Prince of Persia: Warrior Within

"Thank you Ubisoft."

I was very young, when I played Prince of Persia on the old 386 PC. It blew my mind.

Did you play it? Remember the two flat blades that flashed out of the ceiling and floor to clang together (possibly halving you in the process)? Remember the floor spikes?

…remember the blood? It was a jarring experience when you were a child. It might still be jarring to some adults today, if they'd never seen the like. I remember it was shocking and exhilarating and very, very scary. It made you want to get that jump right the next time.

Both of the old 2D Prince of Persia games managed this. Last year's sleeper hit PoP: Sands of Time finally managed to transfer the platforming gameplay to a 3D world, but the fights? Ehhhh….

Prince of Persia: Warrior Within actually manages to capture more exhilaration and fear of death than Sands of Time, but… let's get on with it.

1 : SOUND : 6/10

There are two kinds of music in Warrior Within. I'm sure you've already heard of A) heavy metal during fights. But I haven't read any reviews that discuss the B) gorgeous, ambient music. Look-at-this-huuuuuge-room music. The huuuuuge room music is fantastic – better than Sands of Time. As for the heavy metal during (and for a lonnnng time after) fights… frankly I could do without it. And frankly it goes on so long I have to mute it sometimes. But the softer, moody, ambient music is perfection.

The voice acting of Prince? Meh. Certainly worse than in Sands of Time, and this is a disappointment.

The voice acting of all the guys you slash up? Charming – and worth a genuine gut-laugh once in a while.

I know they were looking for music that complimented the game's darker tone, but… oh, let's face it. This music was an executive's idea – no self-respecting game developer would put it in on their own terms.

Aside from the Prince and the rock, the sound is great. But those are two big minuses.

2 : GRAPHICS : 9/10

The Prince looks great. The girl he meets up with looks great (but not as great as ohhhh BloodRayne 2), the enemies all look great – but that's not important.

The environments are absolutely huge. Bigger than Sands of Time, and I'm counting the Library. Not only huge, but easily better looking than Sands of Time. Those beautiful light effects are back again, and used through lattice fences, across jungle fortresses and old glass windows.

The other important aspect of a PoP game is the animation – and it's flawless. From Prince's radically expanded fighting repertoire to his new platforming moves, he moves with that fluid grace that only a prince from Persia has ever been able to manage (why is that?). They had it right last time and they left it alone – thanks.

The game is a lot darker – a lot bloodier. But those of us who remember the visceral feel of the original appreciate that. The only thing I don't particularly appreciate is how they must have fired whoever did the facial animations on the Prince in Sands of Time. This time around they suck, and it's the reason the graphics don't get 10/10.

2 : GAMEPLAY: 10/10

I'll split this up into two parts, but I'll give you an intro that perfectly represents what I'll try to say in the next few paragraphs.

Mid-late in Warrior Within you'll come to a gap you know you'll have to wall-run across. You line up your jump, but before you go a minx in black leather pounces onto the ledge you're headed to. Unperturbed you run, spring up the wall and scamper across the gap – but just as quick, your foe does the same. As the two meet on the wall with swords drawn, one clears the gap, and the other falls.

They married the platforming and the swordplay. Oh yeah.

2a : THE PLATFORMING : 5/5

Short but sweet: The platforming sections are better than Sands of Time. How much better? Way better. There are chase sequences where a demonic incarnation of fate is smashing the castle down coming to get you, and every leap and grab counts. The incredible new environments (and new platforming twists) make a game that's very, very satisfying for someone who loved Sands of Time.

Oh, and one other thing: Though the game does kind of guide you in the right direction, almost the entire game has been designed so it can be traversed in both directions. The designers took double-duty upon themselves, and man oh man, I for one appreciate it. It gives you (at least) twice the gameplay. And oooo the unlockables!

2b : THE FIGHTING : 5/5

They fixed it?

Yes – they fixed it.

What do you mean, they fixed it?

I mean it's fun. Yes, even bosses. Yes – even though there's tons of enemies. In fact, they managed to merge the platforming into the swordplay perfectly. You run up walls to do a backflip-angel dive into your enemies below. You swing yourself around poles, slashing in wide arcs. Room-clearing combos. Dual wield. Throws. Fatalities. Environmental fatalities. Weapon steals. Ranged combat.

There are so many ways to clear a room… I can't get into it here. 5/5. Fun fun fun.

3 : OVERALL : 9/10

This game coulda' been absolutely perfect. Aside from utterly mediocre voice actors and a… questionable choice in fight sequence music, it is perfect. Nine out of ten.

Thanks, Ubisoft.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 12/05/04