Last generation, few games took hold of me quite like Ubisoft's re-imagining of the Prince of Persia franchise. Indeed, I played The Sands of Time so many times I would wake up in the middle of the night and find myself halfway through it, the muscle memorization of my fingers the only thing required, consciousness be damned! Warrior Within was somewhat less successful at pulling me into that world, no doubt because the Prince seemed like someone I would meet brooding over The Nightmare Before Christmas merchandise at Hot Topic, while the environments wouldn't feel out of place scribbled on the trapper keeper of a 10th grader with “problems at home”. The third game in the series, The Two Thrones, took the things that worked about both previous entries, the setting and charm of the first, and the fighting and platforming mechanics of the second, and melded them together in what could be considered the “ultimate” Prince of Persia experience. So, needless to say, I'm somewhat of a fan of Prince of Persia, somewhat in this case meaning gigantic and fan meaning fanboy. When Ubisoft announced that they'd be re-imagining the Prince yet again, the benefit of the doubt was delivered onto them forthwith. Certainly an honor, as the benefit of my doubt is a rare thing, indeed. When I began to see HD videos of the game in motion, of the beautiful world that was being created, every doubt I had was swiftly eviscerated by the “Hype Sword” that was Ubisoft's promotional material.

But finally, the game has arrived, and in no time, I tore through Prince of Persia like a wild beast deprived of sustenance. And now, I sit here and attempt to judge a game that's difficult to judge. While musings of the ethereal kind are all but lost to me, Prince of Persia does make me think about games on somewhat of another level. Certainly, there is a game here, but on the other hand, there is an entirely different experience to behold.


The art style is immediately striking.

As a straight videogame, an entry into the action/platforming genre, I can't say that Prince of Persia is fantastic. In some cases, it succeeds in delivering what the series is known for, tight platforming sections, fantastic level design and satisfying “environmental puzzles”. In other cases, Prince of Persia fails to elicit much of a response from the part of me that wants to play a satisfying game.

The reason I say this is because, a lot of the time, the game feels entirely too automatic. Many platforming sections can be beaten without much of a thought, rock faces that look like they were carved by the devil himself, their only purpose to kill any poor individual who would attempt to traverse them, are as easily passable as pressing a button with the precise timing. And when I say “precise” I mean you've got a grace period roughly the length of an extended cut of the Lord of the Rings movies. Even the introduction of traps adds nothing to the experience, as your ability to avoid the first trap in a series is all that matters, anything after it will never have a chance to bring you to harm.

This isn't a difficulty thing, as some might believe, and others continue to claim. The main problem here is that I feel like I'm simply being put through a succession of quick time events, with the obvious omission of on-screen prompts. The only part of the game you really have direct “control” over are the one-on-one battles, which wear precariously thin about halfway through the game.


The boss battles are numerous, and tedious.

All that being said, enjoying Prince of Persia is still an entirely easy thing to do. The real enjoyment came from reaching each of the (numerous) healing gardens and watching the environments bloom into life. The subsequent backtrack through the reborn landscape was always a pleasure for the eyes to behold, and it was at these points where Prince of Persia really made it's mark. There's just something about the way the game is presented to you that really digs deep and resonates in a way that I find hard to accept from a game. When the joys you reap from a videogame have nothing to do with the act of playing it, is there really a game there worth playing? In a sense, wouldn't simply experiencing the sights and sounds for a short while achieve the same effect, and in that case, is this a game one could stoutly recommend as a game? Confounding.

The story, told through sporadic “visions” and one-on-one conversations between the Prince and Elika, the magic princess who's presence eliminates the need for a game over screen, is fairly charming and tends to get it's hooks in early, thanks to the commendable voice work delivered by both central characters. The ending, if you can constitute such actions as an end, is entirely engrossing and increases the craving for a sequel tenfold.

While my want for a sequel to this game is obviously present, my need for Ubisoft Montreal to alter the platforming mechanics are equally so, and twice as urgent. I want to play Prince of Persia, not watch it, as beautiful as it may be.

Prince of Persia is altogether odd. As a videogame, it fails to gain any true hold on the player via gameplay mechanics. In fact, it does a fairly good job of wresting said mechanics from the players grasp altogether, instead focusing them on their surroundings and the presentation of the game as a whole. As an experience, Prince of Persia is nothing short of exceptional, yet as a game, it has a way of losing your interest fairly quickly. In short, this is a must for videogame enthusiasts, but those looking for a satisfying game experience may need to look elsewhere.