Summary
The Rogue Prince of Persiahas just hit Steam early access, and it’s in a pretty solid spot right now. While not nearly as feature-complete asfellow roguelikeHades 2upon its own early access launch a few weeks ago,The Rogue Prince of Persiastill offers plenty of content right out of the gate, and for a fairly low price tag. But of course, there’s a lot more content planned for the game’s future.
In recent blog posts and interviews, developer Evil Empire has stated that it will double the amount of content inThe Rogue Prince of Persiaby the time the game is ready for its full release, and its current plan looks set to do just that. In the game’s most recent dev diary — located on its Steam page — Evil Empire says it plans to add new biomes, story acts, bosses, weapons, enemies, and upgrades to the game, some of which will appear via weekly updates. While all that’s great, whatThe Rogue Prince of Persiacould really use right now is a little more Steam Deck support.
The Rogue Prince of Persia Could Become a Great Steam Deck Experience
The Rogue Prince of Persia’s Gameplay Is Perfectly Suited to the Steam Deck
While the Steam Deck is capable of running thousands of video games from across all kinds of different genres, some of the most popular experiences on the handheld platform are those that can be picked up, played for an hour or two, and put down. Naturally, the roguelike genre has been a particularly popular one with Steam Deck users, with players being able to jump in and complete a handful of runs before the Steam Deck’s battery runs out. Games likeHades,Vampire Survivors, andEvil Empire’s ownDead Cellsare often listed as some of the most played games on the handheld device for this exact reason.
Hypothetically,The Rogue Prince of Persiashould be the ideal Steam Deck video game. It’s a roguelike with fairly short runs, it’s not too graphically intensive so the handheld’s battery will last for quite a while, it’s primarily designed to be played with a controller, and it’s relatively cheap to pick up. But there’s one big issue that stands in the way ofRogue Prince of Persiabecomingthe next big hit for the Steam Deck, and that’s optimization.
The Rogue Prince of Persia’s Steam Deck Support Isn’t There Yet
Technically speaking,The Rogue Prince of Persiadoes currently run on the Steam Deck. Occasionally, it even runs quite well, looking crisp and hitting framerates of around 60fps. But the big problem is thatThe Rogue Prince of Persia’s performance on Steam Deckisn’t consistent. While players can experience 60fps, they can just as easily experience framerates that dip well below 30fps, and more often than not, their game struggles somewhere in the middle, resulting in a rather stuttery experience overall. Things get particularly hairy when there are multiple enemies or traps on screen at once, and when the game is loading the next biome.
The Rogue Prince of Persiaalso doesn’t have many graphical options right now, so Steam Deck players will need to enter the handheld’s developer mode to manually change any settings.
Of course,The Rogue Prince of Persiahas only just entered early access, and it’s honestly impressive to see it run as well as it does on Steam Deck so soon. Hopefully, though, Evil Empire can improveThe Rogue Prince of Persia’s Steam Deck performance before too long.
The Rogue Prince of Persia
WHERE TO PLAY
Experience a fast-paced, challenging but accessible roguelite as you master acrobatic moves and flow seamlessly between platforming and combat. Find new weapons, equip trinkets with special effects and upgrade them to make your own builds. Discover new characters, information and areas as you attempt to find a way to save Persia from a Hun invasion and become the hero you have always wanted to be.Lead the Prince in his fight against a Hun army corrupted by dark shamanic magic and find your place in the royal family as you explore a vibrant reinterpretation of Persia. Put the pieces of the puzzle together and discover new areas as you enter the fight again and again, meeting a cast of colorful characters through non-linear story progression.Flow seamlessly between platforming and combat, using your acrobatic moves to outmaneuver and outsmart your enemies. Use the iconic wall-run to open new routes of attack, avoid traps and explore hard to reach areas. Kick and dodge to manage groups of enemies when the odds are against you.Choose from a variety of deadly weapons and equip new medallions each run to unleash devastating effects, giving you the freedom to change your fighting style as you wish. Secondary weapons offer even more options, from bows to shields to grappling hooks. Switch your loadout mid-run to adapt to new challenges.
