Year: 2024
Type: Original Soundtrack (OST)
Composer(s): Danny Asadi [ASADI]
Number of tracks: 11

★★★★★

Prince of Per-Sia

I'll say it straight away: I'm not a fan of the (art style of the) new Prince of Persia. The back-to-the-roots approach may have its charm, but to me the game feels more like a mobile spin-off that somehow made it onto PC and console. Neither the gameplay nor the visuals excite me. Maybe I'll pick it up in the sale one day and realize how great the adventure of the purple prince is - who knows?

But it's not just graphically that the game runs across unexplored house walls with its minimalist comic style (if we ignore the fantastic Prince of Persia from 2008 and its cel-shaded look). No, we also get something completely different acoustically than we are used to from the action-adventure parcour series in ancient Persia.

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2003)

The Rogue Prince of Persia (2024)

Instead of orchestral musical power or experimental rock sounds, the latest offshoot serves us electro sounds in its eleven tracks that we would otherwise only expect to hear in shisha bars or underground clubs. This doesn't sound like a real fit at first, but the combination of chilled techno tones (Ashes of Knowledge) and powerful beats (Prince’s Mistake) in combination with traditional Persian instruments works surprisingly well.

The why can be found in the American-Persian composer Danny Asadi (also stylized as ASADI), who is probably already known in the scene for his distinctive style. For example, ThePersianMagazine (a completely unbiased source, of course) writes about him:

His fusion of traditional Persian melodies with modern electronic beats has garnered widespread acclaim and admiration.

ThePersianMag on composer Danny Asadi

Personally, I find the score quite interesting, especially because Asadi didn't just make an electro album out of it, but also pays tribute to the conventions of video game music. For example, Prince’s Mistake and The Unstoppable are not just relaxing head-nodding tunes, but create tension with their ritualistic vocals. And with Hero’s Rest it even gets a bit more thoughtful.

Although I'm generally less fond of the electro genre, the combination of rhythmic beats and classical instruments catches me with The Rogue Prince of Persia . In my opinion, it shows a little how good (German) rap/hip-hop could sound if you left out the singer with their "Imma gonna bang yo mum and I'm da best" lines. Unlike Furi , for example, however, the whole thing is a bit too tame for me. If you're looking for a middle ground or are generally more willing to experiment, you can't go wrong with this album.

No.	Title	Artist(s)	Ratings
1	The Rogue Prince of Persia	ASADI [Danny Asadi]	4
2	Whispering Waters	ASADI [Danny Asadi]	3
3	Sacred Fire	ASADI [Danny Asadi]	5
4	Last Wind	ASADI [Danny Asadi]	2
5	The Corrupted	ASADI [Danny Asadi]	4
6	Ashes of Knowledge	ASADI [Danny Asadi]	4
7	Prince's Mistake	ASADI [Danny Asadi]	4
8	The Unstoppable	ASADI [Danny Asadi]	4
9	Ravine's Sovereignty	ASADI [Danny Asadi]	4
10	Verdant Sight	ASADI [Danny Asadi]	3
11	Hero's Rest	ASADI [Danny Asadi]	4