Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones, Review

Before I start, I would like to give thanks to the game designers for not splashing a dull grey palette over the environment in "Two Thrones". And more importantly, I would like to thank the writers for pulling the Prince from his angsty, manic depressive personality in "Warrior Within" and restoring the lovably sarcastic one from "Sands of Time".

In all honesty, "Warrior Within" had doused all the enthusiasm I had for the series. So when I started up "The Two Thrones", I was more than a little apprehensive. Would I dislike this installment as well, and be forced to complete it for completion's sake? Let me just sum up my experience with "The Two Thrones" with this: when I reached the ending, I was angry at myself for not playing it sooner.

Let's start with the story and characters. The Prince returns to Babylon with Kaileena at his side, only to find his beloved kingdom being attacked by the Vizier's forces. Within the first ten minutes, he is seperated from Kaileena, and the Prince now has to save his kingdom and rescue Kaileena along the way. Pretty straightforward as plots go, but the way it was executed was very enjoyable. The Prince, after Kaileena's death and being infected with the Sands, becomes bent on killing the Vizier for what he had done. His rage and hatred nurtures the Dark Prince-a result of the Sand infection, who in turn encourages his darker thoughts and motives.

Farah makes a return in this game (in armour as a warrior princess, no less) and helps the Prince as she had done before in "Sands of Time"-albeit with much less screen time.

Along the way, Farah helps the Prince realise he was too focused on selfish motives and shapes him into the noble prince that Babylon needs him to be.

Now, this seems like a rehash of the first installment's character development: the Prince becomes wiser on his journey, and learns to fight for the sake of the greater good and not just for himself, with the help of the Princess of India. The pair also slowly develops affection for each other through the game. No matter how similar the character development may be, I love it. They have brought back the chemistry that made the first game enjoyable. So instead of the Prince stewing in his own angsty thoughts, he has someone else to banter with.

The addition of the Dark Prince made the game rather interesting as well. Initially, it makes the player wonder where he came from. The conversations between the Prince and the Dark Prince are often entertaining, bringing a smile to my face more than a few times. Then, the struggle between the Prince and his darker self becomes more apparent: should he ignore the plight of his subjects and charge on in his path to the Vizier, or sidetrack to save the citizens from the terror of the sand monsters? He is selfish and narrow-minded at first, but thanks to Farah, he realises the need to be a noble warrior for his people, and eventually gains their support-much to the Dark Prince's chagrin.

On the other hand, I do not understand the need for Kaileena's death at the hands of the Vizier. Sure, he needed the power of the Sands to become the villain, but could there not be another way about it? For instance: the Vizier steals the Sands of Time through some elaborate ritual, leaving Kaileena powerless. Kaileena then becomes furious, and helps the Prince to take down the Vizier (along with Farah. Even taking her own path to her goal). It could have given her character more depth, and developed her as more than just a pretty thing to look at (with completely nonsensical and illogical clothing).

Perhaps they needed her gone so that the Prince could rekindle his relationship with Farah, but I don't see the necessity. After all, Kaileena herself stated in a narrative that the Prince only protected her out of a sense of duty from a promise he made, and not out of love. So leaving Kaileena alive would not have created a (childish) love triangle. But, that's just me being indignant at Kaileena's death and puzzled by her narrating the story despite being dead. Sure, it is explained at the end by her revival, but it does raise a lot of questions for one who has not finished the game.

So, moving on to the level design. What more can I say? It is beautiful, and the variation in scenery and environment is very much welcome. For a part of the game you are scaling to the top of an elegant Persian tower, where you can get a great view of Babylon.

And another, where you're trekking through a dark and expansive well, trying to rush through the level while in Dark Prince mode.

More practically, it was easier to identify the destinations that you're supposed to go to. Some have said that making it more obvious amounts to hand-holding, but I am glad for it. I remember being immensely frustrated in "Warrior Within" (man, I sure do slam on it a lot. My apologies.) because I could not tell where I was supposed to go, partly because everything was in a dull shade of grey and brown, and fell to my death countless times. Acrobatic platforming is much more enjoyable in this game, in my opinion.

Now, while we're talking about platforming, let's discuss gameplay. A new and prominent feature in this game is the stealth element. Instead of being ganged up on by countless enemies and having them take turns hacking away at you, you get a chance to take them out silently with stealth kills. If you fail to do so, then prepare yourself for a direct confrontation. This is a genius addition to the franchise. Because, let's be honest, the game engine does not allow for very fluid combat, Sure, it has its good points: I love vaulting over enemies and slashing them, or jumping off walls to launch myself at monsters. But it is not as smooth as in games nowadays-say, Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning. It is an understandable drawback-it is an old game, after all-but it still doesn't detract from the frustration of having to fight against monsters and the engine at the same time. I cannot count the number of times I have missed enemies with my sword at point-blank range, and died as a result.

Oh wait, where was I? Stealth, right. It also seems much more logical for the Prince. He is, after all, just one person against the Vizier's forces. Dispatching enemies stealthily and efficiently is more sensible than say, mindlessly charging at any group of enemies you find. It gives the game a more strategic element too. Take for example: the Sand Gates. For every gate, there is a Sand Guard who, if he notices the Prince and is not stopped quickly enough, will summon reinforcements, which makes the fight for the Gate much more difficult. So the usual strategy I use, is to take the Guard down first with stealth, then securing easy victory.

Another notable part of gameplay is when you play as the Dark Prince. In "Dark" mode, you get to use the powerful Daggertail to defeat enemies easily-almost too easily. I've taken to just jabbing at the "E" button repeatedly until I've won the fight.

It felt as if the developers realised it was so, and tried to use enemy quantity to balance it-not very effectively, I might add. In addition, as the Dark Prince, your health continuously drains and you have to replenish it using Sands that you can gain from enemies and breaking pots. It does give you a sense of urgency when platforming; it puts pressure on you to overcome the obstacles perfectly to get to your next Sand fix before your health completely drains. I remember repeating one particular stretch in the Well of the Ancestors countless times due to lack of sand and finesse. The race against time made it rather enjoyable, though, and the Dark Prince element was a good addition to the game.

I would talk about the chariot races as well, but I think it is pretty straightforward. They break the monotony of nimbly climbing from point A to B, and is sufficiently challenging. In addition to watching the road to make sure you don't ram into a wall and wreck your chariot, you have to get rid of suicidal enemies who foolishly jump onto your vehicle in hopes of spilling royal blood.

The one minor disappointment that stood out was the final boss battle with the Vizier-or Zurvan, the God of Time as he calls himself in this game. It was surprisingly simple compared to, let's say, the one where you had to take on a swordsman and an axeman at the same time. For the final battle, once you've grasped what you need to do, and familiarised yourself with the Vizier's moveset as well as the environment's movements, victory is in your hands. Simplicity aside, it was still rather enjoyable. Rather than just hacking away at him, you had to make use of the environment to get to the Vizier, such as running up a wall to reach him while he is in the air.

So, all in all, Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones has rekindled my love for the series. I'm sure it has been very obvious that I did not enjoy "Warrior Within", but this installment reminded me why I loved the first game, and why I should love this one as well. Along with the inclusion of stealth gameplay and more platforming, Ubisoft has taken the plus points of previous games and moulded it into "The Two Thrones": a thoroughly delightful experience that will leave you satisfied in the end.