Prince of Persia: Warrior Within

"This adventure makes the Prince a king."

Prince of Persia: Warrior Within is the sequel to one of the best games of 2003, Prince of Persia: the Sands of Time. All of the heart-pounding adventure and excitement from the Sands of Time have returned in this game, making it an instant classic.

STORY: This game takes place several years after the the events in the Sands of Time. It seems that while having saved the Sultan's palace, the Prince has made a mess of the timeline. Now he is being constantly hunted and chased by the Dahaka, the monstrous guardian of the timeline who wants the Prince dead. So the Prince, in order to save his life, sets out to where the sands were created and go back in time to prevent the sands from ever being made and to change his fate.
Score: 9

GRAPHICS: This game is beautiful. Although the atmosphere is quite dark, the graphics are gorgeous to look at. The lighting effects are outstanding with shadows everywhere and the light of the outer world shining into the palace. There are, however, a few noticeable seams in the walls, but those will not affect your enjoyment of the game. The character models lack looks a little bit during the in-game cutscenes, but during play all of the Prince's acrobatic moves look great.
Score: 9

MUSIC/SOUND: A lot of people don't like the music in this game, as it has become a hard rock soundtrack. I think it works fine. It makes the events exciting and there's two songs by Godsmack in this game that everyone seems to enjoy and one of them plays each time you are chased by the Dahaka. All of the sound in this game are nice, too. From footsteps to yelling enemies, everything sounds great. Voice-overs are very good, however during some dialogue in the cutscenes there is a lack of voices. Just a glitch. Otherwise this would be a perfect category.
Score: 9

GAMEPLAY: The best part of this game. All of the Prince's acrobatic moves have returned in this game. You've got your wall running, ledge climbing skills, as well as your sword skills. There are dozens of combos to pull off. A new addition is the ability to double wield weapons with several alternate weapons you can find along your quest on weapon racks, which unleashes several more combos in your arsenal. Your ability to rewind time returns, as well as speeding up and slowing down time. This game is very responsive to the controls and is always comfortable. Definitely a perfect use of the controller.
Score: 10

REPLAYABILITY: There are two different endings to achieve in this game. There are also videos and pieces of artwork of characters and weapons you can find as you progress through the game. Also, this game is such quality fun, you will probably want to play it again after your first run through. However, it won't keep you busy for years.
Score: 7

OVERALL: It is a great game. You will definitely want to purchase this. It is one for the collection and an instant classic. There are a few glitches here and there, but nothing that should alter your enjoyment.
Score: Averages to 8.8, rounds up to a 9 point score. Very good.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 01/10/05