by Ben Silverman
Acrobatic action-adventure is set to return in Ubisoft's brand new Prince of Persia for the Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and PC. Though it packs some familiar gameplay, the new game reboots the franchise with a wealth of new features and style. Here are five things any would-be tumbler ought to know.
It stars a fresh Prince
Like any iconic game character, the Prince of Persia has evolved to keep up with the times. The latest version of the athletic acrobat differs greatly from the one who headlined the hit Sands of Time trilogy, and while he shares the regal title of his forbears, he's far from royalty. Inspired by the likes of Han Solo and Sinbad (the legendary hero, not the forgettable comedian), he's a rogue wanderer who finds himself tasked to save a strange world from nefarious enemies on a quest to get back home.
Behind every great man is a glowing, butt-kicking warrior maiden
Luckily, he won't have to go at it alone. Trapped in the same alternate world as the Prince is Elika, a mysterious guardian who helps the eponymous star fight the forces of an evil, ancient god. Slip from a ledge? Elika will grab you. Get thumped by a foe? Elika will fend him off while you recover. So long as he's with Elika, the Prince literally cannot die, making her perhaps the most useful ally in the history of gaming.
Out of the palace, into the world
Older Prince of Persia games were relatively straightforward action romps through linear levels. The new game, however, lets you explore the story at will by choosing different paths through the open-ended world. In a sense, players will decide how the storyline unfolds.
Fight and flight
It wouldn't be Prince of Persia without loads of wall-running, wall-sliding and wall-jumping, and indeed, gamers will have to master such acrobatics to solve its numerous platform puzzles. But unlike the Sands of Time games, you won't be button-mashing through hordes of bad guys here. Quite the contrary, actually, as the new game features a fixed number of tense, strategic one-on-one fights that require pinpoint timing instead of button-mashing madness.
It looks like a king
It isn't easy to stand out in today's crowded game market, but Prince of Persia's eye-popping visuals have gamers grinning. Running on a heavily modified version of the engine that powered last year's hit Assassin's Creed, the game features a gorgeous, illustrative style that makes typical cel-shading look like kid's stuff.
Posted: 20 Nov 2008
