Royal sons in games have much more variety in their lives than in the real world, where they just sell corned beef and pies in tins. Grocery joke for you there. We’ve seen princes puffed up with noble quests, ousted princes fighting for their birthright, orphans unaware that they’re even princes – even digital doppelgangers of Buckingham Palace bluebloods (as in 8-bit butler sim Flunky). On the whole they have it better than gaming’s princesses, who rarely get to do more than sigh, shrug and be kidnapped. Let’s seek an audience with some of the good eggs and bad lads of royal bearing…
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Probably the best-known RPG hero prince (apologies to FFIV’s spoony bard Edward). Marth of Altea has slain dark dragons in his native Fire Emblem and tussled with angels, Pokémon and the Hero of Time in Smash Bros.
FromSoftware’s first-person PSX series was full of royals on rock-hard quests, such as castaway prince Alex seeking the Moonlight Sword on the grim island of Melanat. He returned in the next game… dead, and haunting a fountain. Nice.
World-class lunatic who made for several great boss battles. Trapped, up to his knees in his own dead guards with arrows sticking out of his back, vengeful Highland Prince Luca kept on coming like a medieval T-800.
The smaller the Prince, the bigger the responsibility. This perky gent was forever rolling new celestial bodies after the King (a deranged cosmic liability) wrecked the old ones. Monarchy: it’s not all glamorous.
He stands at the Tower Of The Moon, looking Southeast to the Downs Of Shadows. Luxor and pals led the charge against the armies of Doomdark, 30 years ago. 30!
Ultra-rich alien, Black Sun crime lord and overall bad bugger. Planned to usurp Darth Vader, kill Luke and cop off with Leia using his creepy pheromone powers until Dash Rendar and pals blew up his palace as a gentle warning.
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