As gamers, we can all get a bit passionate about our favorite games. It is true that at times we can get a little bit too passionate, and often come off sounding like antisocial uber-nerds, but I’ve come to think there is no way around it. Obsessing about our favorite games is part of the gamer package; frankly, you learn to live with it. I, for one, have accepted the uber-nerd inside and am ready to share a little piece of him with you today, which is why I present my defense of 2008’s Prince of Persia. That’s right Sands of Time loyalists, I’m going there, so suit up and have your counterarguments at the ready.

I’m well aware that defending the merits of a game is not always a friendly affair. Truly, there are few things more rabid than a gamer on the defensive. Normally you can expect a tirade of one-liners and unintelligible outbursts of useless information, normally devolving into an exchange of lovely and unimaginative insults, including fan favorites such as 'noob', 'fanboy', and other more colorful words not suitable for a PG audience. You’ve been there, as have I. It can be sad. I will steer clear of these traditions, and try to be as objective as possible. Hopefully I can convince those of you who wrote this game off to give it a second chance.

Or you can side with the noobish Sands of Time fanboys. Your loss.

Prince of Persia was a re-imagining of the already re-imagined classic series. Ubisoft ended the Sands of Time trilogy back on the PS2, wrapping up the story quite nicely. When the next generation of consoles hit, fans were curious as to how Ubisoft would pull off a revisitation to the franchise with a fresh approach that wouldn't make a mess out of an already convoluted plot. It was quite the gaming conundrum, so the guys and gals at Ubisoft took some time off, made a little game called Assassins Creed, and came back to the drawing board. Once the developers got their creative juices flowing they decided that the best way to inject a breath of fresh air into the series was to completely re-imagine it (again). Long story short, they would keep the core gameplay style of the original Prince of Persia and basically throw out everything else, including the old Prince. Oy.

Hesitant as I was to accept this new Prince, who was kind of a jackass and sounded an awful lot like Nathan Drake, of Uncharted fame, I ended up loving the game. And even though a lot of hardcore Prince of Persia fans will dismiss this game based on its “extremely low difficulty” and “lack of challenge”, I’m here to tell you differently. Prince of Persia rocks, and here’s why.

Visual style and art direction

Slide Prince of Persia into your console of choice and the first thing you’ll notice is the game’s distinctive cell shaded art style. Look up any trailer for the game and you’ll see what I’m talking about (in the above trailer featuring the song “Breathe Me” by Sia, goose bump action is guaranteed). Although the game starts out with a very grayish pallet of colors, as you progress the world around you comes to life as colours jump out at you. These colours are complimented expertly by great animations for both the Prince and Elika (more on her in a bit) and lots of smooth texture work on the environments. The use of light and shadow, particularly when Elika uses her powers, is extremely well done, and little details such as the butterflies and petals which float over flowers and grass should not be missed.

All these graphical bells and whistles wouldn’t amount to much if the environments and characters were bland or unimaginative, but fear not, both characters have very distinctive designs imbued with tons of personality, and the world they inhabit is equally aesthetically pleasing. The world is split into four main areas, each of which has its own visual and architectural style ranging from a somewhat medieval European setting to an Arabian Nights-style aesthetic. Once you get knee deep in these environments they leave an impression on you which is not soon forgotten.

Level Design

I’ve had a game controller in my hand for roughly 20 years now, and in that time there have been very few moments during which my grip around that controller loosened as I stood in awe of a game and simply say 'Wow'. Running vertically up the surface of an air balloon and then magically bouncing to another, repeatedly, whilst every structure around me collapsed, was one of these moments. If you’ve played this game you know I’m talking about the aftermath of the Prince’s and Elika’s final battle with The Alchemist in the Vale. If you haven’t played this game, you really are missing out on some outstandingly creative and ingenious level design.

As is tradition in Prince of Persia games, the titular character is quite a nimble fellow, with wall-running being his preferred method of travel (hey, I’d run on walls to get from everywhere too, if I could). With this game Ubisoft kept the Prince’s trademark movement and maneuvers, but this time around they’ve given their protagonist a much more interesting playground to move around in. It’s quite obvious that Ubisoft primarily focused on the platforming aspect of this game, with combat taking a comfortable seat on the back burner; wall jumping, wall running, roof crawls and pole swinging are combined with some nifty magical assisted flights of fancy, all in such a perfect way that at times you just have to sit back and ask yourself 'did I just do all that?'. I can only imagine how painstaking designing a functional and attractive level in which all this craziness can happen fluidly was. The end result is pretty awesome, and watching the Prince move around this vibrant world is really a thing of beauty.

The Story

A beautiful and tragic Princess, with a destiny to fulfill. An unlikely hero who may be more than meets the eye. An epic battle between a God of Light and a God of Darkness. The Prince of Persia story is mostly a by-the-book affair, but I’m a sucker for these classic tales of good versus evil; there’s a reason we see so many of them in film and literature - they work! And even though the story is clichéd and formulaic, I still believe Ubisoft deserves praise for successfully cleverly creating a deep mythos in a single game. See, throughout the entire game you can make the Prince and Elika begin conversations with the press of a button, this normally results in charming and funny banter which is immensely helpful in fleshing out their characters, allowing you to care for and relate to them, but more importantly these conversations also normally include interesting tidbits of information on the enemies you will face and the world they inhabit. Trust me - there’s a lot of information. If you find yourself wondering what motivated the grotesque thing you are fighting to become the monster he is today, or why the larger than life environments around you seem so abandoned, I can assure you the details are there, if you’re willing to listen.

I enjoyed the story of Prince of Persian more than that of most games. Surely, it was somewhat simple compared to the complex plot which Ubisoft crafted in the Sands of Time trilogy, but who’s to say that’s a bad thing? The game’s characters made the tale of this Prince of Persia shine, and speaking of characters, I think it’s time we tackle Elika.

Elika

I loved Elika. I loved her character design and her characterization. I loved the way she interacted with the Prince. I loved her kickass magical powers. I loved... all of her.

Elika is a rare breed in the current videogame landscape; a useful AI partner. If you’ve played games with AI partners before you know they can oftentimes be lots more trouble than they are worth (Yes! I’m talking about you Sheva!). This is not the case with Elika, who is nothing but helpful and never gets in the way of your progress. Think of Elika as the magic abilities you would normally acquire in other action games of this nature, only instead of the Prince learning new spells (à la God of War) Elika will become stronger and gain access to new abilities which you can access with the press of a button. For example, despite all his talents, the Prince can’t perform a classic double jump, but if necessary Elika will assist him in the middle of a jump by giving him a boost that makes sure he goes the distance. The same rule applies for battles; if you need a little extra support of the magical kind you can integrate Elika into your combo with a single button press. The system works and does a great job of making you feel like you’re actually controlling two characters with none of the extra hassle normally involved.

What I love most about Elika are the small interactions which occur naturally between her and the Prince. If Elika falls on you after a landing, she’ll sometimes apologize; if the Prince and her walk into each other while sharing the small space on a beam, they will hold hands and switch positions with a nice little turn, at times eliciting an uncharacteristic giggle from the normally solemn Princess. It’s in these interactions that the figures on the screen become more than avatars, growing into actual characters which you learn to care for.

As you have probably deduced by now, Elika is a constant companion who always has your back; oddly enough most of the criticism surrounding the game is based on just this aspect of her character. Elika is so helpful that she will never let you die. That’s right, you can’t die. If you miss a critical jump, Elika will lunge after you and use her pretty, glowy powers to lift you to safety. If an enemy is about to land a killing blow our girl will put on a particularly painful light show and get him off your back. I know how this sounds, but in all reality it is not very different from the checkpoints which are currently employed by most games, and makes a lot more sense, too. I mean, get killed in God of War and all this means is you’ll have to look at that unattractive 'You Are Dead' screen, push a couple of buttons, and Kratos will be miraculously appear, wound-free, just a few steps back from where he 'died' just moments before. Way to take me out of the game experience. When you think of Elika as your automatic checkpoint, the whole 'no challenge' argument becomes a bit moot.

Now I know this game is not perfect, and it is clearly not what some fans of the series were expecting from a new entry into the franchise, but I still firmly believe the 2008 Prince of Persia survives on its own merits. Anyone who sees it in a bargain bin or the dusty shelf of a used bookstore should pounce on the chance to play it.


Well enough from me, I’ve already told you what I think. Now it’s your turn - have you played Prince of Persia? If so, what did you think of it? Sound off in the comments section below, fellow gamers.

Labels: 2011, Columns, Joey Núñez, Prince of Persia, RePlay, Ubisoft

Prince of Persia works on an interesting premise. Though at its core it firmly remains a hack-and-slash title, it is the concoction of the various elements of fantasy, athleticism and swordplay which set Prince of Persia apart from other generic slashers. The formula intrinsically worked in previous iterations of the series, particularly in Sands of Time, which was met with universal acclaim. Perhaps, therefore, it is just time which has made the ‘fantasy-slashing' idea seem worn: The Forgotten Sands isn’t a game worth shelling the best part of fifty pounds out for.

Allow me to elaborate. The Forgotten Sands, an interquel taking place in the seven-year gap between Sands of Time and The Two Thrones, doesn’t feel like the same breed of polished title which Ubisoft is famed for. Perhaps this is down to my lack of experience of the Prince games – The Forgotten Sands is my first venture into the series – but that doesn’t excuse the fact that this latest Prince adventure feels like a quickly-ousted companion to the recent movie release. It seems distinctly rushed; unfinished.


The Forgotten Sands takes place in the unnamed kingdom of Malik, the brother of our titular hero, the Prince. As the Prince arrives, he finds Malik’s kingdom under attack by an enemy seeking a treasure somewhere inside the palace. Malik and the Prince liberate ‘Solomon’s Army’, a terrifying military power created to overpower its enemy but locked away due to its huge and unconquerable power. Malik and the Prince are separated and, for a reason that is entirely unapparent to me, the Prince just happens to stumble across a portal into the realm of a Djinn – a mystical creature similar to a human – called Razia. She tells him that he needs to reunite his part of a seal, of which Malik has the other, in order to imprison Solomon’s Army once more, and thus the Prince sets out on a goose-chase adventure to do just that.

With The Forgotten Sands, there isn’t a great deal in terms of plot, and what the player is served is much less than tender. There’s very little in the way of character development, as we learn too little about our various protagonists to even begin to make any impression of them. What the plotline actually consists of is undeveloped and inexplicable – why, for instance, does the Prince mysteriously find a trans-locational transporter (magic door) in his brother’s palace? Why does Solomon’s Army have a grudge against everyone they can find? For what reason does Razia, the Djinn, give the Prince magical powers with which to manipulate the elements? Throughout play, multiple questions are raised, and you never feel that they’re answered. Moreover, you never feel as though the storyline is in any way immersive or arresting – as a piece of Prince of Persia canon, it’s disappointing.


Combat also lets the title down somewhat. Please don’t misunderstand; the combat system is solid enough and battles have some sense of tension and pace. However, it is simple with it, and too much so. What tactic there is in the swordplay is taken away and replaced by a modus operandi which takes the explicit form of button-bashing. It’s too basic and too easy, and whilst such a style may appeal to the less experienced gamers among our ranks, the combat is simply disappointing to those expecting fully-fledged swordfights.

That said, combat begins to feel more worthwhile toward the end of the title, when unlockable power-ups, made available through experience points gained from slaying sandy enemies, come into their own. These power-ups take the form of various upgrades, such as increasing damage dealt by each sword swipe to being able to burn or knock over enemies using special abilities. However, it is only toward the final scenes of the game that you begin to feel powerful and formidable. Whilst the power-ups make the combat somewhat easier – the simplicity of which I realise that I have criticised – it brings a vibrancy and excitement to the gameplay which wasn’t present at the beginning. They almost make the simplistic swordplay mechanic passable.


Not everything about The Forgotten Sands, I’m glad to say, is negative. Sound design is fantastic – the music is immersive and matches the situations and settings, whilst sound effects are both believable and rendered in beautiful quality. Voice acting is up-to-par too, for the most part – though the Prince seems to have a penchant for talking to himself, the characters are well-voiced and believable.

Graphically, The Forgotten Sands varies greatly: it is largely impressive, with both textures and animation fluid and detailed. However, there are points at which the graphics become generally uninspiring – sandstorms, instead of raging, sharp-edged and angry, become cloudy and dull; more a yellowy-orange mist than anything. There are occasional framerate issues too: during large battles, in which many enemy AI inhabit the screen, knocking a single one over can result in a chain-reaction of falling enemies, which often results in juddery graphics and general glitchiness.

The game comes into its own when the platforming aspects are involved. One would be forgiven for comparing the platforming to the Assassin’s Tomb minigames in Assassin’s Creed II – they feel very similar, only The Forgotten Sands is entirely made up of that style. The Prince traverses the terrain, which is much and varied, with gracefulness and elegance. Indeed, his seemingly endless supply of athletic talent works well here, with the parkour aspect feeling open-ended and free - a refreshing contrast to the oversimplified combat aspects.

Level design is wonderful. On the whole, the game areas are challenging to master, entertaining to interact with and impressive to behold. They take some level of intuition and brainpower to conquer and, particularly toward the end of the game, make fantastic use of the various skills which the Prince acquires on his travels. Moving from A to B is exciting, fast-paced and dangerous – one wrong move can send you plummeting, as the player simply must be engaged in order to have even the faintest hope of success.

It is an absolute shame that The Forgotten Sands only becomes what it should have been at the very start by right near to the very end. You play through six or so hours of below-par gameplay, kept sane solely thanks to the marvellous level design and platforming, to be rewarded with gameplay – and even combat – which feels fast, furious and satisfying. It doesn’t feel like a victory, though; you can’t help but be disappointed and a little irked to find that the end of the game feels like what Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands should have been in the first place. It does, however, go some way toward redeeming what had, up until that point, been a mediocre and only faintly entertaining title. You even begin to wonder if the game will suddenly surprise you and become the Ubi-standard title which you always expected it to be.

And then, as suddenly as you were given it, the newfound quality and enjoyment is snatched away as surely as sweeties from a small child. Not that we do that here.

Enter a dull, tedious, never-ending and ultimately pointless set piece, in which you climb up an endless spiral slope, whilst various sand-based enemies scrabble toward you with no apparent purpose in doing so. Enter framerate issues when you attempt to tackle said horde of sand-monsters. Enter increasing amounts of frustration because it just goes on. And on. And bloody on. It ruins any illusion you had about The Forgotten Sands getting better from that golden point just before. Things go from bad to worse with a relatively uninspired section of gameplay during which you merely have to press the cross and circle buttons (or their Xbox/PC counterparts) in order to jump across large pieces of debris, amidst a sandstorm which is as undefined as it is atmospheric.

And a hint: it isn’t at all atmospheric.


I won’t even begin to speak about the near-impossible final boss-battle, which should be fun, edge-of-your-seat and – dare I say it – climactic. It isn’t. It quickly becomes frustrating due to your inability to complete it on any difficulty other than the easiest without dying repeatedly, the hugely small play area and the plain dullness of the battle itself.

In terms of my first romance with the Prince of Persia series, things didn’t go well with The Forgotten Sands. We wanted different things. I said to her: “it’s not me. It’s definitely you.” Because it was – The Forgotten Sands was, ultimately, a disappointment. It pains me to say it: I truly wanted it to amaze me, to stun me into fanatical obsession with the dashing prince and his amazing freerunning abilities. And whilst the freerunning was very good, it was one of very few bright sparks amidst the darkness of mediocrity. The game just feels, as I said at the beginning, rushed and unfinished. It had such potential, but fundamentally was always destined for the bargain bin. Which – if you still insist on buying this – is where you should look for it. Save your money for the day Ubisoft really deliver with the Prince, because we know that they can.

6/10

Labels: 360, Linford Butler, PC, Prince of Persia, PS3, Review, The Forgotten Sands, Ubisoft

With a Prince of Persia: Sands of Time the Movie on the horizon and the first PoP game to be released on a next-gen console due for release towards the end of this year, Ubisoft are really getting as much as they can out of the title. In the new Prince of Persia you no longer play the Prince of Persia (kinda defeats the object of calling it Prince of Persia but you know, whatever) from the recent trilogy but an adventurer who has been designed with the influence of other adventurers such as Sinbad, Han Solo and Aragorn.

Ubisoft have built heavily on the acrobatic skills of the protagonist and the “prince” is now able to jump huge distances and bend the rules of gravity. The other addition to the title is the introduction of the support character Elika whom Ubisoft seem to be very pleased with. Support AI are nothing new but, as Ben Mattes (producer) said at E3 this year “It’s been done, and I don’t mean to take anything away from the games that have support characters because some of them are among my favourite games of all time, but really it’s never been done well.” Ubisoft believe Elika will be the first well working support character that won’t get themselves killed or go wondering off during a fight. She will help with puzzle solving, special moves and acrobatics. The designers have also developed an “Elika button”, press it and she will intelligently figure out what you need a hand with. Again this is nothing new but will give Ubisoft many ways to prove Elika will actually help rather than interpret your plea for help as an order to run off a cliff or something.

It seems the support will end up being either yet another disappointment or work superbly but as Ubisoft seem to be using Elika as the main selling point for PoP, with any luck they’ll have put enough effort into it to make it work.

Lewis

Labels: Hype Train, Prince of Persia