N-Philes

Prince of Persia: Warrior Within

Posted by Dan Biersdorf.

Last year's critically acclaimed "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time" saw the return of a classic action icon that had been out of the gaming scene for almost 10 years. Now, Ubisoft has brought the Prince into the spotlight once more with "Prince of Persia: Warrior Within", a follow up to what is regarded as one of last year's best games. Never has a game franchise been resurrected so perfectly as it has with PoP, so props to the fine folks at Ubisoft. This year the Prince plays out in style in a much more adult-themed title that has plenty of platforming elements, and a totally revamped combat system.

In my eyes, the media has really blown the new adult theme out of proportion; everyone is seems ready to start a riot over some blood and foul language, which I can admit may turn some gamers away, but it's not like the new direction takes away from gameplay. Yes, I understand that for some the seemingly unnecessary bump in maturity has deteriorated franchise appeal, but the combat remains largely as it was in Sands of Time with a few more effects thrown in, and far more realistic enemy deaths. Regardless of how you want to see it, the gameplay has only gotten better.

Warrior Within takes place a few years after the events of Sands of Time. The Prince has been charged with saving the Sultan's Palace, a mission complicated by an evil demon called Dahaka that follows the heels of his every move. Dahaka, as the game claims, was spawned by the event of Sands of Time. Determined to survive this monster, you must take control of the Prince and travel to the birthplace of the Sands of Time. There you must find a portal into the past and stop the Sands from ever being created, getting rid of the evil Dahaka for good. The journey begins when the Prince is shipwrecked after setting sail, thus leaving him boat-less on a mysterious island.

The Prince of Persia series has always been about platforming; the old titles revolved around it, and Sands of Time, for the most part did as well. Even though Warrior Within retains the need for skillful jumping, Ubisoft has decided to mix it up with a much more combat-heavy adventure. You'll often find yourself surviving clever tricks and traps only to be bombarded by a dozen mindless enemies that you'll have to dispose of. It's fun, but it really begins to screw with the pacing of the game, and in the end you're going to become bored with the almost infinite amount of enemies. It's not likely you'll become frustrated with the fighting system, though: it really has been improved upon since last year's version, with so many more moves and combos that you'll have a blast playing with the enemies and exploring the various ways of killing them. Whether it be twirling around a pillar or running up a wall vertically and then diving at an opponent, you'll never be strapped for moves. And when you do manage to kill off an enemy, the camera likes to zoom in on the attack and cut to a gruesome death, which some might consider unnecessary, but it'll leave you completely satisfied.

Not only has the combat system expanded, your basic moves have grown as well. With a much more flexible Prince (who would have thought it possible?), you'll be doing even more acrobatic moves than in Sands of Time. The puzzles are fairly deep as well, some of which you'll probably be attempting multiple times, given that often only one slip of your finger will result in a major loss of progress. Like last year, though, it's in these instances that the Sands of Time come in handy (the actual Sands, not the predecessor). The Prince has the ability to reverse time to cover mistakes, so there's plenty of room for error. With a fairly simple learning curve and very challenging gameplay, the title is easy to pick up and get into, and makes for a very entertaining experience.

Graphically speaking, Warrior Within is similar to Sands of Time, with very attractive, detailed environments and stellar lighting effects. Regrettably, the character models remain sort of ugly looking. The emphasis is clearly on the environments, which, I must admit, is acceptable for a title such as this. FMV cutscenes are lifelike in quality, and (aside from those models) Warrior Within is very easy on the eyes as a whole.

As usual, Ubisoft delivers a very good audio experience, with some great voice over work and sound effects. Whether it's the shriek of a dying enemy or the sound of blades clashing, everything is top notch. The soundtrack keeps pace with the franchise's new mature look, featuring a mix of heavy metal and Arabian music that seems odd at first, but is pulled off in such a way that it adds to the overall quality. The electric guitar accompanying your steps during those tense, suspenseful moments takes some getting used to, but you'll find yourself loving the music after only a short time.

This game gets an N-Philes score of A-.

For some, the new look just doesn't work for this kind of game, but you can't accurately judge a book by its cover. Everything is nearly identical to what you played in Sands of Time, and in the case of combat, the bar has been raised. With a much more even balance of fighting and foot work, PoP fans should be pleased. The Prince has quite a few great titles under his belt, and Warrior Within is no exception.

Posted in: Reviews

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