"Not only one of the best GB games, but simply one of the best games of all time."

Ever since its creation, Prince of Persia has graced almost every platform conceivable in some form or other. From the NES to the current generation, and even mobile phones.
I played the original Pop many years ago on the original Game Boy. The last trilogy released by Ubisoft rekindled my desire to play the original. So I dug out my old GB PoP cartridge, clicked it into my trusted GBA, and went for a trip down memory lane.

GRAPHICS
Considering that this is an old game, being played using the old green and gray technology from the Game Boy Classic, the graphics are rather pleasing. The prince and his adversaries are nicely animated, and the sport some nice little touches like flickering torches.

There is not much variation, however. The levels look alike, bar a slight variation in floor tile decoration, and the enemies are different colorings of the same archetype. Still, the game can not be blamed to much for this. It manages to convey a great atmosphere, what is impressive given the limitations of the machine.

SOUND
There is little in the way of music. It occurs only in the opening and ending sequences, and there are some short jingles whenever some special events occurs. The sound the player will hear the most are the footsteps of the prince on the stone floor.
Like with the graphics, this simplicity is not a bad thing. It adds to the atmosphere.

GAMEPLAY
In Pop the player controls the titular prince, in his quest to save his beloved princess from the evil Grand Vizier Jaffar. To make things worse, he only has one hour to do this in. Rescuing the princess involves navigating 14 levels, in which the prince must evade traps, battle guards and figure out how to reach and open the exit.

PoP is at his heart a platform game. This means the prince will be running and jumping a lot. The novelty is, that he has some realistic animations. When he wants to jump over a gaping chasm, the prince must do this with a running leap. When he wants to access a higher ledge, he must pull himself onto it.

Controls are, on the whole, adequately responsive. Due to the way the prince moves, conducting certain moves takes some time. When running towards a cliff, you do not press the button just at the edge, as the prince will have no time to push himself of the ground, for example. This is not a fault, but simply part of the way the game is played.

PoP is not a particularly difficult game. It can take a few tries to figure out the fastest and best way to complete a certain level. This can involve a certain amount of irritation, but this is not due to the game. When the prince dies, it is generally your own fault. Passwords further add to lessen the difficulty, but they do not lessen the worth of the game.

FINAL REMARKS
PoP offers one of the finest adventures gaming has to offer. Experiencing this adventure through gray and green on a small screen doesn't harm this game one bit. It had to suffer two inferior direct sequels, and has only been done justice with the latest PoP games.
Prince of Persia is a gem every games must play. This Game Boy version is a good a version to do this.

OVERALL: a distinct 10.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 06/27/06