Prince of Persia: Classic

Jordan Mechner designed the original Prince of Persia in 1989, rotoscoping his younger brother to get the fluid running and climbing animation that made it famous. Gameloft Montreal rebuilt that game in 2007 for Xbox Live Arcade, keeping the level layouts and the 60-minute limit but giving the hero the look and acrobatics of Prince of Persia

What Is Prince of Persia: Classic

The Sultan is away at war, the vizier Jaffar has seized the palace, and the princess has one hour to accept his proposal or die. The Prince starts in the dungeon and must climb through traps, guards and gates to reach the top of the tower in time. Spikes, loose floor tiles, slicing blades and pressure plates fill each level, and most deaths come from misjudged jumps rather than swords. The remake keeps that design but adds rolls, backflips and wall jumps that help in tight spots.

Three Modes With Very Different Pressure

Gameloft split the game into modes so players could choose how much the clock matters:

1. Normal, which removes the time limit and death penalty so you can learn each room
2. Time Attack, which brings back the 60-minute limit from 1989
3. Survival, where you must finish within 60 minutes without dying once

The modes turn a short game into something worth replaying. Players usually clear Normal first, then go back for Time Attack once they know where the hidden potions and shortcuts are.

How Sword Fighting Works In Prince of Persia: Classic

Guards block corridors, and fights happen on a single plane with attack, block and step controls. The remake added counters and a brief slow-down during combat, which makes duels a little more forgiving than the original. On phones, swipes and on-screen buttons handle combat. Critics on mobile praised the animation and remade visuals while pointing out the short length, and on touchscreens many found sword timing harder than with a gamepad. The Xbox 360 version scored 82 on Metacritic and the iOS version 75.

Where Prince of Persia: Classic Fits In The Series

The Classic remake sits between two very different eras. The 1989 original led to Prince of Persia 2: The Shadow and the Flame in 1993, which Ubisoft also remade for phones in 2013. The 3D reboot began with The Sands of Time in 2003. Classic is the easiest way to see where the series’ trap-heavy design came from, since the rooms are close to Mechner’s originals.

Is Prince of Persia: Classic Still On Google Play?

It is not. The Google Play listing under Ubisoft no longer exists, and the game is gone from the App Store too. Ubisoft never published a notice explaining the removal. Existing installs may still launch, but the Android build is old enough that phones which only run 64-bit apps may refuse it. For a current, official Prince of Persia on Android, Ubisoft released Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown on mobile in April 2025, a new Metroidvania style game rather than a remake.

Advice For A First Climb To The Tower

Walk carefully near edges, since the Prince’s careful step stops him right at a ledge. Test suspicious floor tiles by jumping on them from a safe spot, and grab every red potion, because the larger health bar matters in late duels with Jaffar’s best guards. In Time Attack, a shortcut in the early levels can save minutes, so explore in Normal first.