The Prince and the Coward
| Industry | Video game development |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Poland |
| Products | The Prince and the Coward |
The Prince and the Coward (Polish: Książę i Tchórz) is a 1998 video game created through the collaboration of fantasy author Jacek Piekara and game designer Adrian Chmielarz. Developed by the Polish studio Metropolis Software alongside the British company Revolution Software, it was initially launched for Windows platforms. An unofficial English localization surfaced in 2020, followed by a re-release on GOG.com in 2021.
Plot
Within a fantastical realm, a young boy bargains his soul to a devil in exchange for becoming a prince. During a duel, the devil swaps the boy’s soul with that of Prince Galador. After escaping, the boy, supported by the wizard Arhivald, embarks on a quest to journey into hell and undo the demonic curse.
Gameplay
This title is a 2D point-and-click adventure game where players use mouse controls to interact with the environment. Actions are chosen from context-sensitive menus when clicking on objects.
Critical reception
Regarded by Przygodoskop as the finest Polish adventure game, it received acclaim for its clever humor and sharp wit. Just Adventure praised its "complex, unusual, and engaging" narrative but pointed out some puzzles as lacking logical consistency. The publication Benchmark included it among the top 100 games of the 20th century.