Prince of Persia 2 : The Shadow & The Flame

Prince of Persia 2: The Shadow & The Flame for DOS is Brøderbund Software's 1993 cinematic action-platform game and the direct sequel to Jordan Mechner's 1989 Prince of Persia. Set shortly after the first adventure, it returns to the tale of the Prince and Princess after the apparent defeat of the wizard Jaffar. The Prince has asked for the Princess's hand rather than treasure, but a magical disguise turns him into a beggar at the palace gate while Jaffar assumes his likeness. Cast out and pursued, he must escape Persia, uncover the source of his own past, and find a way to stop Jaffar's renewed takeover.

The DOS game retains the series' deliberate, animation-driven platforming. Players guide the Prince through side-view chambers by walking, running, jumping gaps, climbing ledges, ducking through tight spaces, and timing moves around lethal traps. A keyboard or joystick can be used to make the hero's carefully paced movements, so progress depends on judging both position and momentum rather than simply rushing from screen to screen. Switches, doors, pressure plates, falling hazards, and magic potions turn each area into a compact obstacle course as well as an action sequence.

Sword combat has a larger role here than in the original Prince of Persia. The Prince draws his blade to parry and strike hostile guards and other foes, and encounters can place several enemies around him rather than isolating every duel. The adventure also sends him through a broader range of fantastical locations after his flight from the palace, including a storm-tossed voyage, an island, underground passages, ruined Basra, and a temple. These changing backdrops and new supernatural dangers give the DOS sequel a more expansive journey while preserving the visual storytelling and tense chamber-by-chamber structure associated with the first game.

The central objective is still shaped by a real-time deadline. Prince of Persia 2: The Shadow & The Flame gives the player limited time to reach the conclusion, creating pressure even though the route is full of puzzles, traps, combat, and exploration. The narrative develops through dramatic scenes and visions as the Prince learns of a mysterious woman connected to his history, gains extraordinary help, and works toward a final confrontation with Jaffar. The Princess remains in danger during his absence, giving the expedition a clear urgency beyond simply reaching the last level.

Jordan Mechner designed both of the first two Prince of Persia games, while Brøderbund's team handled the sequel's development rather than having Mechner program it alone as he had the original. The 1993 MS-DOS release is the version represented here; later official releases appeared for systems including Macintosh, FM Towns, PC-98, and Super NES, with their own technical and content differences. A much later 2013 mobile remake used the shortened title Prince of Persia: The Shadow and the Flame, so it should not be confused with this original DOS game.

As the second entry in the original Prince of Persia continuity, The Shadow & The Flame builds on the first game's rotoscoped-feeling movement, perilous rooms, and fairy-tale Persia while making the journey larger and more combat-focused. Its combination of precise platform timing, swordplay, environmental puzzles, and a continually running clock makes the DOS release a distinctive early chapter in the series. The ending also leaves elements of the Prince's wider story unresolved, a fitting link between the first game and the later direction of the franchise.