Old School Gamer
Old School Gamer is a non-profit website that originally started out life in January 2008, as a Windows Live Spaces blog titled “Confessions of an Old School Gamer.” It is now one of the premier sources for UK Xbox 360 news, views, and reviews.
David writes and maintains Old School Gamer under a pseudonym, sharing his thoughts and opinions on popular games.
The following review was published on the 25th February 2009.
Review – Prince of Persia
“The wind is free, but the sand goes where it is blown. Unaware of the world around it, whirling on the breath of the Gods, at the mercy of the storm that engulfs it. What is one grain of sand in the desert? One grain amongst the storm?”
The Prince
With its opening narrative, Prince of Persia can’t fail to draw you in. A reboot in the popular Prince of Persia franchise that started back in the 80s, the latest Prince of Persia is fully 3D experience with its own unique art style that sets it apart from previous titles.
The game starts with our hero lost in a sandstorm, a stumble and a tumble later and two worlds literally collide as the “Prince” meets Elika. Complete polar opposites, the Prince comes to Elika’s aid, and eventually decides to join her on her quest to push back the darkness that is sweeping across her kingdom.
Wall running
During the course of Prince of Persia we discover that Ahriman, thought to have been sealed away forever, is forcing his influence across the land and corrupting it. Elika’s once beautiful kingdom is split into four regions, each of which is controlled by one of Ahriman’s generals.
Each domain is visually unique, offering different challenges to face as the Prince and Elika attempt to cleanse the land, and restore the kingdom to its former glory.
Before cleansing each section, our inseparable duo must face off against the region’s general. The unfortunate result of this is that you must face the same boss over and over; while this may sound repetitive, with each new encounter the general becomes much tougher, usually bringing an improved array of moves to the fight.
After cleansing each of the four primary sections of a region, a final area is unlocked which leads to the fifth and final battle with that region’s boss, bringing you one step closer to imprisoning Ahriman once and for all.
The Prince meets The Hunter
Cleansing each region also releases light seeds, which the Prince and Elika must collect in order to unlock new abilities. As each of the four unique abilities are unlocked, corresponding plates are activated throughout the four regions, and by using these plates the Prince and Elika can gain access to previously unreachable areas.
Gameplay sees platforming similar to that of the previous Prince of Persia trilogy. Wall running, acrobatic manoeuvres, and clever hack and slash combat all make an appearance, along with a few added moves (a double jump, and a handy compass light trail) that Elika brings into play. Movements are fluid and graceful, and after a few minutes of play, you’ll find yourself performing a string of complex moves as naturally as breathing.
However there’s something missing. Stunning visuals? Nope, they’re there. A subtle music score you’ll find yourself humming along to? Nope, it’s there too. Quick time events? Nope, they’re there… in spades. It took me a while to figure out what exactly it was, and to nail it on the head.
Prince of Persia lacks consequence.
Combat
Constantly falling to your death? Not a problem, Elika will magically save you! Rubbish at combat? Don’t worry, Elika will stop you from dying!
With a distinct lack of death to your character, the game fails to punish you for your mistakes. While this may be seen as a good thing for some, it makes Prince of Persia just a little too easy.
Combat again is something that is far too easy. While there is an enormous list of combos to perform, the player can easily get through the entire game performing the exact same combo over and over. Also with the exception of the main boss fights, there is very little combat in Prince of Persia. Perhaps this is a throw back to the original title’s style of play, but without the pressure of a time limit, the rare enemy occurrences just feel thrown in to break up the constant running from point to point.
Grip-falling
The end result? No challenge, no consequence, and no nail biting moments. You’re pushed back from the edge of your seat, and are left to slump back and relax. It’s a shame really, as there is so much to love about Prince of Persia that most people would fail to see due to glaring inadequacies in its substance.
While the gameplay and combat may sound dull and repetitive, it rarely feels that way. The story is the primary focus in this game, well written and delivered at a constant pace it makes you care about the characters, as you hunger to find out everything that you can. So much so, that by the end of the game (with its shockingly sudden ending), you’ll be crying out for more (and luckily, there is some DLC planned for this title).
Elika
With its watercolour-esque visuals and cleverly laid out story, Prince of Persia is a title I would recommend to anyone who didn’t find Assassin’s Creed a repetitive bore. It touches on genius with its “wtf?” ending, and the flaws that I did find can always be addressed for the inevitable sequel or DLC pack. If you haven’t played it yet, my advice would be to track it down, slap some cash on the counter and find out if you have what it takes to be one grain against the storm.
8.5/10
