Prince Of Persia: Warrior Within

For those of you who don't know (which is probably nobody, given the popularity of the original title) Prince Of Persia started out as a platform hopping puzzle game way, way back (in fact, it was so long ago that I cant remember the date off the top of my head). It was a real success (for its time) so I wasn't all that surprised to hear that there was going to be a sequal on a next gen system.

Firstly, the gameplay (and there's a lot to report):
Using an "innovative" free form combat system, the player is granted access to literally dozens of attacks and combinations. You get your sword, which grants you special skills depending on the blade you use, and coupling that with some nifty aerial and grappling moves, combat is a wholly satisfying experience. Throw in a second weapon (and there are many to choose from each of which has differing strengths and weaknesses), and you get a veritable plethora of combos.
What we see here has been done before, but rarely has it been bettered.

Combat isn't the prince's only strong suit though, and just as in the prequel(s), platform hopping and puzzle solving is an extremely important facet of gameplay.
The vast majority of the puzzles involve you trying to find a route from point A to point C, but rarely is as simple as going via point B. The fortress the game is set in is falling apart at the seams and nearly always you'll have to find a way across a ridiculously deep chasm (usually by running across some wall, hopping on a moving platform and swinging across said chasm via a randomly placed rope), or up an impossibly high wall. Technically, this could get boring real fast, but thankfully the environments are engaging enough to prevent this from happening.
Unfortunately, there is a lot of trial and error involved (that is "if" you know where you are supposed to be going) and you'll often find yourself getting frustrated by something relatively simple, just because there often seems to be many ways of doing any one puzzle, but only one correct solution. Perversely though, in some sections of the game, the route intended seems to flow neigh on perfectly and you'll happily bounce across the map at a tremendous speed, which is distinctly satisfying, but isn't really enough to redeem the annoying sections.

The controls are well set out, but a little fiddly. There is literally no grace period between button pressings, so double tap accidents are pretty frequent. During the boss battles, this feature can lead to many, many fatalities, especially when you're feeling the pressure (and you will feel pressured). However, the platform control method responds exquisitely, and you wont find yourself making too many silly mistakes. Primarily the problems lie with combat, but this can be overlooked thanks to the otherwise enjoyable battles.

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I'm happy to say that the graphics engine used does not disappoint. Although you are likely to find better examples out there, the visuals in POP: WW are basically as good as they get in this genre. Fires crackle and shadows dance, the models are a pleasure to look at, but even better is the slick animation on some of the characters (especially the prince himself), which has obviously been crafted with love and attention - making obscene jumps over bottomless chasms has never looked (or felt) so good. Also worthy of mention are the textures, which do the job surprisingly well despite the sheer scale of the environments, they look just as good up close as they do from a country mile away.

Every so often the gameplay is broken up buy a series of well directed (and muchly welcome) cut-sequences. In places, the voice-acting could do with a little work, but otherwise they do the job well and help to add serious drama to the proceedings. Each cut sequence is later available for viewing in the extras menu, along with a couple of demo movies and documentaries on the creation of the game... this is good, cus you'll certainly want to see them again.

Sound and music are just as well done. Rather oddly Ubisoft have opted for a banging metal soundtrack with this game, despite the setting, and rather worryingly it works really well. These metal tracks are spliced with some nice orchestral pieces and they blend beautifully, but unfortunately the orchestral elements are a little lacking and you may find yourself preferring the metal tracks.

A special mention goes out to the difficulty level of the game. It's bloody hard! The learning curve is almost vertical, but because of the overall style of the game, you will settle into it eventually and wont mind the trial by fire. Personally I respect this. This is the first title I've reviewed in months that has really challenged me to any extent, while still maintaining my interest.
In total the game took me about 12 hours to complete (with a couple of tea breaks) the first time round, and that was on the normal difficulty setting. To the casual gamer this title could take months to master, making it a good purchase in terms of quantity.

On a bad note, the replay-ability just isn't there. Now that I have finished it I don't particularly feel the urge to play through the linier puzzles again and although enjoyable, the sometimes-sparse combat isn't really a draw. Still, if I hadn't rushed it for the sake of this review I might have been playing it for a good few days, so hardcore gamers should take that into account if they're considering buying this title.

93/100

An utterly enjoyable title. Casual gamers will be trying to crack this nut for months and will enjoy every second of it. Hardcore gamers may relish the challenge. I, for one, will certainly be buying (and reviewing) the sequel.