The Prince of Persia: A Game Review

“Most people think time, is like a river that flows swift and sure in one direction. But I have seen the face of time and I can tell you, they are wrong. Time is like an ocean in a storm. You may wonder who I really am, and why I say this. Come and I will tell you a tale like none you have ever heard”.

The trilogy is a masterpiece produced by the gaming giant, Ubisoft with the original creator, Jordan Mechner. I’ve finished the games and I would have to say two thumbs up. (I would have said three but I don’t have a third thumb)

The first game that I ever played was the 3rd installment already, Prince of Persia: Two Thrones. After buying the PS2 of one of my friends, he included the previous installments, which were the Prince of Persia: Sands of Time and Prince of Persia: Warrior Within in their respective order. Before finishing Two Thrones, I decided to finish the two previous installments to understand what happened before. It also gave me a chance to understand why the Prince and Farah seemed to have met before and of course, what other mishaps did the Prince got himself into.

The Sands of Time was like stepping through back time when the Prince was still young and rash, wanting to show the loyalty and greatness. As they passed by India on their way home, the Indian Vizier had promised them great rewards if they defeat the Maharajah. The war ensues, defeating India and capturing not only the giant hourglass and a mysterious dagger, but also the Maharajah’s daughter named Farah.

As they return to their kingdom with the spoils of war, the Vizier tricked the Prince in opening and releasing the Sands of Time using the mysterious dagger, turning the people in the palace into demons. With Farah’s help and the Prince’s acrobatic and combat skills, they journeyed through the palace in search of the hourglass and close it once again.

As much as I love the story of Sands of Time (which includes the romance between the Prince and Farah), I hated the way the camera will shift while you are running through a darkened space. The controls will shift and it would mess up your gameplay. The music is fantastic and I finished the game without the walkthrough — which is a big plus for me. FMVs are a little rougher or needs a little more buffing but it will do. Sands of Time is so much like Two Thrones, without the Quick Kill and the Prince’s demon self.

The Prince now faced with the consequences of his past actions with the Sequel of Warrior Within. Haunted by the Dahaka, the guardian of the Timeline, he now knows his own death is near. Apparently, anyone who opened the Sands of Time will die with the hands of the Dahaka, no man can not change their fate.

With this in mind, the Prince traveled to the Island of Time, the birthplace of the Sands of Time which was governed by the Empress of Time.  He needs to prevent the Sands of Time from ever being created. His belief is that if the Sands are not created then the Dahaka will have no reason to hunt him.

Honestly, I didn’t like the Warrior Within, not like Sands of Time and Two Thrones. The graphics were darker, although it’s understandable because he is traveling in a dilapidated castle, but I’ve noticed that the graphics are much more darker than the original Prince of Persia.  The music was awful, in my taste. Persian tunes were removed and replaced by a metal sound that was a little overboard. The controls are much like the Sands of Time, but a little more agreeable. But, it’s like the company marketed Warrior Within as a gothic game.

Two Thrones opening based on the Warrior Within’s ending, where the Prince and Kaileena, the Empress of Time sailed back to Babylon but the Prince had forgotten the prophecy that his journey will not end well. As they got back to Babylon, war has erupted in the city and a group of warriors are already in the invading the city.

After his quest in Warrior Within, whatever happened in the Sands of Time had never occurred and the Vizier had possessed the empty hourglass, the Dagger of Time and his powerful Staff. Unfortunately, the Vizier got Kaileena and killed her, releasing the Sands and giving him immortality and his minions mutated into demons. The Prince personality was split in half and there are times that he will transformed into his evil self.

In this sequel, I loved the way the graphics and the music combined. The controls are more manageable than the previous installments. It was amazing that what was first said on the Sands of Time, that was the last thing was said on Two Thrones.

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