Prince of Persia Review
By brukaoru 13 Comments
[Note: The audio sucks and I realized this too late... Blargh. I should use a robot voice in the future, it would work out way better. >:P Also I may have fudged some names, I had no idea how to pronounce the names of the two composers. Edit: If you are having trouble viewing the video, try going to the video's page.]
Text Version of Review:
Prince of Persia
Platform: PlayStation 3
Developer: Ubisoft Montreal
Publisher: Ubisoft
1 Player.
ESRB Rating: T for Teen.
Long ago, there were two gods who balanced the universe: Ahriman, the god of darkness and Ormazd, the god of light. Eventually Ahriman became greedy and wanted everything for himself. Ormazd was able to imprison Ahriman and left the people, known as the Ahura, in charge of guarding the prison. Over time, the Ahura lost their powers and the prison weakened. Now Ahriman is on the verge of escaping again.
In order to trap Ahriman, players must travel to the locations that have fertile grounds. Players travel with their female companion, Elika, so she can heal the land. Most locations are traveled to by foot, consisting of a lot platforming. Jumping from one spot to the next, climbing walls and passing over obstacles are all key components in the game. Players can move as quickly as they are able to without worrying if Elika will fall behind. She is able to not only keep up the pace, she is also there if players need an extra boost in a jump or if players are on the verge of dying, she will save them. Almost every path can be traveled in the opposite direction, so there's little chance of getting stuck in a particular area. There are also a few puzzle sequences that must be solved to go further. A world map is used to determine which location players want to go next. They can choose to go to just about any location at any given time, although some areas won't be open until a number of light seeds have been collected. If lost, Elika can use her magic abilities to create a light that will show the direction players need to go.
The combat in Prince of Persia isn't very complex, consisting mostly of one-on-one battles. The Prince attacks with a sword and a gauntlet and Elika can use magic attacks. Blocking and deflecting enemy attacks is crucial as it can be a little tricky to figure out when enemies will stop their offense and are open to attack. Enemies will frequently call upon Ahriman to give them more strength during combat, which allows them to enter three different states, each one only vulnerable to a certain attack. Quick time events also occur, sometimes unexpectedly, which can result in a failed attempt without having a chance to deflect them. Each boss in the game offers a different strategy in order to defeat them. Regular enemies don't hold much of a threat, however, and can usually be defeated quite easily. Although dying is not an issue, if players have to be saved by Elika during combat, enemies will be able to recover their health.
A big portion of the game's dialogue is optional, giving more insight to the main characters and the world around them. The game does a really great job adding depth to the characters. However, there are many places where the dialogue and the voice acting are badly executed. There are only a few loading screens in the entire game, allowing for an almost seamless playthrough. The game also automatically saves frequently, but players can choose to manually save at any time.
The graphics are gorgeous, a unique cel-shaded art style give the environments a vibrant color. Many areas are appropriately dark, and lights and shadows are nicely rendered. There's also a wonderful amount of detail to everything, from character models to backgrounds. Sound effects are also excellent and appropriately placed. Music for the game was composed by Inon Zur and Stuart Chatwood. Zur has composed music for many other videogames, including Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones and Fallout 3. Stuart Chatwood has composed music for seven other Prince of Persia titles, adding a sense of familiarity to this game. The orchestra sounds set a really nice tone for the game.
Prince of Persia does not feature any difficulty settings, which is unfortunate, because there will certainly be some players who find this game to be too easy for them. Despite it's shortcomings, the game makes up for it with it's presentation. Prince of Persia is a well-executed game and a worthy purchase for fans of platformers. Although the game won't take very long to complete, most players will find themselves wanting to replay this game several times. This is another great addition to a well-established franchise.
This review is based on the Playstation 3 version of the game. Versions for the Xbox 360 and PC are also available.