2003’s superb Prince of Persia: Sands of Time was an original action game drenched in fairy-tale sunlight and loaded with mind-blowing deeds of skill performed by the titular prince. Wisely, Ubisoft tried to retain the core gameplay of the original while addressing a few minor issues with it: namely, its length, difficulty and relatively simple combat. We also compliment Ubi for going out on a limb and darkening Warrior Within’s tone, proving that they didn’t intend to simply rest on their laurels. Yet, with all of these positive-sounding changes, none of them are really an improvement, on any level. The core puzzle-solving and acrobatics are still here, and we love the deeper combat. However, its tough to empathize with the grittier prince, and all of the little touches that made Sands of Time so wonderful are gone, making for a good adventure game that should have been much, much better. Warrior Within begins where its predecessor left off, and the prince is still on the run from the ominous Dahaka, which gobbles up everything in its path, much like the creatures in Stephen King’s The Langoliers. In order to destroy it, the prince decides to travel to the past and kill the Empress of Time, so that she can never create the Sands at all. The prince fights the battle in a resplendent castle on the Isle of Time, in two separate time periods, although even fans of SoT may find themselves initially confused – and newcomers to the series will find the plot initially incoherent, as it assumes intimate knowledge of the first game. The prince and his surroundings are obviously worse for the wear, and the prince doesn’t hesitate to use a few choice adult words when under duress, while the environments have lost their enchanting glow. Even the prince’s scantily-clad foes would be just as comfortable in a Bloodrayne title as they are here, and throughout the course of the 15-or-so-hour game, you get the impression that the designers were never very comfortable in the prince’s new milieu – and frankly, neither were we. The most successful aspect of Warrior Within remains the acrobatic puzzle-solving, and while you will usually pull of these feats in a leisurely fashion, a nail-biting chase from the Dahaka is the game’s chief highlight where this is concerned. The prince can still elegantly leap, skitter across walls, and use poles and columns to swing and jump, but a few additions to the platforming make the best part of the series even better. The prince now walks across thin beams like a gymnast (although he balances oddly precariously for a man who can perform mind-boggling trapeze acts), and slides down tapestries. The level design is as brilliant as that in Sands of Time: it may not be clear to you exactly how you will be getting up that balcony looming above you, but once you get moving, the pieces fall into place remarkably well. Spinning blades and other traps will hinder you, but a keen eye and quick reflexes should get you past without too much of a problem. The same fluid controls from the original make it easy to get your way around, although the camera still has the same annoying tendency to rotate at the worst possible times. The biggest quandary here is that Warrior Within is an adventure title masquerading as an action game, and while the new combat elements are thankfully deeper than the somewhat simplistic swordfighting of Sands of Time, the beauty of the new moves is only skin-deep. Now the prince can not only vault over enemies and somersault from walls, but he can twirl around poles, slash his enemies' throats from behind, and even throw daggers from afar. A variety of different combos will have you slashing and twirling about, which is great to look at, but dissatisfying in the end. Battle areas are littered with poles and traps for use during combat, and it can be fun to try different attacks, but most of the time, there is no reason to try out a lot of different moves. Some of the Empress's minions are resistant to particular attacks, so at first, there is an initial impression of variety, but eventually, the button presses you need will become second nature, and in fact, not using the obvious method of enemy execution is a sure way to get yourself killed. Not only is there not usually a reason to try out different things, but the game practically punishes you for it. Even the artificial intelligence will make you turn your head, as you notice that some bosses will catch on to your favorite moves and adjust accordingly about halfway through the battle. Once again, however, this is a superficial impression. Generally, simply rolling and twirling around out of your foe's reach and then slashing them when their animation is finished is the best way to handle things. Defense is key, so much so that the camera will zoom in close if the two of you lock swords, and you will have to make repeated button presses to triumph. You will also have to fend off ranged attacks from some enemies with the same parry move, giving your trigger finger a greater workout than the last time around. If you thought Sands of Time was easy, you won't think so in Warrior Within, and in fact, you will be initially surprised at just how tough it can get. Fortunately, you also get to fling a few daggers yourself, since you can pick up weapons from your felled foes and throw them at unsuspecting targets. In another nice twist, you can also wield two weapons at once, which adds a few nice combos to the prince's repertoire. It isn't always clear just how important that second weapon is, though, and unless you need it to fling from afar, you may not always notice weather you have an extra sword or not. You can even steal weapons from your attackers in a nifty come-from-behind assault, resulting in a bloody beheading. Of course, you still have your time-warping powers at your command, allowing you to slow time to a crawl - or even rewind it, giving you another chance to jump for that pole or vault over that tough trap. Those same decapitations are part of the new, surprising grittiness permeating Warrior Within, evident not only in the spattering fluids but in the crumbling edifice that plays home to the Empress. If Sands of Time was Aladdin-esque in its storybook presentation, Warrior Within takes a page from the darker tales of Scheherezade, and the prince is taking no prisoners. He is brooding and very adult, and some of the the small delights of the first game, like the premonitions of upcoming areas or the charming commentary when you plummet to your death (although you still get a brief overview of the upcoming area), have been replaced by standard power-up/restart screens. The prince still refreshes himself at fountains, and it's there that you can also choose to save your progress. This isn't to say that exploring this new aspect of the franchise was a bad idea, but the suddenly mature lead has lost his appeal, and has become an action film cliché that made us realize what a driving force his endearing nature was the last time around. Warrior Within looks terrific, and is built on the same technology as the first game. In fact, some scenes are downright breathtaking, making you stop just to look at the imposing towers and shimmering gardens. The soft glow has been turned to a dusky hue, which certainly lends itself to the new, menacing prince. The title character's movements are still the star of the show, and his graceful animations are otherworldly, yet they have real gravity to them, making the acrobatics and wall-racing look incredible but not entirely unbelievable. The boss fights, too, are awe-inspiring, such as the gigantic brutes that are as amazing to watch as they are difficult to defeat. We did experience some stuttering issues during cutscenes, although gameplay framerates were smooth and reliable. The sound isn't quite as consistent, and the prince's voice-overs as are annoying (“You B*****!”) as they are trite. Background music is now mostly made up of metal tracks, which admirable serve to add tension. Xbox owners get the added incentive of a couple of battle modes that result in scores they can upload to the internet via Xbox Live: Time Attack, in which you rush through a short level that taxes your platforming skills, and in Arena mode, you will face waves of enemies (and get to practice those cool pole-swinging attacks). This isn't substantial enough an addition to recommend the Xbox version over any other, although the longer playtime is definitely welcome in the wake of Sand of Time's short campaign. Too bad that all of the “enhancements” made to the prince's fascinating virtual world are actually liabilities. We are glad Ubisoft toyed with the bits that needed improvement, but we wonder why they “fixed” the things that were never broken. Still, if you missed the prince since his last appearance, you should still check out the sequel; just be ready for the violent twist on your fairy tale paradise.
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The Prince of Persia: Warrior Within boasts an interesting storyline concluding from Ubisofts first edition 'The Sands of Time. A new improved combat engine has also been implemented, as well as a look around camera angl... Read Full Review
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