It looks as though Prince of Persia has been around forever, and for once I am actually referring to the video game series. But this year Ubisoft decided to mix things up a little. The game, which has simply been titled "Prince of Persia," is not quite what we have come to expect. It is a clean slate, a big swing at really trying something different with our favorite wall-running hero. Some people loved it immediately; others are not so sure. As for me, I always had a soft spot for it, and it is about time I actually dug into it to see whether or not it really is as great as I remember.
Now, one thing can be said for sure: it is a game with a mouth about appearance. That cel-shaded art style. It looks like a painting in the act of life. You know how sometimes you see a fantastic drawing for a game and wish it really looked that cool. Well, this Prince of Persia *does*. The world is huge, and each time you see a massive tower, you know you are going to be climbing it sometime in the game. Perfect for a game in which jumping and climbing feature so heavily.
A New Prince, a New Sidekick
Now, regarding our heroes. The Prince himself. He is the pretty much standard guy game around these days-handsome, slightly sardonic, and it always seems to have a snappy comeback. His partner, Elika, is a magical princess who is strong but needs saving a lot. The two do a fair amount of bickering, and flirting but... it is there, I guess. It is pretty much their story, really.
Climbing-wise, these two are a fiesta. You control the Prince, but Elika is in sync with you, using her magic to help guide you. The way they shift between ledges or help get each other over walls to put them together is just super smooth. It is amazing how they animated everything.
Fixing a Broken World
Their major task is cleaning up this ancient city that has been overtaken by some dark, oily mess and creepy monsters. You achieve this idea of reaching "Fertile Grounds." One of those areas cleansed, and everything around starts coming back to life–plants grow, traps disappear, and bad guys are gone. It is a really cool visual change.
The great thing is that all those areas are kind of connected to one another as a single big open world. You can do them more or less in any order you want-a switch from the older Prince of Persia games. So it horrifies you into a real illusion of being in charge of how you explore.
Swinging and Fighting: The Ups and Downs
Platforming-the jumping, swinging, and wall-running-is certainly a highlight feature. It is simply fun chaining all those moves together. The game fairly maintains that comfortable spot, and if you fail a jump, Elika will always save you. Not too much danger, which is nice, yet very much not a lot of a challenge.
Now the fighting... different. Fighting is not like any other Prince of Persia at all. Much more reminiscent of a rhythm game where you have to land combinations. It is odd and frankly not very challenging either. If you lose, you get saved by Elika, again. I appreciate that they are trying something different, but it is not really impactful.
I sometimes wonder if I am just romanticizing this game. But then I would get back into it, and it is still fun zipping around in those beautiful places. After so many games where even moving around is boring, it is great to play something where just that is the most fun part.
That Ending... Wow. (Warning: Spoilers Ahead.)
So, I played all the way to the end again, and I am so glad I did because I had almost forgotten just how wild-the ending is. So, here is your warning: MAJOR spoilers for a game that came out this year.
You spend the whole time cleaning all that corruption up, making the world beautiful again. And you find out why it was corrupted in the first place: Elika died, and her father made a deal with some dark power to bring her back. In order to fix everything, Elika has to die again. And she does.
The Prince picks up her body, and you think the game is over. Not so. You realize the game wants *you* to make the same bad deal her father did. You have to go and break all the magical seals you just fixed, bringing back all the darkness, just to save Elika. You undo everything you worked for. That moment is shocking, especially because you have to do it yourself.
And many bold things are done in this game that tried much new under the sun. Prince of Persia took risks, even with its corny dialogue and easy difficulty level. It certainly may not have been the future everyone wanted for the series, but it still makes for a pretty impressive game today, not just something to look back on. When a game tries to be original, or even really different, that usually sticks with you for better or worse.
