Gaming Anniversaries October 3- Prince of Persia
Released October 3, 1989- Prince of Persia
Prince of Persia jumped into the North American market on this day in 89′. For the Apple II Computer!
Set in Ancient Persia, players will take on the role of an unnamed
character as he attempts to escape a dungeon as well as rescue an imprisoned Princess. The game was created by Jordan Mechner and is heavily influenced by his first game Karateka.
What set Prince of Persia apart from other games was its use of Rotoscoping to create fluid animations. The entire game was as realistic as possible. Character movements would appear fluid and as if they were taken from life. This is because to create those animations, Mechner used his brother dressed in white clothes to create them. Additionally, he took some influence from films such as Robin Hood and other swordplay swashbuckling films of the time.
As the story goes, the unnamed character was imprisoned in a dungeon as the Princess loves him. The evil jealous Wizard Jaffar has imprisoned the princess in order to take over the kingdom while there is a war against another country. The princess must be rescued within 60 minutes or else she will be killed. You must traverse your way through the dungeon, jumping pits of spikes and battling other enemies along the way. Additionally, your biggest threat is a clone of yourself. Made possible by the use of a magic mirror
Critics adored it
Prince of Persia was very well received at the time of its release. Frequently being praised for its true to life fluid animations and deep and complex puzzles. Further, it was stated that it “captures the feel of those great old adventure films such as Thief of Baghdad and Dracula”
Despite the high praise from critics, the game did not meet sales expectations. Selling only 7000 copies on the Apple 2 and PC by 1990 in North America. However, that didn’t stop the European and Japanese market where it sold quite well. The game was eventually ported to several other consoles. Furthermore, it received two sequels int hat era and is still being produced today.
What did you think of Prince of Persia? Let us know int he comments down below!
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