Prince of Persia

In the gaming world, many games earn the status of ALMOST perfect. Often, a game will have several great factors that could add up to perfection if not for a few minor flaws. No game demonstrates this better than the latest Prince of Persia. The cheesy story and minor platforming issues keep the new Prince of Persia from being an otherwise perfect game.

The game’s first flaw comes up even before buying the game: the Limited Edition that came with pre-ordering from GameStop. It comes with a bonus disc and a few codes for extra skins. The bonus disc contains speed drawings, behind the scenes videos, and a portion of the Prima strategy guide. None of this really adds to the value of the game. The only aspect that could affect the game itself is the Prima guide, and that is more of a tutorial than something that could help you through any portion of the game. Given the fact that the Prince of Persia already includes a tutorial, regardless of whether or not it is a Limited Edition, this makes the Limited Edition simply not worth it.

However, the game itself is very high quality, even if the story is sub-par. The game starts with the eponymous Prince running through the desert before running into the enigmatic Elika. After a series of unlucky events, both are roped into a “save the world” quest. Along the way, the Prince spews out some of the worst dialogue heard in any video game. Every one of the Prince’s quips feels like a forced, clichéd piece of Hollywood dialogue, trying to be clever but falling flat on its face. While no other character utters lines nearly as bad, those said by the Prince almost ruin the story. Although to its credit, the plot itself is OK. Every character feels like they have their purpose (even if they are somewhat shallow, as is the case with Elika), and the heavy Zoroastrianism influences give it an air of authenticity. The only major flaw (besides the Prince’s dialogue) is the ending. Without spoiling anything, it has potential for greatness, but completely ruins it by destroying everything for which you ever worked. The icing on the cake is that the game forces you to do this, making the failure seem even more necessary.

Despite a mediocre storyline, Prince of Persia’s gameplay is top-notch. As always, you run through a gamut of linear levels, running on walls and generally displaying a wide array of acrobatic techniques. What makes it all work is how well the concept is pulled off; everything, from the moves to the level design, feels 100% natural, never forced. Running through each stage is pure bliss, and every element is used to great effect. Sure, the red and blue power plates feel can feel like lazy game design, but near the end of the game, they are put to excellent and creative use.

Yet Prince of Persia squanders it with regular fetch quests. In order to progress through the game, you need to activate special power plates that allow access to new areas. In order to activate the plates, a certain number of light seeds are needed. It is impossible to obtain the required amount just by playing the game at a natural pace and since they do not appear until after a level is complete, this means going back to previous levels, scrounging every nook and cranny for that one light seed needed to move on with the game. For a game that seems to be about flow, Prince of Persia does not seem to understand that this tactic severely hampers the continuity of each level. Another flaw with the level design is the open world aspect. While it supports the natural feeling that Prince of Persia establishes, it does not do so very well. There’s a feature that allows you to teleport to previously completed levels, and while this may sound convenient (and it is), it completely undermines the open world aspect of the game. Although you need to complete a level to teleport back to it, often times you can teleport to a nearby level instead.

Likewise, the combat is excellent, if at the same time flawed. At first, combat feels too cinematic; you will feel like your button presses are contributing very little to what is actually happening on screen. In time, however, Prince of Persia’s fighting system turns out to be fairly deep and fun to use. The Prince has three forms of attack: a gauntlet, Elika’s magic, and his sword. Combined with an acrobatic escape move, the fighting system allows for a bevy of easily performed combos. Despite the fact that it does not connect at all to the platforming (was not this how the series began, though?), it still manages to be a blast to use.

The only real problem with the combat (and a major problem with the game in general) is the lack of death. When the Prince misses a jump or does not react quickly enough to an enemy’s move/extremely easy Quick Time Event, you do not die for it. Instead, Elika brings you back to life, making the game incredibly easy. The only consequence for it is that the enemy regains a bit of their health. However, the amount of health drained is usually a very small amount that can be drained back to normal levels in a few seconds. The only consequence for dying in a non-combat situation is that you are sent back to the nearest platform, which, except in a few isolated cases, is very close to where you died. The game only needs this for one portion of the entire experience, so it is very hard to imagine why Prince of Persia has it to begin with.

Perhaps the only part of Prince of Persia that is truly flawless is the graphics. The first thing you will notice is the Prince’s new look. While some may not agree with Ubisoft’s redesign, it ends up looking much better than the Sands of Time Prince, which can be unlocked as an alternate skin for those who do not like the redesign. Under the new cel-shaded graphics, the old Prince looks almost Neanderthalic, while the new Prince feels right at home. The cel shading graphics scheme works incredibly well with the plot, highlighting the death surrounding a corrupted land, and the life and energy when life returns. In addition, it also makes look distinctly like an Xbox 360 game, whereas many Xbox 360 games look a lot like shiny previous generation titles; nothing in this game could be done on an Xbox or PS2. Finally, the attention to detail in this game is amazing, even in the animations. Every little scenario is animated beautifully, from the Prince and Elika switching places on an outstretching beam, to the Prince falling to his death. Especially outstanding are the power plate animations, which give off the magical storybook feeling the series is known for.

While the graphics are magnificent, most of the other aspects feel only almost perfect; if not for one screw-up, Prince of Persia could have been Game of the Year. As it stands, the game is only great, not perfect. The skillfully designed levels, beautiful graphics, and surprisingly deep combat system make it a must-buy title. Yet the Prince’s appallingly bad one-liners and the lack of consequence for death keep it from realizing its true potential.