Prince of Persia (video game)
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{{two other uses|the game|the titular character|Prince (Prince of Persia)|an overview of the series|Prince of Persia (series)}}
{{Infobox VG |title = Prince of Persia
|image = [[Image:PoP-megaCD cover.png|256px|Prince of Persia Mega-CD Cover]]
|developer = [[Brøderbund]], [[Nihon Computer System|NCS]] (SNES)
|publisher = [[Brøderbund]], [[Konami]] (SNES)
|designer = [[Jordan Mechner]]
|released = [[1989 in video gaming|1989]]
|genre = [[Platform game|Platform]]
|modes = [[Single player]]
|platforms = [[MS-DOS]], [[Apple II]], [[Apple Macintosh]], [[Amiga]], [[Atari ST]], [[Sega Master System|Master System]], [[Sega Mega Drive|Mega Drive/Genesis]], [[Sega Mega-CD|Mega-CD]], [[Sega Game Gear]], [[TurboGrafx CD]], [[NEC PC-9801]], [[Nintendo Entertainment System|NES]], [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System|SNES]], [[Game Boy|GB/GBC]], [[SAM Coupé]], [[Sharp X68000]], [[Amstrad CPC]], [[Mobile phone]], [[ZX Spectrum]] (complete but unofficial port by Nicodim), [[Xbox 360]]<ref>[http://www.siliconera.com/index.php/2007/04/18/prince-of-persia-and-tron-coming-to-xbox-live-arcade/ Siliconera » Prince of Persia and Tron coming to Xbox Live Arcade?<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>[[Wii]]
|input = [[computer keyboard|Keyboard]], [[Joystick]] (DOS)
}}
'''''Prince of Persia''''' (often shortened to ''"POP"'') is a [[platform game]], originally developed by [[Jordan Mechner]] in [[1989 in video gaming|1989]] for the [[Apple II]], that was widely seen{{Fact|date=October 2007}} as a great leap forward in the quality of [[animation]] seen in [[Video game|computer games]]. Mechner used a process called [[rotoscoping]], in which he studied many hours of [[film]] of his younger brother [[David Mechner|David]] running and jumping in white clothes, to ensure that all the movements looked just right. Also unusual was the method of [[combat]]: protagonist and enemies fought with [[sword]]s, not projectile weapons, as was the case in most contemporary games. Mechner has said that when he started programming, the first ten minutes of ''[[Raiders of the Lost Ark]]'' had been one of the main inspirations for the character's acrobatic responses in a dangerous environment.<ref>[http://www.gamasutra.com/features/20041224/rouse_02.shtml Interview with Jordan Mechner at Gamasutra (needs registration)]</ref>
After the original release on the Apple II, ''Prince of Persia'' was ported to a wide range of platforms, including the [[Amiga]], [[Apple Macintosh]], [[DOS]], [[Nintendo Entertainment System|NES]], [[Game Boy]], [[Sega Mega Drive]], [[Game Gear]], [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System|SNES]], [[Sharp X68000]], [[Atari ST]] and [[SAM Coupé]]. 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 [[Platform game#Cinematic platformers (Prince of Persia style)|sub-genre]], which imitated the sprawling non-scrolling levels, fluid animation, and control style pioneered by ''Prince''. <ref>[http://www.gametap.com/articles/gamefeatures/prince_of_persia_retrospective-05052008 "Prince of Persia Retrospective"], ''gametap.com'', [[May 5]], [[2008]].</ref>
==Plot==
As the title suggests, the game is set in [[Ancient Persia]]. As a child, Jordan Mechner had enjoyed the tales from the ''[[The Book of One Thousand and One Nights]]'' and the settings for this game are changed to Persia. The [[Prince (Prince of Persia)|Prince]] is an orphan, living on the streets. One day, he scales the palace walls to catch a glimpse of the Princess, whose beauty is like the "moonrise in the heavens". His feelings are reciprocated by the Princess, despite their class differences.
The game starts with the [[Sultan|Sultan of Persia]] being called away to war in a foreign land. Sensing opportunity, the evil [[Vizier]] Jaffar seizes the throne for himself. The Prince is imprisoned, since Jaffar has designs on the Princess. The Princess is also imprisoned and she is given a choice with an hour to decide: marry Jaffar or die. The Prince has an hour to complete the game by saving the Princess and killing Jaffar.
The twist is that the game is played in [[Real time (media)|real time]], so the Prince must quickly complete the quest without breaks. On some platforms it is possible to save the game at the start of each [[level (computer and video games)|level]], though the time limit still applies. The only way to lose the game is by letting the time expire. If the Prince is killed, the game will restart from the beginning of the level, or in some levels, at a mid-way checkpoint.
The game also includes a power bar. Medium falls, blue potions, being hit by falling platforms, and sword hits take one bottle off the power bar, while major falls, being hit unarmed, falling or running on spikes and blades, kill the Prince instantly. The Prince can increase the number of bottles in his power bar by drinking larger red potions, usually hidden or in dangerous places, while the regular-sized Red magic potions restore one life each time they are consumed. There is also a green potion that made the Prince light-weight and one that made the screen flip around, depending on the level.
In the fourth level, the Prince is forced to jump through a magic mirror that tears his soul apart from him, always leaving him with just one full bottle. The soul, depicted as a semi-transparent copy of the prince, leaves the screen and will appear in two of the last levels. In level 6, when the prince jumps and catches on a platform to climb up, his soul closes the gate before him forcing him to drop to next level. In level 12, with the sword drawn, fighting the prince. Since the prince cannot hurt his soul without getting hurt as well, he has to sheathe his weapon and rejoin his soul by walking into it. This also adds an extra bottle to the prince's power bar. In the game's last level, the Prince has to fight and defeat Jaffar, a master swordsman. The Prince is reunited with the Princess and all is well.
[[Image:Prince of Persia Motion Capture Jump.jpg|thumb|right|Animation reference image]]
==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 [[Atari ST]], and the [[IBM PC Compatible|PC]] ([[DOS]]). In 1992, when the home console market was growing steadily, versions for the [[Sega Master System|Master System]], [[Sega Mega-CD]], [[Nintendo Entertainment System|NES]], and [[Game Boy]] were released, as well as a version with enhanced artwork for the [[Apple Macintosh]]. A version for the [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System|SNES]] was released in 1992. A Mega Drive/Genesis version followed in 1993. A port for the [[Turbo Duo]] also appeared in 1993, using the Super CD-ROM format. Another port was for the [[Game Boy Color]] six years later, in 1999. [[Java (programming language)|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 put in to be unlocked by finding a secret area (The [[GameCube]] version of the game also has a second method of unlocking the original game by finding three switches in the [[Game Boy Advance]] game, with the GBA being connected to the GameCube). The first level of the game also turned into a secret 3D [[minigame]] in ''The Sands of Time''.
The [[SAM Coupé]] version, released in 1992, is unique because it was programmed unofficially using graphics painstakingly 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 [[Sega Mega-CD]] and [[Turbo Duo]] versions used the CD format to incorporate animated cutscenes with voice tracks and [[CD Audio]] soundtracks. The games both had graphics that seem to be based on the [[Macintosh]] version, where the Prince had a turban and colored clothing.
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 remained had some extra rooms or different routes. Also, there are boss battles, some of which are not the typical swordfighters, and that involves not only swordfighting but dodging as well. The player was also given two hours to rescue the Princess (all other versions only gave you one). This version was ported and developed by [[Nihon Computer System|NCS]] and published by [[Konami]] in America and Europe.
An [[Xbox Live Arcade]] remake of the original game, now dubbed ''[[Prince of Persia Classic]]'', was released [[June 13]] [[2007]].<ref>[http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=77416 Xbox 360 release date, Eurogamer.net]</ref> This version features visual improvements making the game resemble ''The Sands of Time''. Developers [[Gameloft]] have also included new traps, enemies, and puzzles.<ref>[http://www.gaming-age.com/cgi-bin/previews/preview.pl?sys=xbox360&game=pop_classic Prince of Persia Classic Preview for Xbox 360 - Gaming Age<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
<gallery>
Image:ST_Prince_of_Persia.png|Atari ST
<!-- Deleted image removed: Image:PrinceofPersia-Mac.png|Macintosh -->
Image:PoP-megaCD screenshot.png|Mega-CD / Sega CD
Image:Princep.png|NES
<!-- Deleted image removed: Image:PrinceOfPersia_computer_game.png|DOS -->
<!-- Deleted image removed: Image:Prince of Persia for SAM Coupé screenshot.png|SAM Coupé -->
<!-- Deleted image removed: Image:Prince of Persia SNES.png|SNES -->
Image:ZXPrinceOfPersia.gif|ZX Spectrum
<!-- Deleted image removed: Image:PoP360.jpg|Xbox 360 -->
</gallery>
==Legacy==
{{main|Prince of Persia (series)}}
==References in other media==
In 1992, a famous [[Russia]]n author [[Victor Pelevin]] wrote a short story called "Prince of Central Planning" which shows a [[Soviet]] bureaucratic organization in which everyone plays computer games all the time (using [[United States|American]] computers, which were in very short supply in [[the Soviet Union]] at the end of 1980s). Nobody really works but actually lives in the world of the game he is playing at the moment. The protagonist Alexander (or [[Sasha (name)|Sasha]] as this name shortened in [[Russian language|Russian]]) lives in the world of ''Prince of Persia'' (i.e., he encounters red potions, guardians, spikes and blades in the streets and on the [[subway (rail)|subway]] during his daily life). The story was a heavy satire on Soviet [[bureaucracy]] and resembles stories of [[Philip K. Dick]].
The plot of the [[Disney]] 1992 film [[Aladdin (film)|Aladdin]] has many similarities with Prince of Persia. In the film, the evil vizier Jafar tries to force the princess (of the mythical city of Agrabah) to marry him, and Aladdin tries to save her. Towards the end of the film, Jafar also traps the princess inside a giant hourglass, similar to the one the evil vizier from Prince of Persia summons forth at the beginning of the game to indicate the time in which she has to make her decision to marry him or die.
==References==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
{{wikiquote}}
*[http://poplegacy.planets.gamespy.com/ Prince of Persia Legacy]
* [http://popuw.com/ Prince of Persia Unofficial Website]
* {{moby game|id=/prince-of-persia|name=''Prince of Persia''}}
* [http://www.princed.org/ Prince of Persia Editors Official Website]
* [http://princeofpersia3d.com/html/leg/leg_body_1.html Background information, including Mechners' brother video]
* [http://www.tammo80.nl/prince/ Prince of Persia Page] a single page where you can watch or download the videos used to animate the prince.
* [http://pc.ign.com/objects/011/011696.html Prince of Persia 3D]
{{Prince of Persia series}}
[[Category:1989 video games]]
[[Category:Amiga games]]
[[Category:Amstrad CPC games]]
[[Category:Apple II games]]
[[Category:Atari ST games]]
[[Category:Video game franchises]]
[[Category:DOS games]]
[[Category:Game Boy Color games]]
[[Category:Game Boy games]]
[[Category:Game Gear games]]
[[Category:Mac OS games]]
[[Category:Mobile phone games]]
[[Category:NEC PC-9801 games]]
[[Category:Nintendo Entertainment System games]]
[[Category:Platform games]]
[[Category:Prince of Persia games]]
[[Category:SAM Coupé games]]
[[Category:Sega CD games]]
[[Category:Sega Master System games]]
[[Category:Sega Mega Drive games]]
[[Category:Sharp X68000 games]]
[[Category:Super NES games]]
[[Category:ZX Spectrum games]]
[[ar:أمير بلاد فارس (لعبة فيديو)]]
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[[da:Prince of Persia (computerspil)]]
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[[he:הנסיך הפרסי]]
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[[ja:プリンス・オブ・ペルシャ]]
[[no:Prince of Persia]]
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[[ru:Prince of Persia]]
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