Dead Cells developer's Prince of Persia roguelike is getting a brand-new biome with enemies, weapons, and more in its first free update, Temple of Fire

The Rogue Prince of Persia screenshot showing a man running along the side of a wall as spikes are seen beneath him
(Image credit: Evil Empire)

It's the final day of the Summer Game Fest, and the event is concluding with this year's Ubisoft Forward - a showcase that brought an abundance of Prince of Persia news with it, including a first look at the series' roguelike's first major update.

The Rogue Prince of Persia has now been available in early access on Steam for just a few weeks, but legendary indie developer Evil Empire already has its first big update ready - and it's entirely free to download right now. The Temple of Fire brings the iconic series' roguelike entry closer to its full 2025 release, adding a brand-new biome with unique challenges, weapons, and more.

The Temple of Fire biome, accessible after the Berude boss, boasts all sorts of roguelite essentials, including fresh foes to face off against, difficult platforming mechanics to overcome, and tricky traps to best. It certainly speaks to the developer's experience with similar gems like Dead Cells - platform parkour chaos and all.

Players traversing The Rogue Prince of Persia's Temple of Fire update will encounter two new enemies - the Duellist and the Shielded Warrior. Accompanying them is a stunning weapon to make combat feel fresh, too - the Flaming Censers, giant swinging balls of fire.

The update is also introducing the Meta Progression Skill Tree, allowing players to unlock improvements between their runs by spending Spirit Glimmers collected along the way. Excitingly, Evil Empire says that this new system "will be expanded in the near future," too.

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Anna Koselke
Staff Writer

After spending years with her head in various fantastical realms' clouds, Anna studied English Literature and then Medieval History at the University of Edinburgh, going on to specialize in narrative design and video game journalism as a writer. She has written for various publications since her postgraduate studies, including Dexerto, Fanbyte, GameSpot, IGN, PCGamesN, and more. When she's not frantically trying to form words into coherent sentences, she's probably daydreaming about becoming a fairy druid and befriending every animal or she's spending a thousand (more) hours traversing the Underdark in Baldur's Gate 3. If you spot her away from her PC, you'll always find Anna with a fantasy book, a handheld video game console of some sort, and a Tamagotchi or two on hand.