Prince Of Persia PS3 Review
The Game Marks a New Direction for the Beloved Adventure Series
Jan 25, 2009 Nicholas Fehertoi
When Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones closed out the Sands of Time trilogy on the PS2 in 2006, many speculated on the future of the series. Ubisoft cleverly started fresh for the series' PS3 debut. Calling it simply Prince of Persia, the game begins with the main character (a charming thief, as always) traveling the desert looking for his lost donkey, whom is saddled with his stolen riches.
Instead he finds a princess (Elika) on the run from her father's guards. As it turns out, her dad is in the process of freeing an evil demon that her people have kept imprisoned for years. In defiance, she ran away to stop him. Predictably, the Prince (who may not even be a real prince) bumps into her and (very) reluctantly agrees to help her. Could it be the beginning of a beautiful friendship?
The Prince of Persia Environment
The objective of the game is to travel to each area and defeat the boss there. This gets rid of the “corruption” (a black moldy substance) that covers each pristine environment. Once the area’s boss has been defeated and the corruption is gone, the Prince and Elika can then search the beautiful locales for “light seeds” which are needed to gain new skills. There are 1001 total in the game.
The world in Prince of Persia is massive and has no load times. It has five large areas: the Desert, the Ruined Citadel, the Vale, the Royal Palace, and the City of Light. Four of the five areas are further split into six locations creating 25 stages total. The areas are very diverse, ranging from crumbling ruins, rivers and valleys, and swamps, to caverns, and towers.
Graphics And Gameplay of the Prince of Persia
Like previous games, the Prince can run on walls, climb, shimmy, and leap across chasms. Combat is still fun, and it retains features like the rolling dodge and the ability to vault over an opponent’s head (and slash him)! The square button handles the sword while the X handles jumps. Thanks to the Prince’s new gauntlet, the circle button enables him to throw enemies as well as dig into cliff walls and slide down.
While the Prince’s previous ability to rewind or slow down time has been removed, his new friend Elika is able to extend your leaps, attack with magic, and even save you from death. Yes, this means it is impossible to die. However, this does not diminish the level of enjoyment. Rather, it makes the game more fun because when a mistake is made, the Prince returns to the last solid ground his feet touched.
The graphics are the game’s crowning achievement. The characters are cell-shaded and look straight out of a comic book. The monsters look fierce and dangerous, and the environment is even more visually incredible. When an area is corrupted, it is grey, cold, and dead. The corruption itself is constantly writhing and encroaching, waiting to snare the Prince. Once an area has been healed, it is bathed in sunlight and becomes a lush, green, safe world.
A New Prince of Persia
This game has it all: fun gameplay, amazing graphics, an interesting story (with an unexpected ending), and a creative and fresh start for a beloved series. Additionally, it has tremendous replay value with alternate character skins and many trophies to win.
Hopefully the Prince’s next adventure follows suit.
Prince of Persia PS3 box art
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