The Dark Prince

The Dark Prince

The Prince is the name given to a group of fictional characters who act as the main protagonists of the Prince of Persia franchise, originally created by Jordan Mechner and currently owned by Ubisoft. Beginning with the titular original game in 1989, there have been several distinct Prince characters, all sharing general traits. The most prominent version was first featured in Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2003), who has featured in a large number of games set within that game's continuity. In the 2008 reboot, the Prince is not from a royal family, but was planned to earn his title during the course of his journey. Other versions of the Prince have appeared in related media, most prominently the character Dastan (Persian: دستان) in the 2010 Prince of Persia film portrayed by Jake Gyllenhaal. Mechner created the Prince for the first Prince of Persia game. His concepts for the character were drawn from Near Eastern mythology such as One Thousand and One Nights and Shahnameh, with his athleticism inspired by the opening of Raiders of the Lost Ark. The character's movements were created by Mechner by capturing footage of his brother and transferring them into the game using rotoscoping. The Prince was redesigned and rewritten for The Sands of Time, with his design maturing with each sequel. The 2008 reboot redesigned him around a concept of a prince in making. While public and critical opinion of individual Princes has varied, the character in general has been positively received. The original Prince has been seen as a breakthrough in gameplay design, while his appearances in The Sands of Time have varied, with particular criticism being laid against his dark portrayal in Warrior Within (2004). The reboot Prince's portrayal has also divided public opinion due to his redesign and American accented voice, while Gyllenhaal's portrayal of the character in film has drawn mixed opinions from critics.

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