It hasn't taken long for the Dead Cells developer, Evil Empire, to settle on an exciting new project. Its title? Prince of Persia! But not any regular old Prince of Persia; This is The Rogue Prince of Persia, and it's pretty easy to tell what makes it specia??l.

Notably, Evil Empire and Ubisoft have launched the first Steam Early Access build of the Rogue Prince of Persia, and though it is still early to say whether it's a slam dunk, it sure is a whole lot of fun. There are some really interesting tidbits about this game, mind: firstly, even though it is being published by Ubisoft, Rogue Prince does not necessitate a Ubisoft Connect login. Secondly, the game both is, and is not, reminiscent of the classic Dead Cells, which res??ults in a f?resh and exciting gameplay loop, even this early in its development.

Evil Empire's Rogue Prince of Persia is off to a good start

With just under 200 reviews written at the time of writing, and a "Mostly Positive" review rating, Rogue Prince of Persia already enjoys some amount of acclaim. The game itself is a relatively straightforward acrobatic platformer that doesn't even try to hide its Dead Cells pedigree.

On top of delightfully rotoscoped animations and character models, albeit delivered in a slightly different style than what we saw with Dead Cells, Rogue Prince's core gameplay loop consists of basically the same elements. A few tweaks here and there, granted, but anyone who's spent any amount of time with Dead Cells will feel right at home here.

Once again, players need to collect resources dropped by enemies to research new gear and gadgets. The Prince does so by repeatedly attempting to wall-run his way through hordes of magic-infused Huns, with the familiar choice of levels coming up every so often. The current build of the game has two boss encounters in t??ow and about half a dozen unique levels, which all comes together into a lovely proof-of-concept for what's to come in the future.

"We plan to be in Early Access for around a year, probably a little bit longer," says Evil Empire on the game's Steam page. "We plan to add a??ll the good stuff �more levels, weapons, features, enemies, bosses, story acts and meta progression. Along the way we want to find out if there's anything we can add to the core gameplay too. In fact, our plan is to double the amount of content from Early Access launch to 1.0."

A solid plan, then. Given Evil Twin's track record and what's already on show with the The Rogue Prince of Persia, I can say I'm very much looking forward to what comes next. And don't forget: if you're not a fan of Early Access, there's that other, equally delightful version of Prince of Persia that launched earlier this year.

The post The Rogue Prince of Persia is now o?ut in Ea??rly Access, from the makers of Dead Cells appeared first on Destructoid.

The weather's starting to heat up, and so is this month of video games. From the long-awaited Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 to a remake of a beloved Paper Mario classic, there's much t??o look forward to in the Ma?y 2024 games lineup.

Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 (Xbox Series X/S, PC)

Publisher: Xbox Game Studios
Developer: Ninja Theory
Price: $49.99
Release Date: May 21
Trailer

Creeping in with some psychological horror this month is Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2. Xbox promises a "brutal journey of survival" as we experience the myths of Viking Iceland. Ninja Theory has showcased some gorgeous visuals, striking performances, and phenomenal sound in early trailers. The original impressed, so hopefully the sequel lives up to its pedigree. Launching on May 21, it will be available on day one on Xbox Game Pass for Xbox Series X?, Xbox Series S, and PC.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (Switch)

Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Intelligent Systems
Price: $59.99
Release Date: May 23
Trailer

From a dark subdued atmosphere to a bright papercraft world, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door packs a dazzling amount of charm. While the game unfortunately runs at 30 frames per second (as opposed to the original's 60), th??e visuals reportedly pop on screen and suit a modern syst?em.

Many will be reliving fond memories as they bounce on foes in time, find legendary treasure, and explore beautiful Mario environments. You should also expect funny dialogue from Bowser and others you know and love from the Mushroom Kingdom. Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door's story unfolds on the Nin?tendo Switch on May 23.

MultiVersus (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC)

Publisher: WB Games
Developer: Player First Games
Price: Free to play
Release Date: May 28
Trailer

Warner Bros-themed platform fighter MultiVersus is finally returning on May 28. Its open beta was popular, but was taken offline for quite some time. Similar to Super Smash Bros., the aim of the game is to knock your opponent out of the ring. Characters like Batman, Bugs Bunny, and Finn from Adventure Time battle it out for dominance in the arena.

??The game, however, has a unique focus on team-based gameplay, with some heroes like Wonder Woman having team-s?upport abilities. The Amazonian can use her lasso to save her ally, for example. Hopefully, the game succeeds with a new server system and a transition to Unreal Engine 5.

Wuthering Waves (PC, iOS, Android)

Publisher: Kuro Game Studio
Developer: Kuro Game Studio
Price: Free to play
Release Date: May 22
Trailer

Those wanting an alternate take on the Genshin Impact formula may want to check out Wuthering Waves on May 22. Available for free for PC, Android, and iOS, this anime-inspired game features pretty visuals, well-designed characters to meet (and unlock through gacha mechanics), and fast-paced action gameplay. The combat system features counters and QTE elements, making it somewhat different to MiHoYo's Genshin Impact.

We'll see if this game can stand out in a competitive space with Zenless Zone Zero and other titles on the horizon.

The Rogue Prince of Persia (PC Early Access)

Publisher: Ubisoft
Developer: Evil Empire
Price: Unknown currently
Release Date: May 14
Trailer

Lastly, there's The Rogue: Prince of Persia, a new roguelike developed by Dead Cells studio Evil Empire. Launching under Early Access on May 14, this platformer sparks with color as the Prince acrobatically moves across each level and stri??kes his opponents. There are all sorts of weapons to collect, and a selection of secondaries, such as bows, shields, and grappling hooks. Ubiso?ft says on the Steam page that we'll have to "Switch [our] loadout mid-run to adapt to new challenges."

Despite having an excellent Prince of Persia game already in 2024, a second m?ight be a great dessert or perhaps even the main course.

Honorable Mentions

There are plenty other May 2024 games to choose from, including indie darlings like Braid Anniversary Edition and the fast-paced shooter XDefiant.

• Endless Ocean Luminous (Switch) - May 2
• Surmount (Switch, PC) - May 2
• V Rising (PC) - May 8
• Little Kitty, Big City (Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Switch) - May 9
• Crow Country (PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC) - May 9
• Homeworld 3 (PC) - May 13
• Braid Anniversary Edition (PS4, PS5, PC, Netflix, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S) - May 15 (16 for Xbox systems)
• Ghost of Tsushima: Director's Cut (PC) - May 16
• Lorelei and the Laser Eyes (Switch, PC) - May 16
• Paper Trail (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, PC)
• XDefiant (PS5, Xbox Series X/S) - May 21
• RKGK (PC) - May 22
• Pine Hearts (Switch, PC) - May 23
• Rocket Rumble (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC) - May 23
• World of Goo 2 (Switch) - May 23
• Songs of Silence (PC) - May 23
• Umbraclaw (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, PC)
• F1 24 (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC) - May 31
• Hypercharge: Unboxed (Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S) - May 31
• Mutant Football League 2 (PC) - May 31

The post Here are the most anticipated May 2024 games appeared first on Destructoid.

Shortly after announced The Rogue Prince of Persia, developer Evil Empire has put out a call ?for ?alpha testers to try the game before its early access launch.

A new roguelike entry in Ubisoft's Prince of Persia series, The Rogue Prince of Persia was formally announced at the Triple-I Initiative on April 10, giving fans a first look at its fast and fluid 2D platforming and combat. Although the game i?s scheduled to launch in early access on May 14 (which is less than a month away), Evil Empire is allowing players to register for a pre-alpha build before then.

Registering is incredibly simple. You just need to visit the official The Rogue Prince of Persia website and subscribe to the game's newsletter, with the only caveats being you need to be at least 16 years old and, if selected, you're refrained from discussing the game with anyone until after launch. Obviously, there's no guarantee you'll be selected for the alpha test and, if you are picked, this isn't an excuse to play The Rogue Prince of Persia before everyone else. You'll likely be expected to help pinpoint bugs and errors as well as provide feedback for any improvements that can be made before the game??'s release.

Although with The Rogue Prince of Persia launching in early access, that's something you'll be able to do anyway. As Evil Empire says in this Steam news post, it's going with an early access launch because "we want to work with the player community to create the best version of this game that we can. We believe we have created a great core of a Prince of Persia gam?e, and we have our plans to expand it out of course, but we know how directly involving the players can make a game so? much better. Especially for a roguelite with narrative elements."

As such, you can expect regular updates throughout the early access period. There's currently no telling how long that'll be, but Evil Empire has already talked about adding new biomes, weapons, boss fights, and story elements. Between this and The Lost Crown, which is slated to receive content updates throughout 2024, Prince of Persia fans are eating well this year, although many are still waiting for an update on the long-absent Sands of Time remake.

The post Play The Rogue Prince of Persia even earlie??r by becoming an alpha tester appeared first on Destructoid.

Developer Evil Empire and publisher Ubisoft officially revealed The Rogue Prince of Persia during today's Triple-I Initiative for 2024. Featuring a unique stylized art style, The Rogue Prince of Persia returns the franchise to its 2D action-platform?ing roots ?with a dash of roguelite gameplay. It's set to enter Early Access on Steam on May 14.

Several rumors popped up around the internet this last week about a Prince of Persia game being developed by Evil Empire, best known for its popular roguelike metroidvania title Dead Cells. Now we not only know it's real and titled The Rogue Prince of Persia, but we'll be able to g??et our hands o??n it very soon as it enters its Early Access phase in just over a month.

The Rogue Prince of Persia takes place in a fictional rendition of Ctesiphon, the capital of th??e Persian Empire. The city is under invasion by the Hun's army of possessed soldiers, and players must embody the Prince who is gifted with a mystical bola that resurrects him when he dies.

In classic Prince of Persia fashion, players will explore?? a plethora of biomes as they unlock new weapons, trinkets, and gear?? upgrades while trying to save the city from destruction.

It's a great time to be a Prince of Persia fan. Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown was great, so getting another authentic PoP?? platformer just months later feels like we're being a bit spoiled.

The Rogue Prince of Persia enters?? Early Access on Steam on May 14, and will ??release on other platforms at a later date.

The post The Rogue Pri??nce of Persia is rea?l and coming to Early Access next month appeared first on Destructoid.