The Rogue Prince of Persia's The Second Act Update Out Now

The Rogue Prince of Persia, currently in Early Access on Steam, got its biggest update yet today, delivering a new, more richly detailed art direction - the Prince and friends aren't purple anymore, for starters - as well as new biomes, bosses, and more. Dubbed The Second Act, the new update brings the roguelite action-adventure - in which an acrobatic Prince fights to free his kingdom from invasion by Huns wielding dark magic - to a point where it now boasts double the amount of content it had when it first entered Early Access in May. Here's a look at what's new:

New Art Direction and Story Content

The Prince's new skin tone is the most immediately obvious part of the update's visual overhaul, which adds new detail to all aspects of the game, from character models and portraits to the backdrops and terrain of the biomes you'll explore. (And if you liked the purple-palette Prince, that version will return as an optional character skin in an upcoming update.) The game also now features an introductory animated cutscene, in which the Prince duels the Hun leader Nogaï and loses - but survives to be dragged to a hidden oasis by a mysterious masked stranger named Paachi (who's now his first ally, appearing before the blacksmith Sukhra).

In fact, a number of story elements have been refined and rewritten for The Second Act, not the least of which is - no surprise - the addition of a second act to continue the narrative of the Prince's cyclical battle against the Huns. Rounding out the presentation are four new musical tracks from Persian-American electronic music producer and performance artist ASADI (click here to listen to the game's soundtrack).

New Biomes and Bosses

Two new biomes join the rotation starting today, giving players new levels to explore and puzzles to solve. The Golden Mines join Zagros Village and the Hun War Camp as an unlockable third "first level" option you can enter from the oasis camp, and will funnel the Prince through tight shafts and immense caverns where he'll need to contend not just with the Huns, but with collapsing ceilings and fragile poles. The Craftsmen's District is a now-ruined workers' quarter that players can explore following the Tower of Oblivion or Temple of Atar; here, players will be confronted by high rooftops, pools of acid, and hanging pots of dangerous chemicals that will fall and burst into flame if disturbed. Additionally, players will now encounter five new enemy types throughout the game, adding additional variety to the action.

Players will also be able to test their mettle against two new bosses, Altan and Kaali, who can be fought as alternatives to Berude and Bataar. Altan has made a lair in the city's public baths - appropriate, since Nogaï's dark shamanic magic has corrupted him into a slow-moving (but still deadly) tentacled monstrosity. Kaali, meanwhile, is the youngest of Nogaï's generals, and waits as a fast and agile alternative to current final boss Bataar. Accessing these bosses is just a matter of finding the entrance to their lairs (the Public Baths and Kaali's Arena, respectively) from the preceding levels.

Quality-of-Life Improvements

Along with the new content, The Second Act brings a number of general improvements and tweaks to the gameplay. Some of the changes are small - you'll automatically pick up pouches of coins and Soul Cinders, for example, and weapons no longer display their DPS when you get the chance to swap (making the choice more about the experience of using them than the raw numbers). Others are much bigger: The difficulty has been rebalanced, players now have three save slots, and the game is now playable in Spanish, German, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, and Russian (in addition to English, French, traditional Chinese, and simplified Chinese).

The Journey so Far

The Rogue Prince of Persia is developed by Evil Empire in collaboration with Ubisoft, and if you haven't played it since it first hit Early Access, the game has undergone a number of major changes that have given it a completely different feel. One of the biggest is Vayu's Breath, a mechanic that lets players fill a meter by executing chains of wall-runs, dodges, and combo attacks. Once the meter's full, it automatically grants the Prince a burst of speed (and, with the right medallions, enhanced damage), and while it depletes quickly, it'll keep refilling as long as you keep your chain going.

There's a more tangible sense of risk and reward, with plentiful Soul Cinders - currency that can be spent to unlock new weapons and skills back at camp, but which are lost on death - and fountains that can send those Cinders back to camp at the start of new levels, or be smashed for more Cinders, if you think you can make it to the next fountain with your stash intact. Each biome also features optional traversal challenges - entered through doorways found throughout the main levels - that can yield weapon blueprints and other rewards. Levels will sometimes even start with a rescue, a quick challenge in which the Prince will race a tendril of dark energy to its source before it can drag a screaming child into the void; save the kid, and you'll receive high-end rewards, including powerful medallions that can enhance the Prince's abilities with buffs and perks.

As much as The Rogue Prince of Persia has grown, it's halfway to its full launch in 2025, and more updates are on the way as the developers continue to collect player feedback and refine the experience. The Rogue Prince of Persia is available now in Early Access on Steam and GeForce Now; to celebrate the game doubling its content, it will be included in Steam sales until December 4, with discounts of up to 20% off. For more on The Rogue Prince of Persia, check out How Prince of Persia Made its Double Comeback in 2024.