So Shadow, The (Proto) is actually an early version of The Shadow and The Flame—the sequel to Prince of Persia before it got polished up. If you've played the original, you'll recognize the same tense platforming, but this one throws way more at you: spike pits, collapsing floors, and guards who don’t mess around.

Right off the bat, the controls feel a little stiffer than the final version, but there’s something cool about seeing how the game evolved. You still do all the wall jumps and sword fights, but some of the traps here are brutal in ways that didn’t make the cut later. Like, there’s this one room where the floor just vanishes beneath you—no warning, just instant death.

Definitely a neat piece of gaming history if you’re into prototypes. Just don’t expect it to play as smoothly as the finished SNES release.