Prince of Persia (1991). Play online

Summary

The TurboGrafx‑CD version of Prince of Persia brings the legendary 1989 cinematic platformer to the 16‑bit era with CD‑grade audio and faithful replication of the original's fluid, rotoscoped animation. The port retains the Prince’s signature swordplay and perilous traps while using the TurboGrafx‑16’s modest palette to reproduce the game's iconic silouettes, including the later‑introduced turban‑and‑vest look that originated in Japanese computer versions. What made the game stand out was Jordan Mechner’s hand‑traced frames – a dozen sprites for a single walk cycle – which gave the TurboGrafx rendition a level of realism rare for its time. Critics in the early '90s praised the port for preserving the tension of the 60‑minute timer and the subtle health‑indicator system, cementing the title as a benchmark for cinematic gameplay. Its worldwide success helped spawn a franchise that continues to inspire modern action‑adventure titles.

Storyline

Prince of Persia on TurboGrafx‑CD places you in medieval Persia while the sultan fights a war. Vizier Jaffar, a wizard, seizes power, locks the sultan’s daughter in a tower and gives her 60 minutes to become his bride. The unnamed hero, the Princess’s lover, is thrown into the dungeons and must escape, reach the tower, and defeat Jaffar before time runs out.

The magic mirror in level 4 spawns a doppelganger that drops the hero’s health to one. The shadow later steals a potion in level 5 and throws the hero into a deeper dungeon in level 7.

A white mouse sent by the Princess opens a gate in level 8. In level 12 the hero merges with his shadow, creates an invisible bridge, and enters Jaffar’s arena.

Defeating Jaffar breaks the spell, frees the Princess and stops the timer, with the remaining time recorded on the high‑score table. After the final checkpoint the game no longer shows a game‑over screen even if the timer expires.