Prince of Persia (SNES)

Prince of Persia
Developer: Arsys Software Publishers: Masaya (JP), Konami (US/EU) Platform: SNES Released in JP: July 3, 1992 Released in US: November 1992 Released in EU: April 22, 1993 This game has a hidden sound test. This game has a hidden level select. This game has regional differences.

An enhanced port/remake of Jordan Mechner's classic Apple II game.

Cheat Menu

Enter SPECIAL (JP) or SPCCMD! (US/EU) as a password, then hit OK, then cancel and start a new game. During gameplay, pause and press B, Y, Up, Down, Left, Right, L, R. A sound will be heard if entered correctly. Then hold Start and press Select to open the cheat menu. It contains a level select, a sound test, and an option to give the Prince additional units of health. Also, you can press X during gameplay to kill all enemies currently on-screen.

Sound Test

The sound test is also directly accessible (in all regions) by holding Start and pressing Select during gameplay (this will only work if the cheat menu code is not enabled, however, in which case it will instead open that).

Kill Command

At the start of the first level, head to the right and climb down the ledge (don't drop). This part is a bit tricky to do, but press Select to open the menu just as the Prince's legs go offscreen (and before the game switches to the next screen), and hit "Game End". If you did it at the right time, the game will get glitched. Now, reset the system and enter the option menu. You'll now have the option to change any button to a command called "Kill". It won't actually change the button, but you'll now have the ability to kill any enemy in one hit by pressing X. This works fine in the US and European versions. It works on the Japanese version too, but it glitches all the sprites.

Unused Beheading Animation

There's an unused animation of the prince being beheaded. It can be seen in the Japanese version by doing the "Kill Command" trick mentioned above (which glitches the sprites), then beating the game. To make it easier to see this, first enter the level select cheat, then the kill command trick, and then select the last stage. After beating Jaffar, the animation of the prince hugging the princess glitches and it shows the prince being beheaded instead.

Regional Differences

Boot Screen

Japan	International

The boot screen was changed to account for the different publishers.

Title Screen

Japan	International

The international title screen removes the Japanese text, moves up the gold filigree graphics, and completely changes the copyright information. The Japanese version allows you to skip the title screen, while the international version forces you to wait until the title screen is fully displayed.

Password Screen

Japan	International

The vowels were removed in the International version and replaced with a plus sign, an exclamation point, and additional dashes. This meant that the cheat menu password had to be changed.

Removed Torture Scenes

Two torture scenes were present in the Japanese version that were removed from the international versions. The scenes show the protagonist being beaten with a rod by a guard, and then dragged off to a cell by guards during the intro narrative. The third screenshot features narrative text stating "at the same time, the Princess was saddened as she was locked away in the top floor of the tower" (this information was simply moved to the next scene in the English localization). As a result of the complete removal of these scenes, the music loses sync with what is happening on-screen in the U.S. and European versions.

Level 19

Japan	International

The pentagrams on the doors were replaced by different decorative patterns.

Japan	International

The pentagram on the wall in the throne room received a similar treatment.

Final Battle

Japan	International

The pentagram on the ground where you fight Jaffar was removed.