Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones
- December 01, 2005 10:11 AM PST
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Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones may just be the best game in the series.
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Home at Last
The Two Thrones picks up directly where last year's Warrior Within left off, complete with the Prince's newfangled bad attitude. After destroying the Sands of Time and rescuing Kaileena from the Island of Time, the pair return home to Babylon to discover the city in ruins. On cue, Kaileena is captured, and the Prince's bonehead attempt to rescue her results in his capture, giving him a front row seat for Kaileena's killing. Her death releases the Sands, but not before her spirit frees the Prince--at a price; his contact with the Sands infect his body, transforming our hero into the Dark Prince periodically during the course of the game.
Though the dark/light thing (a la Metroid Prime 2: Echoes) has been done before, the new Dark Prince sequences are actually quite fun. The Dark Prince's health constantly depletes and can only be restored with the Sands, forcing him to platform at light speed. Plus, the Dark Prince sports a chain for swinging and a trusty whip for slingin' baddies. Bonus.
Simpler is Better
Where Warrior Within upped the series' combat ante, the sequel tried a bit too hard with the whole time-altering aspect, as traveling back and forth between the past and present was more of a pain than a pleasure. The Two Thrones feels more like Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, with mostly linear platforming puzzle sequences. But there are loads of tricky new platforming techniques such as boosting off of diagonal wall springs, swinging via chain, and stabbing door-opening gears and climbable wall crevices, in addition to tons of new and improved wall running and Prince of Persia-patented acrobatics.
God of Persia
Taking a hint from Sony's slasher, The Two Thrones makes use of a God of War-style timing-based button-pressing system for stealth kills and boss battles. But unlike God of War, you'll need to tap only one button when the Prince raises his blade to a glowing pre-stab. With precision, you'll delight in multistage cinematic kills, a technique that is also utilized on bulky bosses. And, for the first time, the Prince's acrobatics have been nicely integrated into boss battles.
The Prince still has more in common with the badass "Warrior Within," but his soft side does emerge now and then, especially when trying to convince Farah of his good intentions. The voice acting is downright hideous, but Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones wraps up in a tight PS2 package that is, quite possibly, the best game in the series.
