While there is a great deal of elegance to the ebb and flow of movement in the game, it really makes it an easier game. This game focuses more on speed and fluidity of movement as you traverse its large landscapes and setpieces. The original trilogy was focused on platforming, combat and using the Sands of Time to reverse and slow down time. Well done, Ubisoft Montreal.Īnd now the aspect of debate: the gameplay. The animations of The Prince and Elika are smooth, pretty and flow very, very well. The only lack of terrain variety is in the areas you must travel to in between the major set pieces, but it’s a minor quibble. The landscape is truly epic in scale, with so much to look at you can really enjoy just stopping and moving the camera around to take it all in. It’s a cel-shaded animation style, but with a sort of hyper-realism rather than being cartoony. Just be prepared to hear the phrase “fertile grounds” a LOT.īefore I get to the gameplay, let me just say that Prince of Persia is one of the most beautiful games I’ve ever seen. It’s an interesting enough story and luckily the characters are voiced nicely and the script is well written. The story and background is mainly told through the many, many conversations between The Prince and Elika during the game, as well as through several flashbacks. Your quest is to heal the various areas of fertile ground that are guarded by Ahriman’s top cronies, in an attempt to weaken his power and re-imprison him again, this time forever. The Prince becomes entangled in an adventure where he must help Princess Elika (no relation) defeat the big proprietor of unimaginable evil, Ahriman, who has poisoned the land with darkness and corruption.
Set in ancient Persia, you play this platforming adventure game as an unnamed hero, “The Prince”. Prince of Persia’s story is straight forward. Are games becoming more balanced or are the simplifications making hardcore games too easy? Let’s see how Prince of Persia fares, shall we?
However, one has to ask whether these are welcome changes. This game was 2008’s entry into Ubisoft’s popular franchise – a departure from The Sands of Time trilogy in visual style, story and in particular, the gameplay. Even the concept of seeing a GAME OVER screen is being challenged.Įxamples are everywhere: the DS iterations of The Legend of Zelda, Fable 2, and in the subject of this review, the subtitle-less Prince of Persia. Simplified interfaces and gameplay are becoming more common – complicated multi-button attack combos are being replaced by single button attacks, huge inventory lists are narrowed down to short categories and icons, and more obvious visual cues pointing where to go.
More and more, the influence of the casual gaming market is being felt in traditional or hardcore games such as RPGs and adventure games.