Prince of Persia: Warrior Within
- December 06, 2004 18:13 PM PST
- Email this!
Just as Grand Theft Auto III was followed by an equally good Vice City, last year's Sands of Time begets the fun Warrior Within this year.
- GamePro Score
- User Score
- Write your review!
Battle Royal
On the surface, Warrior Within could be classified as a second part to last year's reinvention of the Prince of Persia franchise, Sands of Time. Those who played Sands will be comfortable getting the hero to do his trademark wall runs, jumps from column to column, and other acrobatics. They'll also feel right at home when it comes time to fight, as a mix of sword fighting and gymnastic moves to keeps enemies off-balance.
Throne Around the Room
However, instead of just making new levels for the prince to romp through, the developers have deepened the gameplay with more fighting moves (including some cool throws and other close-up combat), dual weapon wielding, a big selection of weapons (some with bonus effects), and--perhaps adding the most fun to the game--a broader catalog of time powers. The character is easy to control, but learning the large quantity of combos makes for a highly rewarding game.
Developing Your Color, Prince
The designers have also gone for a darker mood within the game, as well as for the title protagonist. It's clear that his 2003 adventure has left him more than a little pissed, something he surely takes out on each and every baddie who crosses his path with lots of bloodshed. He also seems to have aged a bit, though it could just be the vast artistic improvements made to his face that give that impression.
The game suffers on the technical front--and it's something that many developers and publishers still can't quite figure out: 3-D camera handling. There are times when you'll be close to a wall, and it'll make swinging the camera to where you want to look a bit difficult. In other situations, the cinematically styled viewpoint is forced on you, with the perspective zooming out on the whole room, which can make some critical navigation and aerobatics more difficult than they'd be if you could put the camera right where you want it. Still other situations have the camera drifting a bit while you move, which makes some hazards that much harder to overcome.
Chances are, you'll be able to overlook most of Warrior Within's foibles in favor of the hours of entertainment the game will offer. If you've been saying, "Someday my prince will come," you can be sure he's here now.
