Subsequently, the game is restarted from the beginning of the stage in which the protagonist died but the timer will not reset to that point, effectively constituting a time penalty. If the player's health is reduced to zero, the protagonist dies. There are also large jars of red potion that increase the maximum number of health indicators by one, and large jars of green potion that grants a temporarily ability to hover. The blue potions are poisonous, and they take one life indicator as damage. The red potions scattered throughout the game restore one health indicator. There are small jars containing potions of several colours and sizes. Each time the protagonist is damaged (cut by sword, fallen from two floors of heights or hit by a falling rock), the player loses one of these indicators. The player has a health indicator that consists of a series of small red triangles. However, a game session may be saved and resumed at a later time only after level 2. The game consists of twelve levels (though some console versions have more). This cannot be done without bypassing traps and fighting hostile swordsmen. The main objective of the player is to lead the unnamed protagonist out of dungeons and into a tower before time runs out.

Mechner used videos of his brother as a reference for the original animation of the game (pictured: IBM PC compatible version). Its success led to the release of two sequels, Prince of Persia 2: The Shadow and the Flame and Prince of Persia 3D, and two reboots of the series, first in 2003 with Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, which led to three sequels of its own, and then again in 2008 with the identically-titled Prince of Persia. It is believed to have been the first cinematic platformer and inspired many games in this subgenre, such as Another World. It sold many copies as it was ported to a wide range of platforms. The game was critically acclaimed, but was not an immediate commercial success as it was released at the tail end of the Apple II's relevance. For this process, Mechner used as reference for the characters' movements videos of his brother doing acrobatic stunts in white clothes, and swashbuckler films such as The Adventures of Robin Hood. Much like Karateka, Mechner's first game, Prince of Persia used rotoscoping for its fluid and realistic animation. Taking place in medieval Persia, players control an unnamed protagonist who must venture through a series of dungeons to defeat the Grand Vizier Jaffar and save an imprisoned princess. Prince of Persia is a fantasy cinematic platformer designed and implemented by Jordan Mechner for the Apple II and published by Broderbund in 1989.

Prince of percia classic