When "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time" hit consoles in 2003 it received widespread critical acclaim for its smooth platforming and brilliant level design. However, despite the accolades, it went unnoticed by gamers.
In an attempt to appeal to the common 'shoot first, ask questions later' consumer, Ubisoft revamped the franchise with a tacky, gritty makeover in 2004's sequel "Warrior Within." The charming, fairytale-like world of SoT had been replaced by a cheesy metal soundtrack, the addition of blood and a heavier emphasis on the less-than-stellar combat engine.
Though still a solid game in its own right, I found it hard to like this new Prince and essentially wrote off the franchise -- until now.
This year's re-reimagining, simply titled "Prince of Persia," is a big step in the right direction.
The first thing you'll notice about PoP is the beautiful cell-shaded graphics. The environments are rich and the animation is smooth -- though you'll encounter the odd bit of slowdown. Controls are simple and responsive; so it won't be long before you're running off walls and climbing across ceilings.
Combat is rather basic, though it's elevated by a very cinematic camera. The fights can be repetitive -- and are nowhere near as exciting as those found in "God of War" or "Devil May Cry" -- yet they still manage to be somewhat entertaining. This is mostly due to combat being kept at a minimum.
The emphasis is right where it should be -- on the franchise's unique form of platforming.
As the Prince, you travel the world with a new female character, Elika, 'healing' fertile ground corrupted by the evil Ahriman. It would be easy to compare this addition to the PlayStation 2 classic "Ico," but Elika is far more self-sufficient and useful than Yorda. You never have to worry about her and she rarely gets in the way.
Elika will help you over large gaps and even use her magic to save your life. However, this leads to PoP's biggest problem: you can't die. Plummet off a ledge or take too many hits in battle and Elika will intervene. So those expecting a real challenge will be sorely disappointed as PoP feels like an action-adventure game on training wheels.
But don't let this deter you too much. The gameplay is fantastic and still worth experiencing. However, some may prefer PoP as a weekend rental, rather than a holiday purchase.
At the end of each stage, Elika uses her magic to heal the area, transforming a baron wasteland into a rich world of colour. At this point you can collect 'light seeds,' which are cashed in to unlock the 'power plates' needed to reach certain areas. There are four in total -- an automatic wall jump, a grappling swing, flight and a special wall run.
Overall these work quite well, but the flying and wall-running sequences are sometimes hampered by a weak camera perspective -- forcing you to rely on trial and error to complete them.
Despite some setbacks, this is a good look for the Prince. The new visuals, lighter tone and crowd-pleasing gameplay breathe new life into the franchise. Though it's not quite a game of the year contender, you won't find better platforming action this holiday season.
WHAM! Rating: |
8 out of 10 |
ESRB Rating: |
T (Teen) |
Official Web Site: |
|
|
