If you’re looking for platformers these days you will have to do some searching, unless you look to Ubisoft. POP comes with a new storyline and characters to boot and the only sand you see is the stuff blowing around during the intro. Your main hero in this tale is not a prince per say, but a thief who has lost his donkey Fara (wink, wink). While scouring the desert to find her you stumble across the female lead named Elika as she falls off a ledge and onto you. Oh day of days, you would think, except for the palace guards chasing her. You follow after her and you yourself end up getting caught in the middle. You continue to run until a bridge collapses that you happen to be on and Elika swoops in to save the day, yes folks, Elika is your replacement for the sands. After you dispatch some more fools while learning the ropes you meet a bearded fellow that happens to be Elika’s father. Conversation complete, you head over to a large temple structure with a tree growing out of it and you go inside only to confront her father. What her father does next is the beginning of your journey through the new and improved Prince of Persia.
If you’re a POP fan like me then you will have to hit back the fan-boy inside yourself with a big stick. This game is a must have for those devoted to action/platformers and POP. First thing, and in my mind the best part of this serf turned hero adventure, is the artistic style and visual appeal. The game looks phenomenal and those behind it should pat themselves on the back, go ahead, I’ll wait. Environments fill the screen with colors or depending were you are in the game the lack there of. Believe it or not you can fill a desert environ with color. Cell shading can work for you or against you, but in this case it works, and the characters still look detailed.
Game mechanics for POP are about average. Issues with what you want the prince to do are something that could still be worked out. Clipping can be an issue when you are jumping from one rock outcropping to another, but other then that the motion is fluid and fast paced. That is how it should be in this type of game. Game play doesn’t suffer too much from these troubles. Objectives are getting from point A to point B. Simple in the complexities of the graphic quality, but you won’t be using a strait line most of the time. Fighting or rather dueling in this case is tight and left to the battle area. POP focuses all it’s time into the platforming part of the equation. You get to work with Elika in performing combos and such on your foe, but it’s always one versus two. For those who liked the fighting aspect of POP: SoT and its ilk will be saddened by this new dumbed down version. One of the best parts is using Elika’s powers, but you can see how those work for yourself.
Music in the game is irrelevant until you get to your first world were Elika learns a new power. It’s the best part of the soundtrack and the only one that stands out among the ambience. The sound of the game isn’t bad, but at times can queue in late or not at all. Voice acting suffers for the fact that both characters sound outside there genetic disposition.
In the grand scheme of POP I enjoyed this new retelling and it stands above all the rest. POP is entertaining and going back to play it again with some of the different skins to acquire more achievements is worth it and not daunting. Go out and give this tale a try.
