The SNES port of Jordan Mechner's masterpiece, smooth and faithful. Hard, timing demanding, essential for classics lovers.
Your verdict
Category
Action Adventure1 player7+
Description
Cinematic action-adventure in which the Prince battles the Guard and a sorcerer to rescue the princess. Published by Broderbund, released in the USA in 1992. Fluid acrobatic movements, sword and parkour in the palace, deadly traps and guard enemies. SNES port of Jordan Mechner's PC classic.
Prince of Persia review
4/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Striking"
4/5
Music
★★★★★
"Excellent"
3/5
Story
★★★★★
"Solid"
The rotoscoped animation remains the heart of the presentation: every step, jump and fall is broken down into frames taken from filmed movement, giving the prince a weight few games achieved. The conversion completely repaints the settings, palaces with coloured mosaics, cellars, terraces, and adds new levels.
The conversion replaces the minimal score of the original with a far more developed soundtrack: orientalist themes, percussion, strings, with a different piece for each level reached. That choice changes the colour of the game, moving from a dry, nearly silent tension to an adventure musically accompanied from beginning to end.
US NTSC version of the Prince of Persia SNES port. A high-prestige but widely distributed title in North America, it stays common as a loose cart, with value shifting to complete-in-clean-box copies and graded sealed stock. Interest comes from the licence's historical stature and US nostalgia rather than any scarcity: the American version appeals mainly through instant recognition and durable baseline demand.
Is Prince of Persia still worth playing in 2026?
Prince of Persia brings Jordan Mechner's masterpiece to the Super Nintendo in a fluid, faithful port served by the rotoscoped animation that marked the genre. Every jump and every sword duel demands precise timing, in a trap-laden palace atmosphere that has lost none of its tension. Its difficulty and measured pace may put some off, but the elegance of its design endures. For fans of cinematic classics and demanding platforming, it is a reference that is genuinely essential to know.
