Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones Review

9.0

Format PlayStation 2

Developer Ubisoft

Publisher Ubisoft

Genre Action, Platform

Even though you're dumped straight off a boat and into a burning Babylon that's been ripped apart by the consequences of your time travelling, this year's Prince of Persia remains true to every element we've loved and hated about the reborn series - and adds lots more besides.

The first level is one of those godawful training bits where if you fail one single
jump you fall right back down to the start again, which, just like the boat-based intro
to Prince of Persia: Warrior Within, is likely to instantly put you off the game if you're
not already familiar with its wall-running, long-jumping style of play. But stick with it - it gets much better.

With that slight criticism out of the way, like a genie out of its bottle you're plunged straight into the stunning high-rise world of Babylon, leaping across rooftops like that bloke out of the BBC adverts, before heading down into the dingy sub-levels for some amazing underground exploration. And it really is all about the exploring and the jumping. Each new room, every corner you turn and all the new locations you enter require a lot of thinking. This is no run-and-go action game, it's like one gigantic three-dimensional Rubik's Cube laid out before you on your television screen.

GYMNASTIC MENTALIST
All of the locations in The Two Thrones are huge, fiendish and complicated environments that require plenty of puzzle solving to get through. But wait, it's not as boring or as difficult as it sounds. The Prince is on your side. Balance on a beam or dangle from a high ledge and he always instinctively knows what to do. If there's a jump you need to make, just press X and he'll make it. If there's a ledge to be grabbed, he'll do it. First time, and in style. There's no fiddly, annoying, pixel-perfect control needed here.

Gaps that seem impossible to bridge can be leaped across in one massive, superhuman jump, with our hero manfully locking onto whatever you're vaguely pointing him at. In all our many hours of play we've never once died from a control issue. Instead, death comes from the player's own confusion, whether it's enemies forcing you to rush, or your own failure to judge the timing of a trap or an opponent's movement.

OK, now don't read this paragraph if you're a serious Prince of Persia fan and want to avoid plot spoilers. The Two Thrones goes a bit Desperate Housewives in its story telling, with the plot narrated by the unfortunately dead Babylonian babe Kaileena. This ends up somehow making the Prince possessed by the Sands of Time - which turns him evil, more powerful and gives him new combat skills.

The regular Prince also has new skills to help him fight too, and rather than being pointless additions they really do enhance the PoP experience. It's now possible to jump diagonally off certain angled pieces of wall, he can slide down between gaps and is much more acrobatic and capable of leaping, swooping attacks on enemies.

But the biggest new feature is the Speed Kill - a kind of simple stealth feature that bucks the stealth game trend by actually being fun to use. Now you have to pay attention to which way enemies are facing and walking, but don't panic - this is no Metal Gear Solid sneakathon. The guards patrol in lines or loops, and you sneak up behind them, pressing triangle to initiate a Speed Kill then reacting to what happens on screen and slashing your sword when it shimmers. Simple.

Babylon's high buildings and alleyways are perfect for this sneaky play, and the beauty of Prince of Persia's new stealth emphasis is there's no punishment if you fail. Mess up a Speed Kill and you're stuck with fighting the guys normally. It's not Game Over, just Game Slightly Extended by having a laborious fight instead of a swift stealth kill.

A WILD STAB IN THE DARK
But even the fighting bits are fun. The Prince has sword slashes, jumps and throws at his disposal, which lead to some lovely fighting moments. You can stab away, blocking occasionally, or try something advanced and posh like a couple of stabs, a jump over the top of your enemy and then a throw to dump him off a ledge to his death - it's a very fluid system of combat. It's really up to you how you dispose of the Bad People.

Oh, and there's that Dark Prince as well. Because of that weird plot thing to do with time travel which we don't really understand, everything's gone a bit wrong and the Prince sometimes becomes possessed by the Sands of Time. This makes you the Dark Prince, who's a bit tasty at fighting but is hindered by a constantly draining life bar, thanks to the possessions that suck his life force away.

So you have to fight quickly, finishing off enemies at double speed to absorb their life essence and keep yourself going. The first time this happens you're likely to be confused as hell, bound to get stuck and will almost certainly die. But the Dark Prince, with his new whip-like chain weapon is one heck of a fighter. That chain can be also be used Indiana Jones-style to leap gaps - which makes these quicker, dirtier sections faster and much more fun.

It's good for the pace of the game too. You spend ages being the normal Prince, balancing on beams and tip-toeing around guards, then kapow! - it all goes Dark Prince and the game becomes an all-out hack and slasher. In The Two Thrones you get the best of both worlds - the top-quality platform puzzling of old, plus all-new crazy action bits as the Dark Prince. And stealth. That's an incredible three worlds! All of them good, too.

These great new combat skills, combined with the clever yet simple introduction of stealth play has boosted the Prince of Persia series to a new high. It may well be little more than another selection of 3D puzzles to get through, but the new moves and wonderful Babylonian setting make this an essential addition to the series. Yes, it's more of the same, but that's just fine by us.

PSW Staff