I had an inkling that the Prince and Elika wouldn’t end up walking hand-in-hand into a clichéd sunset as the credits rolled at the end of Prince of Persia, but the actual ending did leave me with mixed emotions.
[Spoilers Ahead]
During the game it’s revealed that Elika had previously died and has been subsequently resurrected. Her current existence, and thus the corruption that is spreading throughout the land, is a direct result of a bargain struck by her father to free Ahriman in return for his daughter’s life. In the final climatic battle with Ahriman, Elika has to choose her fate, and in an act of self sacrifice uses her own life force to restore the Tree of Life and imprison the dark god.
It’s directly after this event where the game takes an interesting course of action. After the Prince has rushed over to the princess, gathering her lifeless body up in his arms, the controls suddenly and unexpectedly return back to the player. You’re expecting an end cinematic so it comes as a bit of surprise to learn that the game isn’t quite over just yet. This is just a pseudo ending, a prelude designed to tug at the heart strings as the Prince walks out of the temple whilst some credits roll with some suitably melancholic music playing in the background.
Upon exiting the temple the true cyclic nature of the story is revealed, and we have in fact come full circle when the Prince, lying Elika upon the temple alter, decides to destroy the Tree of Life, freeing Ahriman, but importantly restoring Elika to life. The first word uttered from her lips after her resurrection is “Why”?
Prince of Persia is a glorious game to behold – a visual feast for the eyes. From the outset as I witnessed the prince wandering aimlessly amidst a sandstorm, his shouts for his lost donkey “Farah” muffled by the roaring wind; to the first encounter with Elika as she tries to evade her pursuers, I was impressed by the visual splendor. There’s little doubt in my mind that as an opening sequence Prince of Persia successfully seduces the player.
And believe me I was seduced – for most of the time.
Beyond the cell shaded graphics there is a charm to the game that I find appealing. The interaction between the Prince and Elika, which starts out as a necessary companionship born out of the circumstances, develops as the adventure progresses. The early flirtatious sarcasm and teasing matures to become a more heartfelt relationship, and I actually believe that there is some genuine affection between the two - or maybe that’s all just wishful thinking in my head.
However, juxtaposed with the good there are some aspects within Prince of Persia that aren’t quite to my liking. The four magical abilities gained by Elika at the temple of the Tree of Life, which are awarded upon gathering a set amount of light seeds are really just variants of the same theme. The Step of Ormazd shoots you directly from one magical pad to the next like a cannon ball, The Hand of Ormazd shoots you from one pad to another but in a less direct route; and upon gaining the Wings of Ormazd, Elika flies the Prince all over the map, but with only limited control to move up-down-left-right to avoid objects. We really should just view these abilities for what they are; a method to control the players exploration and provide some linearity, but some more interesting and diverse abilities certainly wouldn’t have gone amiss.
Braid is a stunningly beautiful game to behold. A fact evident from the moment it starts when you realise the first screen you see - a gorgeous backdrop with vibrant reds and oranges casting other objects into shadow - is actually not a menu screen at all but part of the game itself.
Best described as a a puzzle-platformer this adventure revolves around a character called Tim. Slowly the story unfolds via little snippets of text displayed as our hero passes past books placed upon pedestals at the beginning of each game world and it gives us the impression he’s looking for redemption. You see our hero is on a quest to make up for past misdemeanors as he tries to locate a princess with whom, as the story alludes to, he once shared a relationship but has now been snatched away by an evil monster.
The game starts out straightforward enough as the main character jumps and wanders around the levels collecting jigsaw pieces in order to complete a picture puzzle depicting an event that occurred at some point during Tim’s life. It soon becomes clear however that some lateral thinking needs to be employed to retrieve some of the missing pieces of the puzzle, which appear just out of reach, and this requires the player to start manipulating the creatures and the environment around them.
This weeks Xbox Live release for 800 MS points is N+, a game that stays true to the “game play over graphics” philosophy and looking beyond its minimalist art design there lies a highly entertaining action puzzle platform game.
The game is split into fifty odd episodes with each episode split into five levels. The aim is simple, guide the ninja to the exit in as little time as possible before the time runs out while avoiding any hazards. At the start of each episode you’re allocated 90 seconds and the remaining time is carried over from level to level. However each level is littered with gold which can be collected to increase your time.
Depending on the level there could be a number of hazards standing in the way of your ninja and the exit. Some are passive that effect the level like doors, trapdoors and launch pads, while others such as homing missile turrets, laser drones, and gauss turrets will have a very detrimental effect on the ninja’s life expectancy. Death at some point is inevitable, but luckily you have an infinite number of lives until the timer runs.
Prince of Persia was originally launched in 1989 for the “Apple II” and went on to be ported to many platforms in the years that followed. Today marks its release on Xbox Live Arcade after an overhaul to bring it up-to date. The download is 49.89MB and is yours for 800 Microsoft Points.
At the start of the game you’re told that the Sultan of Persia has left to wage war and the grand vizier Jaffar has been left to rule in his place. However, the vizier intends to marry the sultans daughter to claim the throne for himself and gives her an ultimatum, marry him or die. This is a platform game and you have just one hour, in real-time, to negotiate the palace and rescue the princess. The core gameplay remains the same from what I remember when I played it on the Amiga many years ago. You still need to negotiate precarious platforms, avoid traps and fight guards but it has been lovingly given a new coat of paint with an updated graphics engine. The graphics, for an arcade game, are excellent and the prince still moves with the characteristic animation that made the original stand out. There are only a few controls for the prince and you have to remember that the prince can either walk or run, there is no precision analog control, and this can lead to an unfortunate end in some circumstances.
The trial version allows you to try out the first level as you find yourself thrown into the dungeon. To help you out a “butterfly” shows you the way, or you can just explore in your own time if you prefer, but to progress to what would be the next level you need to find your sword so you can dispatch the guard that is blocking your path.
The full game offers 14 levels, normal, time-attack and survival modes and has 12 achievements totalling 200 gamerscore points. Although the trial is a bit short it perfectly showcases the game, and for me it brings back a lot of memories and is instantly familiar.
I’m Impressed with this update and it is a prime example of how to produce a “retro” game for the modern age while respectfully acknowledging the original.
I had an inkling that the Prince and Elika wouldn’t end up walking hand-in-hand into a clichéd sunset as the credits rolled at the end of Prince of Persia, but the actual ending did leave me with mixed emotions.
