The Warrior Within you is awakened. Just grab a sword and prepare to change your fate (more than once!)
Seven years after his adventure in Azad, India, the Prince finds out that he can't escape his fate so easily. The Dahaka, the guardian of the timeline, seeks to kill the prince in order for the timeline to be restored. The Prince cheated time in SoT and now he must pay; thing must be set right. The prince's salvation lies in a quest to travel to the Island of Time, seek the Empress of Time in the past through the portals in the island and prevent her from creating the Sands. If he achieved that the Maharajah's army would find nothing more than an empty hourglass in the Island of Time; so would Sharaman's, the prince's father, army in the sack of Azad. This means no trouble for our prince. …Expect a twist though.
The first half of the game is a normal paced venture inside the fortress of the Empress with a clear goal: to find her. Before the player is revealed the sheer beauty and magnitude of the fortress with atmospheric environments: sacrificial altars, open yards, hanging gardens, waterworks, clockwork mechanisms, towers. Once you find her though, inevitably you fight her. Once you kill her you think that your troubles are over and the prince prepares to leave. This is actually where the real adventure begins. It turns out that killing the Empress, the prince created the Sands, the power of which was contained within her. The prince's only chance is to use the Mask of the Wraith and travel back through time and change what he did. The already gloomy mood gets darker: dungeons, claustrophobic libraries, misty caves, catacombs. The pace is now a lot faster and positively overwhelming as you feel the prince's haste to set things right for his own sake. In the end the prince either kills the Empress in the present or fights the Dahaka.
All the way through your journey you will be using the many time portals of the island visiting the same landscapes in two different time periods (before the Sands – after the Sands). The programmers did a magnificent job in showing the effect of time on the structures and you really feel like a sneaky time traveler. Don't forget about the Dahaka. Every time you return to the present, its presence and threat is there. Several times he will chase the prince. I would describe the Dahaka chases as unique experiences: personally my heart was pounding every time. The colour is almost "sucked out" of the screen by the Dahaka and you hear its voice calling out for you as you run to escape your nemesis.
The puzzles are still present in the game and they are very clever and critical to the evolution of the story. The new feature is the life upgrade locations (a total of 9) which are like small trials to surpass deadly obstacles.
The game design is amazingly focused. The level design is appropriate for each environment, the colour tones and the elements too. Nothing is out of place and each level is believable although completely fictional. I want to note how much I enjoyed each environment and how the different places of the castle link to each other and you will find yourself finding secret passageways; even visiting re-visited areas is fun!
The graphics are very beautiful and you see the attention to detail at the level of creating artistic material (statues, emblems, decoration elements etc.). I'll note the gardens with the wall carvings, the floor designs, the huge statues and the elaborate water circulation system.
The gameplay has much improved since the Sands of Time. This includes the new free-form fighting system with multiple choices and big combos (up to 6 buttons in a row). Not only does the new fighting system allow you to kill enemies in many different ways, but every combo is so marvelously choreographed that it's just amazing to watch the prince show his acrobatic skills. The Powers of the recall and the eye of the storm have always been the highlights of the game series and guarantee a unique gaming experience.
The music is more than present in the game and is a prominent element as it underlines each situation the prince is in: hard rock in fights and Dahaka chases and the well known atmospheric music with an Arabian influence when in puzzles and deserted areas. I feel the creeps every time I hear the gardens' theme.
Overall the Prince of Persia: Warrior Within is a unique game, with staggering action and a balanced gameplay. The game is complete with a dynamic soundtrack and a promise for an equally good sequel.
The only drawback is the several glitches reported and the lack of survival mode where the player, without a specific mission, can fight against enemies and the option of unlocking more than just stills and drawings and videos.
Can't wait to start it all over again! This IS a game you want to play over and over and over again.