Prince of Persia (Game)

Prince of Persia (often shortened to "POP" or "PoP") is a platform game, originally developed by Jordan Mechner and released October 3, 1989 for the Apple II, that represented a great leap forward in the quality of animation seen in computer games. Mechner used a process called rotoscoping, in which he studied many hours of film of his younger brother David running and jumping in white clothes. Also unusual was the method of combat: protagonist and enemies fought with swords, not projectile weapons, as was the case in most contemporary games. Mechner has said that when he started programming, the first ten minutes of Raiders of the Lost Ark had been one of the main inspirations for the character's acrobatic responses in a dangerous environment.
After the original release on the Apple II, Prince of Persia was ported to a wide range of platforms. The game managed to surprise and captivate the player despite being at first glance, repetitive. This was achieved by interspersing intelligent puzzles and deadly traps all along the path the Prince had to take to complete the game — all this packaged in fluid, life-like motion.
Prince of Persia also influenced a sub-genre, which imitated the sprawling non-scrolling levels, fluid animation, and control style pioneered by Prince.

Plot
The game is set in Ancient Persia. While the Sultan is fighting a war in a foreign land, the Grand Vizier Jaffar seizes power. Jaffar's only obstacle to the throne is the Sultan's daughter, the Princess. Jaffar throws her lover into the palace dungeons and locks the Princess in a tower, giving her an ultimatum: she must marry Jaffar or die. She has one hour to decide her fate.
The player controls the Princess's nameless lover. In order to win the game, he must escape the dungeons and make his way to the palace tower, defeating Jaffar and freeing the Princess in under 60 minutes.
The character of Jaffar is loosely based on Ja'far bin Yahya Barmaki, a Persian vizier who was executed for allegedly having an affair with a princess. He is a recurring character in the Arabian Nights and elsewhere in film and literature.

Ports

Mechner used videos of his younger brother, David, as a reference for the original animation for the Apple II version of the game, and copied for the IBM PC version of the game, seen here.
Prince of Persia was originally released for the Apple II in 1989. One year later it was ported to other personal computers such as the Amiga, the Amstrad CPC, the Atari ST, and the PC (DOS). The game was ported in 1991 to the Japanese PC Engine, using the Super CD-ROM format (but got distributed in the US only two years later). In 1992, when the home console market was growing steadily, versions for the Master System, Sega CD, TurboGrafx-CD (the American version of the PC Engine), NES, and Game Boy were released, as well as a version with enhanced artwork for the Macintosh. A Mega Drive/Genesis version followed in 1993 and an enhanced version for the SNES was released later in 1995, with additional levels not present in any other version. Another port was released for the Game Boy Color in 1999. Java versions for mobile devices appeared in the early 2000s. For the revival title, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, the Macintosh version was included as a secret that could be unlocked. The first level of the game was also made into a secret 3D minigame in The Sands of Time. The 2010 Wii version of "The Forgotten Sands" included the 3D remake and the SNES version of the original game.
The SAM Coupé version, released in 1992, is unique because it was programmed unofficially using graphics copied pixel by pixel from paused frames of the Amiga version and only shown to Domark (the UK distributors of Prince of Persia) for potential release near completion. Although the computer had a very small user base and no other mainstream support, the release was allowed because of the very high quality of the conversion and the fact that it would incur almost no further development costs. Due to its independently produced status and the fact that the work was done almost entirely by one individual, Chris White, this version of Prince of Persia has several unique bugs.
The PC Engine/TurboGrafx-CD and Sega CD versions used the CD format to incorporate animated cutscenes with voice tracks and CD Audio soundtracks. Both versions of the game had improved graphics that seem to be based on the Macintosh version, where the Princess had a turban and colored clothing.
The Mega Drive/Genesis port also had improved graphics and background music. The Mega Drive version differs with the Genesis version in that it has four additional unique levels and new kinds of potions (some freeze time, others give you additional minutes to complete the game).
The SNES version is also unique. Aside from graphic and aural enhancements, the game has twenty levels instead of the original's thirteen; the original levels that remained had some extra rooms or different routes. Also, there are boss battles, some of which are not the typical swordfighters, and that involves not only swordfighting but dodging as well. The player was also given two hours to rescue the Princess (all other versions were limited to one hour). The prologue is also different, showing the Prince dating the Princess, then being arrested and beaten. The scene of the Prince being beaten is only available on the Japanese version of the game; it was censored in the North American and European versions. The SNES version was ported and developed by NCS and published by Konami in America and Europe.