The Return of the Prince
The new title from Ubisoft’s popular platforming series has at long last arrived. Prince of Persia is  completely different from its predecessors, and there was a fair amount of risk that was taken in its development. From the subtle changes in game play, and the not so subtle changes in art concepts, and character design. Prince of Persia is not a fourth installment of The Sands of Time series, it is a reinvention of the franchise. Only 3 years after the release of The Two Thrones, the Prince is back.

The Corruption
The story begins in a desert, in which our nameless protagonist Prince is lost. Searching for Farah, his donkey (that’s right, a donkey) which is weighted down with the booty of the Princes recent endeavors. The Prince seems hopelessly lost until he stumbles upon a women named Elika, who is at the moment being pursued by some guys with sharp pointy objects. Casting their lot together the Prince and Elika flee the pursuers into a great temple in which she claims is the home of Ahriman, the God of Darkness. Elika confesses, that her family comes from an ancient line of guardians, commissioned by Ormazd the God of light to guard a great seal within the temple. This seal has kept the God of Darkness trapped for centuries. Once inside they meet Elika’s very agitated father who in a fit of rage shatters the seal and releases Ahriman.

Finally freed, but weekend Ahriman can only manifest himself as the corruption which consumes any living thing it comes in contact with. As one in a long line of ancient defenders against Ahriman, Elika is gifted with the magic ability to purge corruption. The Prince, who’s only goal in life is to find his gold touting donkey is reluctantly convinced by Elika to aid her. The two unlikely allies work together to free the world of the corruption, thus weakening Ahriman so that Elika may restore the seal and bind him once more within it.

Side scrolling, to 3D, to HD…this franchise has come a long way
This franchise has seen a vast number of changes, and this title may be the most significant yet. The first and most distinct change is the environments which are the triumph of this title. Gorgeous in their design the landscape of Prince of Persia are like living artwork.

Although the core aspects of game play that fans love from this franchise have continued in this title, they have been revamped. Platforming is more fluid and smooth, making the Prince’s acrobatics more realistic. Combat is no longer about button smashing hordes of enemies, it revolves around one on one combat with strategically timed moves, which are enjoyable once mastered. The cinematic sequence are another enjoyable aspect of combat as well. The other highly notable change would be the non-linear, open world type of game play. One of the shortcomings of the Sands of Time series was the linear game play, and developers scrapped that concept by allowing gamers to forge their own path through an open world setting.

Although Ubisoft removed a lot of the drawbacks from the previous serious I am afraid it has also created some new ones. For one, the Prince is not able to develop any new skills, or abilities, or even change weapons. You get a sword, a gauntlet, and a scarf don’t expect more than that.  The dialog in this game is atrocious. I still wake up at night with a cold sweat and hear the Prince’s lame banter in my head (it gives me chills).

The Prince

Although the Prince carries similar mechanics from the previous games such as acrobatics, and combat styles; he is nothing like the prince of the past. Long gone is the noble Prince of the Sands of Time series that fans have come to love. In this title our Prince is more of a frat boy then a noblemen. The new Prince only desires money, women and thick carpets (I’m serious he really likes thick carpets). Over all the deign of the new prince is a fresh new style, but his personality is a stark contrast to his predecessors. Immature, and conceded, but only on the surface deep down he truly cares for his companion, Elika.

Elika emissary of Light

The Prince is perfectly complemented by Elika who is strong willed, and selfless. She not only gives the Prince a sense of purpose, but she becomes essential to his progression through the game. The highly capable AI that is Elika will aid you in almost every aspect of game play.  Since this title is non-linear there are instances when getting lost is easy and if that should ever occur Elika can use her magic abilities to create an orb of light that will guide you on the correct path. If you fall when leaping from one platform to next Elika can catch you and drop you in a previous location. If you fall to an enemy Elika will blind them with a burst of light allowing you to recover.

The one notable drawback to Elika is the fact that she removes a great deal of challenge from the game. If you fall she catches you, if an enemy attacks you she blinds them, making it impossible to die. Despite that one minor flaw Elika is the perfect companion to the prince and a great edition to this franchise.

No Death, No Time Travel, No Problem
Despite Prince of Persia’s minor draw backs it is still an enjoyable game, and a much needed breath of fresh air in a stale franchise. Although death has been abolished, the dialog is poor, and there is ZERO skills or weapon changes for the Prince; this game is still worth getting. With lush environments, enjoyable game play, and an absorbing plot laced with a hint of romance (between the Prince and his own reflection) this game is a great edition to the Pop Franchise. We give Prince of Persia 4 1/2 stars out of 5.

The new Prince of Persia trailer was revealed at the Tokyo Game show yesterday, and it seems that the new game sticks to the same type of platforming that made the series great.

Although PoP carries the same type game play that fans love,  make no mistake this game is a reinvention of the franchise.  The first and most obvious change between this game and the original is the new artistic styling of the graphics; atmospheres that are rich in color, and light. The second would be the change in the combat system, in which there is evolving A.I. in the form of Elika the Prince’s companion in the Game, and new character in the series. Lastly the other notable change is the open world structure of the game that gives it a less constrained feeling of the original Sands of Time game.

The plot of the new game is based on a world wide threat called “The Corruption” a dark substance that is the manifestation of the God of Darkness, Ahriman. The Corruption contaminants every living thing it comes into contact with, and is slowly plunging the world into darkness. The Prince must partner with Elika a woman who possesses the ancient power to purge The Corruption.  Together they must fight side by side to purge The corruption from the world and stop Ahriman from plunging it into darkness.

Combined with the classic elements that have carried from the old games, and the new elements that have been infused; Prince of Persia has become one of the hottest upcoming releases.  According to the majority of gamers in the community PoP is one of the must have titles to be released this year. Fans seem eager to get there hands on this game. It is due to hit the shelves Dec. 2nd, so mark your calendar.

Here is the trailer from the Tokyo Game Show.