Prince of Persia (1989) ??The Rotoscoped Platformer That Redefined Gaming

Category: Action / Platformer | Developer: Br?derbund | Year: 1989 | Play: Browser (DOSBox) | Price: Free

About This Classic

In the mid-1980s, a young programmer named Jordan Mechner filmed his younger brother David running, jumping, and climbing. Frame by frame, he traced those movements onto his Apple II computer ??a technique called rotoscoping. The result was Prince of Persia, released by Br?derbund in 1989, featuring the most fluid, realistic character animation the gaming world had ever seen.

Set in ancient Persia, the evil Grand Vizier Jaffar has seized the throne and taken the Princess captive. He gives her a choice: marry him within 60 minutes, or die. You, a young adventurer, must escape the dungeons, navigate deadly traps, and defeat Jaffar ??all within a single real-time hour. No saves. No checkpoints. One hour, one chance.

Gameplay & Tips

Prince of Persia is as much a puzzle game as it is a platformer. Every screen is a self-contained challenge:

• Careful Footing: You can survive a drop of exactly two tiles. Three or more and you’re dead. Look before you leap ??loose floor tiles collapse after a split second of standing on them.
• Sword Combat: Guards are tough. The key is to parry (press Up when they attack) then counter immediately. Don’t mash ??timing is everything. Against the Shadow (your mirror self in Level 4), sheathe your sword and run into him to merge.
• Potion Identification: Colored potions appear throughout the dungeon. Blue heals, Red poisons (sometimes), Green flips the screen, and Purple restores your full health bar. Some are deceptive ??the game loves to punish greed.
• The 60-Minute Clock: You have exactly one hour of real time to complete the game. Each death wastes precious seconds. Speedrunners can finish in under 20 minutes ??but on your first try, expect to use every second.
• Hidden Passages: Some walls can be broken with your sword. Keep an eye out for cracked bricks ??they often hide health potions or shortcuts.

Controls

• Arrow Keys ??Walk left/right, crouch, jump
• Shift ??Pick up items and potions / Hold to walk carefully
• Up Arrow ??Jump vertically / Block with sword / Draw sword
• Ctrl + Left/Right ??Running jump (hold Ctrl while moving)
• Shift + Left/Right ??Small step (essential at edges!)
• Space ??Sheathe sword (for merging with Shadow)
• Alt+Enter ??Toggle fullscreen

Why It’s a Legend

Prince of Persia didn’t just set new standards for animation ??it invented cinematic platforming. Mechner’s rotoscoping technique gave the Prince weight, momentum, and human fragility that no game character had ever possessed. The 60-minute real-time countdown was revolutionary for its time, creating genuine urgency that modern games like The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask would later emulate.

The game’s design DNA flows through decades of gaming: Assassin’s Creed (parkour climbing), Uncharted (cinematic action platforming), Tomb Raider (traversal puzzles), and Dark Souls (precise, punishing combat). In 2020, a poll by the Game Developers Conference ranked Mechner’s original source code journal and rotoscoping technique among the “Top 10 Most Important Game Design Documents” in history.

In 2003, Ubisoft released Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, which became a landmark in its own right with time-rewind mechanics and parkour-style movement. The franchise has sold over 20 million copies worldwide ??all tracing back to one programmer, his brother, and a VHS camcorder in 1985.

Did You Know?

• Jordan Mechner filmed his brother David running and jumping in a parking lot across from their high school to capture the rotoscoping footage. David wore white clothes against a dark background for contrast.
• The game was originally developed on an Apple II in 6502 assembly language. The DOS port followed a year later and became the definitive version.
• There is a secret level ??Level 13 (originally a demo level) that can be accessed by typing “prince megahit” at the DOS command line. The watchword MEGAHIT references the Mechner family’s nickname for the game.
• The skeleton that rises from the floor in Level 3 terrified a generation of kids in the late 80s. Internet forums are still filled with players sharing their childhood trauma stories.
• The game’s color palette was meticulously chosen: the dungeon’s deep blues and purples, the palace’s warm golds, and the Shadow’s distinctive green silhouette all emerge from a limited 16-color Apple II palette.