SNES Action Platformer Adventure 1992

Prince of Persia

Reviewed by Marcus Webb & Elena Castillo · Updated June 2025

Jordan Mechner's 1989 Apple II classic on SNES — Prince of Persia follows an unnamed prisoner escaping the Grand Vizier Jaffar's dungeons to save the Princess in 60 minutes of game time, with rotoscoped animation creating realistic human movement and sword combat demanding careful guard engagement. One of the defining games of the early 1990s.

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💡 Prince of Persia — Key Facts

→ Prince of Persia was developed by Brøderbund and published by Konami
→ Released in 1992 on SNES
→ Genre: Action, Platformer, Adventure
→ We rate it 9/10 — an absolute classic
→ Jordan Mechner's 1989 Apple II classic on SNES — Prince of Persia follows an unnamed prisoner escaping the Grand Vizier Jaffar's dungeons to save the Princess in 60 minutes of game time, with rotoscoped animation creating realistic human movement and sword combat demanding careful guard engagement. One of the defining games of the early 1990s.

Overview

The dungeon has 60 minutes before the Princess dies.

The clock started when the game started. It doesn’t pause. It doesn’t stop for failed runs or cutscenes or combat. When 60 minutes are gone, the game ends.

This was radical in 1989. It remained radical in 1992 on SNES.

Rotoscoped Movement

Jordan Mechner filmed his brother running, jumping, rolling. He traced those movements frame by frame into sprites. The result is the Prince moving like a human — deceleration after running, follow-through on jumps, careful crouching before ledge-grabs.

Flashback’s Delphine Software did the same thing at the same time, creating two games with the same animation philosophy. Both looked unlike everything else being released.

On SNES in 1992, the contrast was immediate. The Prince looked like a person rather than a character. The movement had weight and consequence.

The Ledge

Running off a ledge kills the Prince. The fall animation is immediate; the height required is small. The game teaches early and harshly that movement must be deliberate.

Careful stepping near edges — walking slowly to the edge, looking down, assessing the drop — replaces the confident running that most platformers rewarded. Running fast through a room in Prince of Persia is the fast route to the death screen. Walking carefully, looking before leaping, is the game’s pacing requirement.

The Combat

Two swords, two health bars, one room.

The guard advances. The Prince retreats. Finding the rhythm — advance, wait, counter — takes adjustment from players trained by action games that reward aggression. The guard who rushes and attacks first is countered by the player who waits and steps back.

Guards become easier after the rhythm is learned. That rhythm, applied consistently across 12 levels, is Prince of Persia’s skill test.

Our Review

Outstanding / 10

🎮

Gameplay

★★★★★

🎨

Graphics

★★★★★

🎵

Audio

★★★★★

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Replay

★★★★★

Gameplay

Prince of Persia is a side-scrolling action-adventure where the unnamed Prince must escape the dungeon, navigate the palace, and defeat the Grand Vizier Jaffar within 60 real-time minutes to save the Princess. The time limit is absolute — the game ends at 60 minutes regardless of progress. Movement uses rotoscoped human animation: running, jumping, grabbing ledges, careful stepping near edges. The Prince can fall to his death if he runs off ledges without looking. Sword combat requires engagement timing — raising your sword when facing an armed guard, advancing and retreating to create openings. Guards have health bars depleted by sword hits; the Prince also has health depleted by sword strikes or falls. Potions scattered through the dungeon restore or sometimes harm health.

Graphics

The SNES Prince of Persia translates Jordan Mechner's rotoscoped animation faithfully — the Prince's movement is fluid and realistic compared to typical 1992 action game sprites. Fall animations, combat stances, and ledge-grab motions reflect real human physics. The dungeon and palace environments are appropriately atmospheric.

Audio

Prince of Persia's atmospheric music creates dungeon-appropriate ambiance. The audio supports the tension of the 60-minute countdown and the sword combat encounters without overwhelming the player's attention required for precise platforming.

Replayability

The 60-minute time limit and the complete path through 12 dungeon/palace levels reward optimization. Players who complete the game find speed-run potential in knowing optimal routes, combat shortcuts, and potion management.

Historical Significance

Prince of Persia (1989, Apple II; 1992, SNES among many ports) is one of the most influential games ever made. Jordan Mechner created the rotoscoped animation technique in Prince of Persia simultaneously with (or slightly before) Flashback's Delphine Software — two games that pioneered realistic human movement in 1989-1992. The franchise spawned multiple sequels and the 2008 3D restart. Prince of Persia's influence on action-adventure design — the precise platforming requiring caution, the sword combat requiring timing over reflexes, the atmospheric dungeon setting — is visible in decades of subsequent games. The SNES version is among the finest home console ports.

✅ Pros

+ Rotoscoped animation creates realistic human movement unique in 1992
+ 60-minute real-time limit creates genuine urgency
+ Sword combat requires timing and patience rather than button mashing
+ 12 levels of dungeon and palace progression
+ One of gaming's most influential early action-adventure designs

❌ Cons

- One fall from height kills instantly — punishing learning curve
- 60-minute limit is absolute — can be frustrating on first playthroughs
- Limited continues make progress resets costly
- Some ledge sections require pixel-perfect positioning

Also Known As

Prince of Persia SNESペルシャの王子

Prince of Persia FAQ

What is the 60-minute time limit in Prince of Persia?

Prince of Persia imposes a 60-minute real-time limit — the Grand Vizier Jaffar has given the Princess 60 minutes to agree to marry him or be killed. The game's clock runs in real time from when the dungeon sequence begins. When 60 minutes elapse, the game ends regardless of how far the Prince has progressed. The time limit is designed to be achievable on a single successful run — players who know the dungeons, efficient routes, and don't waste time can complete the game within the window. Players encountering the game for the first time rarely complete it within 60 minutes; multiple learning runs accumulate route knowledge until a successful run is possible. The time limit is thematically appropriate — it creates genuine urgency — but mechanically demanding.

How does the sword combat work in Prince of Persia?

Sword combat in Prince of Persia requires patience rather than rapid button pressing. When the Prince encounters a guard, both characters draw swords. The Prince can advance, retreat, or strike. Guards fight back — rushing the Prince directly will result in the guard's counter-strike dealing damage. The optimal combat approach is defensive: advance slightly, wait for the guard's strike, step back to dodge, counter when the guard is in range. This advance-retreat-counter rhythm defeats guards safely. Some guards are more aggressive; later guards have more health. The Prince's health depletes from sword hits and falls — reaching a fight with low health while facing a difficult guard creates challenging resource decisions about proceeding versus finding health potions first.

What are the potions in Prince of Persia?

Potions are scattered throughout Prince of Persia's dungeon levels in jars. Most potions restore health — the Prince's health bar refills by the potion's amount. However, some potions are poison (reducing health) and some are transformative (creating special effects like reversed controls). The game doesn't label potion types before consumption — learning which potions are beneficial and which are harmful in each level is part of route knowledge. A large potion expands the Prince's maximum health capacity permanently — increasing how much damage he can absorb for the rest of the game. Large potion locations are important route knowledge. The uncertainty about whether a given potion helps or harms creates risk decisions in tight health situations.

Is Prince of Persia available on modern platforms?

The original Prince of Persia (Jordan Mechner's 1989 design) has been re-released in various forms. Prince of Persia Classic (Xbox 360, 2007) is a 2D HD remake of the original with updated visuals. The original Apple II, DOS, and various console versions are preserved through retro gaming communities. Subsequent Prince of Persia franchises — the 3D era beginning with The Sands of Time (2003) and the 2008 cel-shaded entry — are distinct from the original's design. Jordan Mechner has made the original Prince of Persia source code available publicly, enabling preservation efforts. The SNES version specifically is available through retro game stores. Ubisoft (current IP holders) has occasionally re-released various Prince of Persia entries digitally.