'I wanted that Raiders of the Lost Ark excitement – you could die any minute': how we made hit video game Prince of Persia

The Making of Prince of Persia: A Labor of Love That Defined an Industry

In the early 1980s, Jordan Mechner, a Yale University student at the time, wanted to create a video game that captured the excitement of Raiders of the Lost Ark. Inspired by the 1984 film's fluid rotoscoped animation and its sense of urgency, where one wrong move could lead to instant death, Mechner poured his heart and soul into creating Prince of Persia.

Mechner began by filming himself running, jumping, and climbing in a parking lot, using an Apple II computer as a makeshift motion capture system. He then spent months manually digitizing the footage, retouching it in black and white, and reanimating it frame by frame to create the game's iconic fluid animation.

As he worked on the character animation, Mechner knew that adding combat elements would be crucial to making the game engaging. However, his Apple II was running low on memory, and he had maxed out its capacity. Desperate for a solution, Mechner employed a technique called byte-shifting, which allowed him to create a "dark" version of the prince – the Shadowman – that could run without using more memory.

The addition of sword-fighting animations and guards was a crucial step in completing Prince of Persia, but it also took a toll on Mechner's time and energy. He had been working tirelessly for months, taking breaks only to help his girlfriend, Tomi Pierce, who was programming in the same office space.

When the game finally emerged in 1989, it received widespread critical acclaim for its innovative animation, engaging gameplay, and strong narrative. Despite the Apple II's dwindling popularity, Prince of Persia performed well on other platforms, including Europe and Japan, where it built a cult following.

The success of Prince of Persia not only revitalized Mechner's career but also paved the way for future action-adventure games like Tomb Raider and Uncharted. It also marked an important milestone in the transition of film technology to video game development, with Pixar's early work on graphics software for Lucasfilm serving as a precursor.

In the end, Prince of Persia became more than just a game – it was a testament to Mechner's dedication, creativity, and perseverance. As he reflected on the experience, Mechner realized that his time away from the project had been beneficial, allowing him to return with renewed energy and focus.

"The problem for a lot of programmers is that they get 90% done, and don't have the stamina to finish the last 10%," Mechner noted. "My finish quality was always superb; he's a very detail-oriented guy." For Mechner, Prince of Persia represented a turning point in his career, one that would shape the future of video games for years to come.

The game's enduring legacy is a tribute to Mechner's innovative spirit and his willingness to push boundaries. As Doug Carlston, publisher of Broderbund, noted: "Jordan was one of five or six independent developers working in our attic space. The time away was probably good for the game... It had an intangible quality that kept thinking about it when you weren't playing it."

I'm totally disagreein' with all this Prince of Persia hype . I mean, sure it's a classic and all that jazz, but have you seen the gameplay mechanics? So clunky and outdated! I think it's overrated as a pioneer in animation, too. The rotoscoping effect was just a gimmick back then. And don't even get me started on how short the game is - 20 levels and it's over? Not exactly immersive gaming experience if you ask me . Give me some modern games with more complex narratives and fluid gameplay any day

OMG u know wat's crazy? like jordan mechner made prince of persia w/ no money n only 1 computer & he still managed to make it look so epic ! i mean, he had to manually digitize his own animations lol & create the shadowman to save memory . that's dedication right there !

omg I cant believe its been ages since I played prince of persia on my old pc lol I mean Jordan Mechner is like a hero to me, he poured his heart and soul into making this game and it shows. the animation was so ahead of its time, I remember being blown away by the fluid movement of the prince . and can you believe he used an apple ii as a motion capture system? that's some old school magic right there . anyway, I think its awesome how this game paved the way for future action-adventure games like tomb raider and uncharted

omg u no its crazy how much work went into makin prince of persia!!! jordan mechner poured his heart & soul into dat game he literally spent months hand-digitizin footage to get the animation just right... talk about dedication and can u believe he created the shadowman as a workaround 2 max out memory its like, wow!

this game is like 1st gen console vibes, reminds me of old-school gaming nostalgia . Jordan Mechner's dedication to get that perfect rotoscoped animation was impressive. I mean, manually digitizing footage frame by frame? that's like, ancient history for gaming devs now . Byte-shifting the Shadowman character was pure genius . It's crazy to think that this game helped pave the way for future action-adventure games . The fact that it built a cult following in Europe and Japan is no surprise - there's something special about exploring new lands on your console

I think Prince of Persia is still pretty iconic today. Mechner's dedication to making it just right is really inspiring . Like, who else would put in all those hours perfecting the animation? And can we talk about how underrated the byte-shifting technique was? Genius move! It's crazy to think that without that solution, the game might not have made it out the door as well as it did . Mechner's willingness to experiment and try new things is what makes this game so special. And let's be real, who wouldn't want to play a game with fluid animation like that?

man this article is like wow! Jordan Mechner's dedication to creating Prince of Persia is insane, pouring his heart and soul into a project that had him working 12 hours straight for months. I love how he used the rotoscoped animation from Raiders of the Lost Ark as inspiration, it's crazy to think about how much time and effort went into creating those iconic fluid animations

And can we talk about byte-shifting? I didn't know that was a thing! Mechner's problem-solving skills are truly impressive. It's no wonder the game performed well on other platforms too.

I'm also loving the behind-the-scenes story, it's clear that Tomi Pierce played a huge role in the game's development (nice to see her getting some recognition ). And the fact that Prince of Persia paved the way for future games like Tomb Raider and Uncharted is just amazing

The quote from Doug Carlston about Jordan taking time away from the project giving it an "intangible quality" resonates so much with me. Sometimes stepping back can be what you need to come back with even more energy and creativity

I think its crazy how much work Jordan Mechner put into Prince of Persia, he literally made his own animation and digitized it from scratch. And can you believe he had to use byte-shifting just to make the game run on his Apple II? That's dedication . Its also wild that he was working alongside his girlfriend Tomi Pierce, who was programming in the same office space. That relationship must have been super supportive . The fact that it became a cult classic even outside of North America is really cool, I mean who wouldn't want to play a game with sick fluid animation and sword-fighting animations?

I mean, Prince of Persia is a classic and all, but have you seen how old-school those animations look compared to today's games? I'm talking pixelated graphics and all. It's like they're trying to make me appreciate the nostalgia or something. Anyway, what really grinds my gears is that it took Jordan Mechner months to manually digitize his footage just to get the character animation right. Can you imagine doing that for 8 hours a day? I mean, I know he was trying to create something innovative and all, but come on, couldn't he have used some kind of motion capture technology back then? The game itself is solid, don't get me wrong, but the process behind it just feels so... clunky. And don't even get me started on the byte-shifting technique – what a pain to implement!

oh man this dude Jordan Mechner is a total legend he poured his heart and soul into Prince of Persia and it's so cool to see how much effort he put in, like filming himself running around and manually digitizing the footage frame by frame that's some next level dedication.

and can you believe he had to resort to byte-shifting to get the game working on his Apple II? it's crazy how far technology has come since then. but at the same time, it's awesome to see him think outside the box and come up with creative solutions like that.

the thing is though, I feel bad for Tomi Pierce who was stuck in the office space while Jordan was out working on the game like, don't get me wrong she's a programmer and all, but it sounds like she had to take a backseat to his solo project. anyway, gotta give props to Mechner for making something so iconic and influential – Prince of Persia is definitely one of those games that stands the test of time

I mean, can you even imagine putting like a million hours into a video game just to make it happen? Jordan Mechner's dedication is literally inspiring! He basically created this masterpiece from scratch using nothing but an Apple II and his own creativity . And the fact that he found ways to solve problems like byte-shifting to keep the game going, despite running out of memory... genius! The result is a game that still holds up today, and its influence can be seen in so many other games that followed. I love how it's not just about the gameplay, but also about the story and the atmosphere. It's like a work of art, you know?

I mean, can u believe how much work went into creating Prince of Persia?! Like, Jordan Mechner was literally pouring his soul into this project and it paid off so huge. The fact that he had to do manual digitization and frame by frame animation is just insane... like, what even is that?! And the byte-shifting trick? Genius! I love how it's still influencing game development today. It's crazy to think about how much of an impact this game has had on the industry.

I mean, think about this – if Jordan Mechner's Apple II was literally maxed out on memory and he still managed to create a masterpiece like Prince of Persia, what does that say about the power of creativity? It shows us that sometimes you gotta get a little crazy and think outside the box, just like how he did with byte-shifting. And let's not forget, it took him working alongside his girlfriend, Tomi Pierce, who was programming in the same space – that's what I call teamwork! The key takeaway here is that innovation and success often require taking risks and pushing through challenges.

omg i cant even imagine how hard jordan mechner worked on prince of persia he literally poured his heart and soul into creating this masterpiece!!! i love how he manually digitized the footage and retouched it frame by frame, its insane! i also love how he came up with the byte-shifting technique to make the shadowman work - genius

I'm totally fascinated by Jordan Mechner's story . I mean, who wouldn't want to create a game from scratch and pour their heart and soul into it? The fact that he used motion capture in a parking lot and manually digitized the footage is just incredible . And can you imagine working on a project for months with barely any memory left on your computer?

I think what really stands out is how dedicated and passionate Mechner was about his work. He didn't give up even when things got tough, like when he had to come up with creative solutions to fit more content into the game's limited space . And I love that he took breaks to support his girlfriend, who was also working on the project - it just goes to show that having a supportive partner can make all the difference in achieving your goals .

For me, Prince of Persia is more than just a classic video game - it's a reminder that with hard work and determination, we can achieve anything we set our minds to . And I think it's awesome that the game has had such a lasting impact on the gaming industry and beyond

I gotta wonder what Jordan Mechner's original Apple II specs were, and if he actually did have to do all that manual digitization himself or if someone else was helping him out behind the scenes . Also, how reliable are those " byte-shifting" memory hacks, really? Can they be replicated today with modern tech?

I think it's crazy how Jordan Mechner managed to create this masterpiece with just an Apple II computer and some serious dedication He literally hand-drew every frame of animation, which is insane! And can you believe he had to resort to byte-shifting to make the game run without running out of memory? That's like trying to MacGyver something out of a paperclip

I also love how Mechner took breaks from work to help his girlfriend program in the same office space That's some serious love and support right there! And it's so cool that Prince of Persia went on to influence so many other games, like Tomb Raider and Uncharted.

What I find really interesting is how Mechner realized that taking time away from the project actually helped him come back with even more energy and focus It's like he was waiting for the right moment to put the finishing touches on something truly special. And it totally paid off! The end result is a game that's still loved by gamers today

The way Jordan Mechner pushed himself to create Prince of Persia is still inspiring me . I mean, using a parking lot as a makeshift motion capture system and manually digitizing footage frame by frame? That's dedication! And the fact that he had to resort to byte-shifting to make it work just shows how resourceful he was . It's amazing how his passion project ended up defining an entire industry . The game's success wasn't just about the gameplay, but also about Mechner's creativity and perseverance .