Sony Holiday Event
Prince of Persia Impressions
By Shaun Hatton - October 22nd, 2008
The first title we spent some time with upon entering the Sony Holiday Event was Prince of Persia. The game was just to the left of the main entrance and we arrived fairly early and thus avoided having to wait to play. As soon as we looked over at it, Michael was handed the controller and away he went.
All the leaping, bounding, and wall hanging you could ask for is in this game, and more. For the first time we’re presented with a more open world to explore. The hero moves with fluidity and grace, and in the demo we played was accompanied by a sidekick character, Elika, who offered assistance by helping complete jumps across larger chasms as well as saving the player when a jump fails.
When you fall, a brief cinematic is shown where Elika reaches her hand down to grab yours. The game then immediately drops you back to the start of the jumping puzzle you just failed with no load time. While some might see Elika’s assistance as a cop-out, her presence really comes in handy and allows for some more sophisticated jumping puzzles in-game, and by that token problem solving on the player’s part.
Leaping quickly requires precise timing in order to keep your character’s momentum up. Unlike previous games like this, the leaps and landings are not automated. Although novice players will want to take their time hopping about, it’s entirely possible to blaze through areas if you have the right rhythm down. This usage of rhythm is carried into the battles as well. In the one boss fight we engaged in, it wasn’t about mashing senselessly on the buttons. The boss was covered in a protective goo (for lack of a better word) and it was through using Elika’s special abilities in conjunction with the main character’s attacks that we were able to wear the boss down. There are also some quick-time events where you have to execute a correct button combo to keep the enemy at bay.
It may not be noticeable while you’re in control and fighting a boss, but when I was watching Michael play, I saw that the boss battle camera was very dynamic and we were never presented with a stationary viewpoint on the action. They seemed very cinematic and looked beautiful on the HD display.
Design-wise, the characters have a more cartoon look to them as they have slight dark outlines. The environments, however, were very detailed and the movement effects were nothing less of what you’d expect from a high-end title like Prince of Persia.
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7 responses so far:The outlines you refer to are very common in cel-shading games. Obviously, they were much more noticeable in the early animation styles of this type (see Zelda: the Windwaker, and XIII)
but it’s come a long way. This new game looks gorgeous.
Actually I don’t think Wind Waker had noticeable outlines and I believe the outlines in Prince of Persia are intentional. The Naruto games, for instance, have great cel-shading!
Did someone say Naruto?
Yes. I still need to write up my impressions of that game. It’ll be hard to describe without outright saying it’s worth getting a PS3 for. Oops! Did I just say that?
So yeah I thought I’d chime in on this as I’m the one who did most of the playing while Shaun took the notes (READ: wasn’t up to the challenge). Simply put, if you liked the first installment of the Prince of Persia games last-gen, you’ll automatically fall in love with this entry. The focus was heavy on exploration with some combat peppered in. The combat, however, was really the part that blew me away most. Every enounter seemed to be almost epic, with so many cool things that can be done.
Keep an eye on this one loyal readers, there is really something special brewing here.
Very funny, Michael. Actually I would have played some more but since you were obviously the bigger fan of the franchise it really is best that you played it. Our combined notes and discussion on it after made its way into the overview though I did miss the epic feeling of the battles from not playing many.
Aww man, don’t take it to heart. You know I was just joking around kid! Seriously though, I am a fan of the series in general (except for that time Prince started listening to My Chemical Romance and went all Emo on us). You really captured my thoughts on the whole thing, I just thought I had to highlight the battles.