Prince of Persia -

The game starts with the Sultan of Persia being called away to war in a foreign land. Sensing opportunity, the evil Vizier Jaffar seizes the throne for himself. The Prince is imprisoned, since Jaffar has designs on the Princess. The Princess is also imprisoned and she is given a choice with an hour to decide: marry Jaffar or die. The Prince has an hour to defeat Jaffar and rescue the Princess.

The game is played in real time, so the player must complete the quest as quickly as possible. On some platforms it is possible to save the game at the start of each level, though the time limit still applies. The only way to lose the game is by letting the time expire. If the Prince is killed, the game will restart from the beginning of the level, or at a mid-way checkpoint in some levels.

The game also includes a life bar which may be depleted by taking damage during sword fights, drinking blue potions, or falling too far; however, major falls, being hit unarmed, falling or running on spikes and blades all kill the Prince instantly. The Prince can increase the number of bottles in his life bar by drinking larger red potions, usually hidden or in dangerous places, while the regular-sized Red magic potions are used to restore life. There is also a green variety of potion that makes the Prince light-weight or cause the screen to flip around, depending on the level.

In the fourth level, the Prince is forced to jump through a magic mirror that creates a copy of himself and leaves him with low life. The copy, depicted as a semi-transparent version of the prince, then leaves and will only appear in two of the later levels, to either hinder or help the Princes progress.

In the games last level, the Prince has to fight and defeat Jaffar, a master swordsman. After the battle, the Prince is reunited with the Princess and the game ends.