Prince of Persia (1989 video game)

This article is about the 1989 video game. For the 2008 game of the same name, see Prince of Persia (2008 video game).

Prince of Persia
Cover art used for Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST and MS-DOS versions
Developer(s)	Brøderbund
Publisher(s)	Brøderbund
Designer(s)	Jordan Mechner
Platform(s)	Apple II, Amiga, Amstrad CPC, GB, GBC, Game Gear, NES, Atari ST, ZX Spectrum, Sam Coupé, Mac OS, Master System, SNES, Sega CD, Genesis/Mega Drive, Sharp X68000, TurboGrafx-CD, PSN, MS-DOS, Xbox 360 (XBLA), iOS, Commodore 64
Release	October 3, 1989
Genre(s)	Cinematic platformer
Mode(s)	Single player

Prince of Persia (often shortened to POP or PoP) is a platform game, originally developed by Jordan Mechner and released in 1989 for the Apple II, that represented a great leap forward in the quality of animation seen in video games.

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. 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.

Plot

The game is set in Ancient Persia. While the Sultan is fighting a war in a foreign land, his vizier Jaffar seizes power. Jaffar's only obstacle to the throne is the Sultan's daughter. Jaffar locks her in a tower and orders her, under threat of execution, to become his wife. The game's nameless protagonist, whom the Princess loves, is thrown into the palace dungeons. To win the game the player must lead the protagonist out of the dungeons and to the palace tower, defeating Jaffar and freeing the Princess in under 60 minutes.

The character of Jaffar is loosely based on Ja'far bin Yahya Barmaki, a Persian vizier who was executed for allegedly having an affair with a princess. He is a recurring character in the Arabian Nights and elsewhere in film and literature.

Gameplay

The gameplay is similar to the later Prince of Persia games as the player can jump through walls, avoid traps and fight enemies.

Development

IBM PC version of Prince of Persia.

Mechner used videos of his younger brother, David, as a reference for the original animation for the Apple II version of the game, and copied for the IBM PC version of the game, seen here

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. 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 the film Raiders of the Lost Ark had been one of the main inspirations for the character's acrobatic responses in a dangerous environment.

Ports

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 Amstrad CPC, the Atari ST, and the PC (MS-DOS). The game was ported in 1991 to the Sharp X68000 and 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 Sega Master System, Sega CD, TurboGrafx-CD (the American version of the PC Engine), NES, and Game Boy were released, as well as a version with enhanced artwork for the Macintosh. An enhanced version for the SNES had been released , and a Mega Drive/Genesis version was released later 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 NES version of the game's music was composed by Commodore 64 musician Mark Cooksey. While the game does not have credits, he has confirmed that he was the composer to the game.

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. 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/TurboGrafx-CD and Sega CD versions used the CD format to incorporate animated cutscenes with voice tracks and CD Audio soundtracks. Both versions of the game had modified graphics that seem to be based on the Macintosh version, where the Princess had a turban and colored clothing. Jaffar appears in the final level whereas the enemy encountered in the penultimate level is a champion guard.

The Mega Drive/Genesis port 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 (one that freezes time, others that give additional minutes to complete the game and one that causes a small quake and make panels collapse).

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 remain have some extra rooms or different routes. Also, there are boss battles that involve not only swordfighting but dodging as well. Unlike other versions, the player is given two hours to rescue the Princess. The prologue is also different, showing the protagonist courting the Princess, then being arrested and beaten. The scene of the protagonist 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 Nihon Computer System and published by Konami in North America and Europe.

In addition, the Apple II version of the game was included as an unlockable content in the Wii version of Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands.

Prince of Persia also got unofficial ports to the ZX Spectrum, programmed by Nicodim and released in 1996, and to the Commodore 64, programmed by Andreas Varga and released on October 16, 2011.

Reception

The game received 5 out of 5 stars in Dragon.

Remake and Modifications

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 features the same level design and general premise but contained 3D-rendered graphics, more fluent movements, and Sands of Time aesthetics. The gameplay and controls were slightly adjusted to include a wall-jump move and different swordplay. New game modes were also added, such as "Time Attack" and "Survival".

Reverse engineering efforts by fans of the original game have resulted in detailed documentation of the file formats of the MS-DOS version. Various level editors have been created that can be used to modify the level files of the DOS version. With these editors and other software, over sixty mods have been created.

External links

• Official website
• Prince of Persia at MobyGames
• Prince of Persia at SpectrumComputing.co.uk
• October 20, 1985, a journal entry with appended footage of David Mechner used for Prince of Persia
• Prince of Persia (SFC) at superfamicom.org