Games from Western developers are a pretty formulaic bunch really. Colour palettes of 756,000 shades of greys and browns – hmm, realism – guns, gore and lashings of macho men in stories as shallow as a drop of water blasting holes out of nondescript, identikit enemies. Sometimes it would be more thrilling to have some fun bounding around a more fantastical world with eye-popping moves and tricks, gasping with excitement instead of yawning with abject tedium. Thankfully, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time fits the bill nicely and, for once, doesn’t destroy any fond memories of the original game, whilst erasing any thoughts of the 3D abomination (imaginatively titled Prince of Persia 3D) made a few years ago. Whilst the plot is not particularly spectacular – magic dagger unleashes inconceivable evil, make everything alright again – the way it is presented hooks you like a haddock, thanks to some slick rendered sequences and the overall pace of the game. It provides a drive to the game that supplies a sense of purpose, whilst the chemistry between the Prince and the seductive princess offers a dimension rarely broached in games, allowing for snide comments galore. Additionally the more exotic setting offers more intrigue than bland space stations and the ilk. Ten out of ten for presentation and voice acting (even though we only mark out of five). What makes the Prince so special is the way the gameplay elements come together seamlessly. We’ll start with the platforming sections. The game titillates by offering visions into the future that show what you have to do next and gives camera angles that tease you with challenges to overcome. Our Prince (he’s not a Manc, mind) is as nimble as an Olympic Gold gymnast, twisting and twirling in mid-air, suspending belief as he defies gravity by running along walls, springs over spikes and vertigo-inducing plummets and precariously balancing on slender beams. Guaranteed, you’ll feel really cool executing such breath-taking tricks with ease. Even wall jumping and swinging from pole-to-pole is an exhilarating, exciting experience. It’s all accompanied with some of the slickest animation yet seen in a game, meaning you’ll have no qualms about doing it again and again. Negotiating crumbling platforms and dodging deadly obstacles makes for some real heart-in-mouth moments. If platforming makes up a substantial part of your quest, than unsheathing your sword is also a crucial part. And it’s damn hard, as multiple enemies all close in on you, wanting nothing more than to spill your blood and make your life a living hell – or a dead one. In principle the fighting system is as simple and effective as the rest of the controls. Slamming the buttons like a game of Whack-a-Mole will more often see you in a mangled heap, so a more calm and strategic approach is needed to overcome your foes. Rolling around and timing your swings often equals success, though you’ll have to always finish your opponent off with a pierce of your dagger. However, there is something about pirouetting and slashing in the heat of battle that doesn’t feel right. Quite simply, it gets rather boring all too quickly. Whereas you’ll still be whooping at running along walls for the zillionth time, you’ll be cursing meeting more enemies to mangle. And did we say it was hard? You’ll turn the air blue with various interesting combinations of swear words as mobs of monsters gang up on you, each bludgeoning you while you lie prostate on the ground. It’s just extremely unfair at times. Perhaps more one-on-one combat, as in the original game, may have made the game more interesting, as seen with the pathetically easy and unimpressive last boss. Undoubtedly the coolest addition to the title is the dagger you nab early on, giving you the power to reverse time to rectify your mistakes. Sliced to ribbons by a baddie? Just mistimed your jump? Just go all Craig David and re-rewind your worries away. This may sound like a gimmick that just makes the game easier but we’re grateful for the innovation as it prevents the game from fun descending into frustration. It provides a much-needed cushion to allow you to experiment and take risks in the platforming sections but, unfortunately, it isn’t so useful in combat. Sometimes you’ll rewind to see yourself dying or getting hit again and again because too much time elapsed, even though you were oblivious to this oversight. Bloody annoying it is. Sometimes, as lush as the game is – just look at these screens and imagine the game actually running - it feels a little characterless. If you’ve played Ico you’ll feel the same experiences here, though it doesn’t quite reach the same giddy highs thanks to a lack of emotional attachment. Maybe it gets a bit too repetitive on occasions, so while we lament that the game is only eight hours long, maybe that’s a good thing, as we don’t get too fed up of more skirmishing and more soaring – fights happen all too frequently. And while the inclusion of the original Prince of Persia is a welcome addition, British gamers have once again been shat upon as Prince of Persia 2, which was on the American version, isn’t here and nor is Live recognition. Considering that this would have taken, ooh, about five minutes to convert and implement, we’re left dazed and confused wondering why they haven’t. So this game isn’t quite as wonderful as some have said, but that pang of disappointment is small compared to the overall beauty and entertainment you’ll get from the game – it certainly didn’t deserve the pitiful sales and general apathy it initially received. Overall, this is one Prince Charming - and we’re adamant about it.
Other Helpful Reviews for Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
The Good: Great puzzles; intense combat and terrific animations of the acrobatics. Unique style of saving loading. Soft lighting and pretty good sound. The Bad: Intense combat; somewhat repetitiveness of the action. N... Read Full Review
First up is the gameplay. PoP has some excellent controls that are easy to get to grips with. Running along walls, jumping from pole to pole and slashing those nasty sand creatures are all made easy by the very user-frie... Read Full Review
