The Rogue Prince of Persia somersaults into 1.0, and you can play it right now

The Rogue Prince of Persia has been simmering away for a while now. After entering early access last year, the latest entry in the iconic platforming series, helmed by Dead Cells DLC developer Evil Empire, has undergone some big ol' changes. We've known the full 1.0 launch was on the cards for August, and now the developer has given us an exact time: this very second. Surprise.

Last year, after what felt like an eternity of silence from the legacy series originally masterminded by Jordan Mechner, two Prince of Persia games were let loose into the world. Prince of Persia The Lost Crown, one of the best Metroidvania games out there, was developed in-house at Ubisoft Montpellier, while a new side-scrolling roguelike, The Rogue Prince of Persia, had been left in the very capable hands of Evil Empire.

I thoroughly enjoyed stepping away from the Prince in The Lost Crown, and found Sargon to be a more than worthy replacement. But that's not to say I'm done with the eponymous royal. The Rogue Prince of Persia puts us back in control of the Prince as he acrobatically cleaves through an army set on invading his country's capital. Like The Lost Crown, Evil Empire's take shows why we need to see more from this legendary IP.

Sitting at a very handsome 'Very Positive' on Steam at the time of writing, The Rogue Prince of Persia initially impressed Ian, who reviewed the game when it leapt into early access last May. While it might not have quite been on the level of Supergiant's Hades 2 at the time, it's since undergone a substantial transformation.

Initially sporting a hand-drawn style replete with pastel tones, The Rogue Prince of Persia said goodbye to the Prince of Purple when it 'glowed up' its visuals back in November. The now-more-detailed Prince was given the slick animations to match, and the rest, as they say, was history. The game's Second Act also brought with it a new biome, bosses, and more, so you can imagine just how much has been added to the game since Ian's preliminary musings.

The Rogue Prince of Persia 1.0 is out now. You can check it out on Steam here.

If you've already had your fill of The Rouge Prince of Persia during early access, then check out more of the best roguelike games and best single-player games you can be playing right now instead.

If you've been having fun with The Rogue Prince of Persia, or are about to dive in for the first time, let us know in our community Discord server.