Retro|Spective 052: Prince of Persia

[Neon Ignition]

The sands continue to run as we reach the fifty second thread, time to peer into the hourglass for...




Mainline Entry 01 - Prince of Persia
Formats: Multiple ranging from Amiga through to Wii Virtual Console
The first entry in the series was widely recognised for its use of rotoscoped animation which led to incredibly fluid movement as the Prince made his way past various traps and enemies. Primarily covering twelve levels, the areas featured threats such as spike pits and guillotines as you made your way through the palace to save the princess from the evil Jafar. The game was well received but sold poorly on release, over the many years that followed the ports allowed it to build up its reputation and to receive further sequels.



Mainline Entry 02 - Prince of Persia 2: The Shadow and the Flame
Formats: MS Dos, Mac, Super NES, Android, iOS and Xbox
The sequel continued very much in the same mould but with more combat than the first game featured. You had 75 minutes in real time to complete the game so you were working more against the clock than you were a lives counter. Once again the Jafar has returned only a week and a half after the first games events and you were tasked with defeating him again. The sequel was a more immediate hit despite the lower count of ports. It was however recently remade for mobiles.



Mainline Entry 03 - Prince of Persia 3D
Formats: PC and Dreamcast
The third game made the transition to 3D in a plot unrelated to that of the first two. Issues with the developer meant that the game was released before it had completed bug checking and the original release was mired by issues that dragged down reactions to the game. For its eventual port to Segas final system many of the issues had been fixed but the game still failed to make much impact which would mean its future lied in a further reboot.



Mainline Entry 04 - Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
Formats: Playstation 2, Xbox, Gamecube, PC, Gameboy Advance and Playstation 3
Ubisofts reboot brought a focus back on time but instead of a limit they gave the player control. Able to rewind time in short bursts it offered gamers a lifeline as well as a means to solve puzzles in this adventure that largely mirrored the story of the original game. The reboot was both a critical and commercial hit, players won over by the games visuals, story and gameplay and so Ubisoft was quick to attempt to cash in on this new hit.



Mainline Entry 05 - Prince of Persia: Warrior Within
Formats: Playstation 2, Xbox, Gamecube, PC, Playstation Portable and Playstation 3
Ubisoft followed on very quickly with this direct sequel that largely continued the same as the original but with a greater emphasis on combat. The game was once again a hit though some criticism was drawn by the change in art direction which took on a more dark and grungier look that fans of the original jarred with.



Mainline Entry 06 - Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones
Formats: Playstation 2, Xbox, Gamecube, PC, Playstation Portable, Wii and Playstation 3
The next year the trilogy closer arrived with more moves added to the Princes arsenal that allowed for greater traversal in environments. It also added the Dark Prince persona where you lose health progressively for the duration and your moveset slightly changes. The storyline wrapped up looping back across the past two games to deliver what was intended to be a final entry in this canon...



Spin Off Entry 01 - Battles of Prince of Persia
Formats: Nintendo DS
Set between Sands and Warrior, this handheld release is a turn based, card collecting game using the imagery of the recent releases. The game failed to make much impact though, scoring only middling reviews.



Mainline Entry 07 - Prince of Persia
Formats: Playstation 3, Xbox 360 and PC
Another reboot followed for the new generation of consoles which had the Prince traversing a fairly barren landscape using a mixture of wall running techniques and other moves. With a sem-cel shaded look, the game felt pretty on rails in its movement as the player progresses through areas cleansing them of corruption. The game was relatively well received but some didn't take to the styling of the game or the inability to be able to die making it feel a little too automated an experience and a sequel never came.



Spin Off Entry 02 - Prince of Persia: The Fallen King
Formats: Nintendo DS
Another stand alone incarnation for the Prince, this handheld game reimagined the hero in stylised form but was this time a proper adventure title in side on view. Using the touchscreen helped to perform moves and solve puzzles but this control method proved problematic and once again the game received a poor reaction.



Mainline Entry 08 - Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands
Formats: Playstation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, Nintendo DS, Playstation Portable and PC
Rather than follow on from the most recent reboot attempt Ubisoft returned to the Sands canon for this fourth adventure. Set in between Sands and Warrior, the newer entry revisited the design approach of the popular trilogy but added elemental powers. Some of the design decisions were made to mirror Sands but to keep its place with Warriors in mind as the game was canonical to those games and released to coincide with the movie adaptation. The Wii version was poorly received but was notable for being largely a different game from the other console editions whilst the handheld versions were 2D incarnations. The game didn't perform too well with only okay reviews and so it became the last Prince of Persia game with the franchise seeming to have been replaced by an open world similar series of a different Creed.



Share your thoughts and memories of the Prince of Persia series

[chopemon]

That Forgotten Sands on 360 and PS3 was really overlooked. Not as elegant as Sands of Time but probably the best of that style since SoT.

PoP 08 (the stylised one) was really enjoyable even though it wasn't challenging. It's a relaxing time and looks great. The DLC isn't worth it though.

I am really coming to miss linear action games now that everything is going open world. PoP had some amazing entries and it'd be great to see another.

[Dogg Thang]

The originals were superb. You really had to learn them through trial and error, getting a little further each time. Like a lot of classic games, I guess. Not sure I completed both of them but I definitely completed one.

After those two, the only one I played was the stylised one and, while it looked lovely, I found it to be barely a game. It almost played itself and felt like a long QTE. It had some nice parts if I remember correctly but I couldn't engage with it because I didn't feel like I was given control.

[QualityChimp]

I played and loved the first game.
I think I played it on the Game Boy.
I like how you could walk to the edge and do a calculated jump.
The animation was brilliant for the little monochrome screen too.


I also played and enjoyed PS2 Sands of Time.
The most memorable thing, for me, was that it was a recollection of what happened, so that when you die, his narration goes "No, that's not what happened!" and it does a rewind.

I own 360 Forgotten Sands, but it never progressed past the pile of shame.

[Dogg Thang]

I like how you could walk to the edge and do a calculated jump.

Same. This is something I loved in some old platformers. Oddworld had it too. And actually the original Tomb Raiders did too.

[QualityChimp]

Yeah, the Tomb Raider control, where you could hold a button and not fall off was really useful.
I'd still do a handstand instead of just climbing up a ledge most times, though!

[Dogg Thang]

That was what I really found when they did that Anniversary remake of the first. While I loved not having the tank controls when running (mainly because I used to bump into walls even three games in having played them several times each), the camera-dependent controls of Anniversary were much less precise to the point where they had to remove much of the platforming and replace it with wall-hanging. I missed the platforming.

[Leon Retro]

I remember thinking the original game was something special, with impressive animation and a nice ambience about it. But I never had the patience to get good at it. The SNES version also impressed me, but once again, I struggled with it. So, I recognise them as quality games, but the style of gameplay doesn't really gel with me.

[Neon Ignition]

I didn't get on with the original much, like Another World, due to the way the controls feel. Never played the second and third game so the series always hung on the Sands trilogy for me. SOT was GOTY material, expected so little but it was masterfully executed for its time. the two sequels were solid but the tonal changes and bugs did let them down. Forgotten Sands is solid too, easy and a bit bland but worth a play. The reboot on PS3 I've gone through twice and it was the same both times, it just feels too automated and unengaging. It's a shame Creed killed POP, they share the same DNA but Creed has never reached Sands peak for me and I doubt will because there's something well suited to the controls being in a well crafted linear game.

[Mayhem]

The description for the first entry should really start "multiple formats from APPLE II..." as that was the original version too many people think it started on the Amiga, probably because that's how they were first exposed to the game.

[Neon Ignition]

There's no clue this week as to the next threads subject beyond that it's probably a stretch to call it retro as it only goes one generation back.

[Dogg Thang]

"No clue"... Professor Layton? No wait, it's about a "stretch" right? I'm thinking Dhalsim but that can't be it being only one generation back. But maybe it's about generations? Castlevania?

I'm stumped.

[samanosuke]

One generation back is not retro. Please move thread.

[/slight tongue-in-cheek]

[Neon Ignition]

Okay a real clue We're skirting retro but it's a series that's been on three platforms, two that are effectively dead and therefore retro.

Also, we already did Dead Space which was pretty much the same scenario

[Dogg Thang]

Skirting? Platforms? Style Boutique? I don't know.