes, to ensure that all the movements looked just right. Also unusual was the method of combat: protagonist and enemies fought with swords, not projectile weapons, as was the case in most contemporary games. Mechner has said that when he started programming, the first ten minutes of Raiders of the Lost Ark had been one of the main inspirations for the character's acrobatic responses in a dangerous environment.^[1]

After the original release on the Apple II, Prince of Persia was ported to a wide range of platforms. The game managed to surprise and captivate the player despite being at first glance, repetitive.^[2] This was achieved by interspersing intelligent puzzles and deadly traps all along the path the Prince had to take to complete the game—all this packaged in fluid, life-like motion.

Prince of Persia also influenced a sub-genre, which imitated the sprawling non-scrolling levels, fluid animation, and control style pioneered by Prince. ^[3]

As the title suggests, the game is set in Ancient Persia. One day, the Sultan of Persia went to wage war in a foreign land, and his vizier, Jaffar, is left to rule in his stead. Jaffar locks the nameless protagonist up because the Princess, Jaffar's love interest, has taken an interest in him. Jaffar then locks up the Princess herself, giving her an ultimatum; marry Jaffar, or die within the hour.

The player character is a nameless protagonist from a foreign country who traveled to Persia. The protagonist falls in love with the Princess of Persia. The primary antagonist of the game is Jaffar, the Vizier of Persia, who imprisons the Princess and attempts to conquer the land while her father is away.

The nameless protagonist escapes his prison, and climbs to the top of the tower, to where the Princess is imprisoned, facing a variety of resistance along the way. The Princess' room is guarded by Jaffar, whom the Prince defeats, saving Persia, and rescuing the Princess.

Prince of Persia was originally released for the Apple II in 1989. One year later it was ported to other personal computers such as the Amiga, the Atari ST, and the PC (DOS). The game was ported in 1991 to the Japanese PC Engine, using the Super CD-ROM format (but got distributed in the US only two years later). In 1992, when the home console market was growing steadily, versions for the Master System, Sega CD, TurboGrafx-CD, NES, and Game Boy were released, as well as a version with enhanced artwork for the Macintosh. An enhanced version for the SNES was released later in 1992, and a Mega Drive/Genesis version followed in 1993. Another port was released for the Game Boy Color in 1999. Java versions for mobile devices appeared in the early 2000s. For the revival title, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, the Macintosh version was included as a secret that could be unlocked. The first level of the game was also made into a secret 3D minigame in The Sands of Time.

The SAM Coupé version, released in 1992, is unique because it was programmed unofficially using graphics copied pixel by pixel from paused frames of the Amiga version and only shown to Domark (the UK distributors of Prince of Persia) for potential release near completion.^{[citation needed]} Although the computer had a very small user base and no other mainstream support, the release was allowed because of the very high quality of the conversion and the fact that it would incur almost no further development costs. Due to its independently produced status and the fact that the work was done almost entirely by one individual, Chris White, this version of Prince of Persia has several unique bugs.

The PC Engine and Sega CD versions used the CD format to incorporate animated cutscenes with voice tracks and CD Audio soundtracks. The games both had improved graphics that seem to be based on the Macintosh version, where the Prince had a turban and colored clothing.

The Mega Drive/Genesis versions also had improved graphics and background music. The Mega Drive version differs with the Genesis version in that it has four additional unique levels and new kinds of potions (some freeze time, others give you additional minutes to complete the game).

The SNES version is also unique. Aside from graphic and aural enhancements, the game has twenty levels instead of the original's thirteen; the original levels that remained had some extra rooms or different routes. Also, there are boss battles, some of which are not the typical swordfighters, and that involves not only swordfighting but dodging as well. The player was also given two hours to rescue the Princess (all other versions were limited to one hour). The prologue is also different, showing the Prince dating the Princess, then being arrested and beaten. The scene of the Prince being beaten is only available on the Japanese version of the game; it was censored in the North American and European versions. The SNES version was ported and developed by NCS and published by Konami in America and Europe.

In 2007, Prince of Persia was remade and ported by Gameloft. The remake, titled Prince of Persia Classic, was released on June 13, 2007 to the Xbox Live Arcade, and on October 23, 2008 on the PlayStation Network. It featured the same level design and general premise and gameplay of the original, but contained 3D-rendered graphics, and more fluid movements.^[4] New game modes were also added, such as "Time Attack" and "Survival".^[5]

• Official Link to Prince of Persia on Jordan Mechner's Website
• Prince of Persia at MobyGames
• October 20, 1985, Journal entry with appended footage of David Mechner used for Prince of Persia.