The Prodigal Prince is back, and his comeback is going so well that he comes back for a second time. Following January’s Metroidvania-like adventure in Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, gaming’s iconic double-blade king returns in the new 2D action-platform rogue-lite game Prince of Persia: Thieves . Access Early Access on Steam on May 14th. The next Prince of Persia game, developed by Dead Cells maker Evil Empire and published by Ubisoft, features a colorful, cartoony art style with the series’ familiar platforming and action combat.

The Rogue Prince of Persia trailer was released during a Triple-I Initiative livestream, showing off striking cutscenes and some gameplay. According to Ubisoft, the game is set in the fictional Persian Empire capital of Ctesiphon, which is under siege by the Hunnic army. Unlike The Lost Crown, here players will control the eponymous prince, who possesses a magical Paula who resurrects him every time he dies.

As expected from a rogue-lite game, players die, are resurrected and are thrown back to where they were at the start. This cycle repeats until the player levels up and improves their skills enough to complete the entire game. With each attempt, players will explore new biomes, try out new weapons, gain valuable knowledge, find and equip trinkets, and upgrade their gear to save the city from invasion.

The trailer shows off an acrobatic prince who can wall-run, spin-jump, and slide over deadly obstacles on tricky platforming sections. Players will progress through procedurally generated levels, battling Huns and corrupt creatures imbued with dark shamanic magic in colorful and diverse areas inspired by Persian architecture.

The prince will also have a variety of weapons to aid in combat. According to Ubisoft, players can equip dual daggers, spears, broadswords, and axes, and can also add an array of shields, bows, grappling hooks, and more as secondary weapons.

Developer Evil Empire is no stranger to roguelike games, having co-developed Dead Cells with Motion Twin. According to Ubisoft, the studio proposed their own rogue-lite version of Prince of Persia to the publisher. The iconic game series made a comeback earlier this year after years of hiatus with the launch of Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown. The Lost Crown is a 2.5D Metroidvania action-platformer that marks a new beginning for the series, featuring responsive platforming and fast-paced combat. In our review of the game, we found that Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown inspired the genre and forged a new path for the series' future. The next Prince of Persia seems to be following the same path.

Prince of Persia: Rogue will be released in early access on Steam on May 14, and Ubisoft will release it on other platforms later.

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