Prince of Persia

Visually, this is one of the most refined and mature titles I've ever seen. The art direction, the environments, are just magnificent. Great voice acting and a mildly amusing script also helped. The game has almost no load screens, and in an open world game, it sure is nice. The gameplay mechanics work really fluidly, so getting the Prince around is a breeze. That all being said, this is a very poor installment in the PoP series, for the gameplay is ridiculously redundant, and its puzzle solving elements could be completed by a nine year old. Not that I have anything against nine year olds, it's just that when a game's combat is a rarity I would expect something else to redeem it. Unfortunately, it is not the case here. The platforming is enjoyable for the first few hours, but it gets real old real fast. Also notable, you can figure exactly what will happen the entire length of the game within the first hour of starting it. So, what does PoP offer us ultimately? A beautiful world to explore, compelling banter between the two protagonists, and a very fluid platforming element. On the other hand, the story is laid out in the first 20 minutes, the combat (which is enjoyable) is scarce, and every other facet is so easy I can't fathom how they were targeting anyone over the age of 12 to enjoy this in its entirety. So basically, it fails on PoP's three historical strengths. Play the demo, and leave it at that.

The most unique pop game and with it's cel shaded graphics the game has aged quite well and by far the best looking game in the series, it also has a really nice soundtrack and great environments.

Elika your traveling companion is the heart and soul of this game and she helps the prince alot throughout the entire game, she also stops you from falling which means you can't die in this game but that's really not an issue since it helps the game to flow better without going through a loading screen.

It's a very underrated game in the series and it's a shame that it never got a sequel.

I have to confess, I never really played any of the Prince of Persia games before diving into the 2008 reboot. I wasn't particularly interested in the franchise, but after catching enticing trailers and noticing the game go on sale, I decided to give it a chance. Boy, am I glad I did! This title is hands down one of the best Ubisoft games I've ever played, which feels kind of bizarre to say because it has surprisingly little combat. Yet, it completely captured my attention, and to this day, I'm still holding out hope for a direct sequel.

The game kicks off with a thrilling encounter-our protagonist is caught in a fierce sandstorm when he comes across a princess on the brink of capture by two soldiers. After some quick banter, he decides to join her quest. It turns out she has incredible time-manipulating powers, and your mission revolves around freeing areas plagued by corruption to aid her in her quest.

At its core, this game is a traversal experience. You navigate through beautifully designed environments, scaling and leaping like a true acrobat. The level design is impressive; it's somewhat linear at times, but there's still plenty of room to explore and hunt for extra loot. A unique aspect is that you can't actually die in the game due to the princess's time powers, which might sound like a downside, but it actually adds to the challenge. I often found myself completely immersed, so focused on the captivating world and gripping story that I completely forgot about the combat-or the lack thereof. The few sword fights were serviceable, if a bit uniquely designed, focusing on enemy movements rather than just button-mashing.

What truly stands out here is the relationship between the two main characters. It might sound cliché, but their bond genuinely deepens, and I found myself emotionally invested in their journey. You can engage in conversations with the princess at almost any point during the game, and it's not just filler chat-there's always something new to discover. These interactions enrich the gameplay and solidify their connection, making every moment you spend traversing that much more meaningful.

Graphically, the game holds up impressively well due to that stunning hand-drawn aesthetic. The art style, along with great music and sound effects, makes for an immersive experience, so no complaints on that front!

The story lasts around 13 hours, but it feels much longer because there's almost no bloat, something Ubisoft is often criticized for in their titles. I enjoyed it so much that I immediately downloaded the extra story DLC after completing the main game. While I won't delve into spoilers, I did notice some areas felt slightly more irritating in the DLC, as if they were designed to stretch out gameplay time.

It's such a shame this game didn't become a massive hit. In my opinion, it's Ubisoft's best title to date, and it seems like the Prince of Persia franchise has faded away into obscurity. I simply don't understand why folks complain about Ubisoft moving away from single-player experiences when a gem like this goes largely unnoticed.

This game deserves more love and recognition. It's a solid 10/10 in my book. Seriously, GO buy it right now. You won't regret it!

Quicktime events ruin the combat.

The sword combat could feel brilliant and flow with beauty. However, Prince of Persia never lets this happen, as it's interrupted with quicktime events. This was that era. The absolute worst thing of the Seventh Generation: QTE. Quite disappointing. Seriously some of the best swordplay I've experienced in a video game, but the QTE ruins it. Just awful. Sad.

The last level isn't fun.

The variation of perspective and lack of colour for the parkour-ing makes it difficult in an un-fun and un-challenging way. Just annoying. I feel personally insulted when game devs don't respect my time, and don't play-test games enough. Yes, it looks beautiful. Initially. But any game can look dull and uninspiring when you've seen the same stage for the tenth time in the same fifteen minutes.

The levels are too linear.

You can choose where to go, but you really can't take alternate routes to get there. Makes traveling the same areas feel pointless after you collect the spirit things that unlock powers, so it's essential you can teleport to fast-travel. As the paths are so linear the parkour would have benefited from more parts where the route is better defined, which allows for efficient sleekness of uninterrupted gameplay.

...That's really the heart of PoP's problem: in an effort to tell its story, Prince of Persia constantly interrupts itself needlessly. Makes me appreciate something revolutionary that much more, like when The Last of Us showed gamers that story could be told during travel, during breaks in action, without stopping the natural flow of the game. I understand needing to tell the story, but we now know better ways to do this without stopping the player's meaningful interaction completely dead.

Games like Prince of Persia make me angry. It's not just some average game. It's not some forgettable experience. Prince of Persia is a beautiful game with timeless (gameplay) animation and some genuinely enjoyable parkour-style platforming. It's a memorable game. I wouldn't be angered by something notoriously awful like Superman 64. Universally hated, I can watch 10 seconds of gameplay and know that game was a steaming turd. But PoP had so much potential to be a great game. All that held it back were poor decisions. Technological limitations and know-how do not limit Prince of Persia at all. It was simply bad choices. It's incredibly disappointing. I would LOVE a remake that dispenses with the QTE and constant breaks in parkour travel. Fix those things, and you have a great game. Allow the combat to feel continuous. The story should be told in dialogue like it is, but allow it to unfold naturally without interrupting travel.

That's it. Fix these things and you instead have a game that is perfectly-paced and flows with the player, not against her.

I really wanted to love this game. I damn-near did. But I will not be replaying PoP, sadly.

Prince of Persia is remarkable in its animation and some of its gameplay mechanics, but the constant interruption of potential flow ultimately sours the experience.

Whoa! That's all I can say about this game right now. This was better than the sands of time in some ways for example, graphics, enemies, more running on walls etc.

You play as the man with no name but he's called Prince. He is walking in the desert, lost his donkey, when he sees a woman being chased by baddies. He goes and rescues her but then realizes he has stumbled into something dangerous. Ahriman, corrupted leader, has broke free of the spells and his terrifying power unleashes. He has no choice but to help,along with Elika, and save the land of his evil clutches.

This game was a letdown to the series. Not! The only things that are wrong with the game are, the repetitive fights, the rating PG which people though was funny, and you can never die in this game since Elika always saves you.

The frustrating this about POP4 was the orb collecting which made crazy and sometimes i would quit the game because the orbs are so hard to get especially the tricky ones.

Music: 8.5 Game play: 9.0 Story: 8.0 Overall: 9.5(Incredible)