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Reviewed by Ian Johnston
Byline: The prince finally returns, and he doesn't disappoint.
The year was 1992. A man by the name of Jordan Mechner releases a game for the Apple Macintosh called Prince of Persia, and the action/adventure genre is forever changed. Prince of Persia's level design, puzzle-solving elements, and control scheme were like nothing seen before. Fast-forward eleven years and fans of Prince of Persia finally get the sequel they've been longing for, courtesy of Ubisoft's Montreal Studio.
When a game is as beloved by as many people as the original Prince of Persia is, making a sequel can be quite difficult. First and foremost you must stay true to the spirit of the original. You must also make a game that lives up to its predecessor's legacy while at the same time being somewhat unique and innovative both stylistically and substantively. Sands of Time isn't as innovative as it could have been, but it definitely packs a lot of style and substance insofar as its graphics, sound, and gameplay are concerned.
The game's storyline revolves around a magical hourglass that contains the mysterious Sands of Time. The young Prince's father, King Sharaman of Persia, bestows upon his son a magical dagger - the Dagger of Time. Tricked by the traitorous Vizier, an assistant to the Maharajah, the prince uses the dagger to unleash the magic sand from an ancient hourglass, and his world is drastically altered.
All the inhabitants of the kingdom are changed into savage monsters, his father included. The only ones to escape the sand's devastating effects are the Prince, the beautiful Farah - daughter of the Maharajah, and the evil Vizier. He must now venture forth and reclaim his father's palace and kingdom, aided only by Farah, his Scimitar, and the mystical Dagger of Time.
Visuals:
Sands of Time implements a number of different visual styles to create some really nice effects. The cut scenes are stunning at times, including some that are presented in black and white which are used to foreshadow upcoming stages. The Prince and Farah, as well as the bad guys, all look very cool and animate wonderfully. When you look at the Prince swinging on a bar you'll see just how good the character animations are; he looks so lifelike and moves so naturally.
The stages the Prince must progress through are vast and grandiose, but it's the small details that make most of them so fun to trek through. In particular, the use of shadow and light is implemented almost perfectly. And, for those that like mindlessly destroying things, there are lots of tables and chairs to smash. Doing so nets you nothing though, so there's really no point. In later portions of the game you've got to destroy walls to get to where you need to go, but that's the extent of the necessary environmental destruction.
A lot of times you have to take the good with the bad, and that's where the game's camera comes in. The camera can be very awkward at times, panning out when it shouldn't, getting stuck behind objects, and distorting depth perception. You can switch to a first-person or landscape view at any time to get a better grasp of your surroundings and you can manually manipulate the camera with the right analog stick. Nevertheless, it's cumbersome and annoying.
Audio:
By far the best part of Sands of Time's audio is the voice acting. For the most part the voice actors are British, which seems a bit odd considering that almost all of the characters are Persian. Most of the time the voice you hear is the Prince's as he narrates the story, although Farah talks quite frequently as well.
The music is really quite subtle, but it becomes more intense and noticeable during combat. It sounds very Middle Eastern in origin, featuring what sound like Sitars and flutes. It's not exactly the kind of thing most of us would listen to intentionally, but it suits the ambiance and subject matter of the game nicely.
Gameplay:
Imagine Ico with a Middle Eastern motif. That's pretty much what Sands of Time is. The similarities between the two games are quite numerous. They both feature large, breathtaking stages, great puzzle solving elements, plenty of hostile enemies to dispatch, and, of course, female sidekicks. What really sets Sands of Time apart from Ico is its heavier platformer emphasis - primarily more jumping, climbing, and swinging.
There's plenty of combat too, and it's one of the most entertaining aspects of the game. A lot of strategy is involved when you're taking on some bad guys; you have to protect Farah (it's game over if she dies) and deal with multiple enemies at once. The enemy AI can be a little frustrating though. Enemies tend to swarm around you, and oftentimes the maneuvers you can do to avoid them don't work very well.
Thankfully there is a block button, but when you've got three or four scimitar-wielding creatures hacking at you simultaneously, blocking becomes pretty useless. If you happen to be surrounded and you get hit, you'll typically be hit three or four times before you can actually move and get out of the way. When you do manage to get an enemy on the ground you can absorb their life essence with your dagger. Doing so ups your rewind-meter by one, and believe me, you'll need all the rewinds you can get.
As for the puzzles, the majority of them involve a lot of lever pulling, climbing, jumping, and flipping. Farah is also integral to the Prince's success. She has to make her way through cracks and holes in various walls and doors in order to help the Prince get into certain areas. She also shoots arrows at your enemies, which helps a bit during combat, but mostly she's just there to provide the occasional assist.
Funfactor:
The fun of playing Sands of Time is largely predicated upon the really well thought out puzzles present throughout the game. You really have to think to solve many of them, which adds a really nice dimension to the overall gameplay experience. The combat is also really well done, seemingly paying tribute to The Matrix via the acrobatics and slow motion.
Ultimately though, it's the amalgamation of platformer and puzzle-solving elements that makes the game a blast to play. However, having to deal with the glitches that somehow weren't detected by Ubisoft's playtesters isn't such a blast. For example, the main menu cursor will scroll uncontrollably if you have the sensor from a Sony brand DVD remote plugged in to your PS2. That's not too terribly inexcusable, but the glitch on the Observatory level is. If you save on that level and attempt to reload your save you won't be able to complete the level. You either have to reload an older save or start the game over.
Overview:
By and large Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is a more than worthy successor to the Prince of Persia name. It sports beautiful graphics, great voice acting, excellent stage design, and some really wonderful puzzles. However, numerous glitches and an inadequate in-game camera keep it from being truly phenomenal. Fans of the original Prince of Persia and newcomers alike won't be disappointed, but it's a shame that such a wonderful game is hampered by such unnecessary problems. A highly recommend game nonetheless.
| Visuals: | 4.5 |
| Audio: | 4.25 |
| Gameplay: | 4.25 |
| Funfactor: | 4.5 |
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| Overall: | 4.25 |
Copyright © 2004 Ian Johnston
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