There is a magic about the character movements in PoP. I recently replayed it—almost 30 years after I first played it. There is a fluidity in how the prince moves that is still impressive today.

I understand that Jordan Mechner put in a ton of hours rotoscoping the movements. (Example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCy8WqAgPbY)

On a tangent, Mechner is an incredibly talented (and in my opinion, severely underrated) game designer. "The Last Express" is a masterpiece, and wondrous in a different way.