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Prince Of Persia!

The legendary franchise has received a massive overhaul, but will the visual changes and completely new storyline save the well-known series?

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Battle Of The Gods: Prince of Persia features a variety of new characters, new locales, a new storyline and a unique art direction, as well as a slight improvement on the classic gameplay.

PoP features a new storyline as well as a new Prince to go along with it. The Prince is no longer a spoiled brat of noble birth, but instead a rogue adventurer that constantly searches for the next journey and bundle of treasure and is a Prince in nickname only.

The story of PoP follows an epic battle between the God of Light and the God of Darkness. When the God of Darkness is released from a magical tree, his prison, he sets out to engulf the world in shadows.

When the Prince is swept up into a canyon and meets Elika, a beautiful woman who's task it is to keep the God of Darkness imprisoned and possesses magical abilities, the Prince and Elika team up to stop the destruction of the world.

The plot isn't necessarily bad in itself, but the way it is told makes it very difficult to understand. You will uncover pieces of the story as you progress through the game, but PoP doesn't give you a very clear picture of the story.

Half And Half: Throughout the game, you will basically only interact with two characters, the Prince, and Elika. You may be worried that Elika will get in your way or possible even hinder your ability to perform jumps. Worry not as Elika is one of the most impressive AI partners I have ever seen.

She will aid you in battle, help you extend your jumps, and will never get in your way or slow you down.

When you speak to Elika or she tells you about the story, it is easy to become engrossed. The voice acting behind Elika as well as the speech is very impressive; unfortunately, the same cannot be said about the Prince.

The Prince's dialogue is very cheesy and is nothing more then an annoyance to listen to. You will constantly be subjected to corny lines such that are completely unoriginal and many are simply terrible gaming clichés.

Other then the Prince, the few other voices you will hear in the game such as the narrator are done wonderfully.

Gravity Is Nothing: The gameplay in Prince of Persia feels similar to that featured in previous installments in the series and involves wall-running, massive jumps and other gravity defying feats, but also adds a few new aspects to the gameplay that make the game more enjoyable.

Prince of Persia's only mode of transportation is your very own legs and you must cross massive jumps and even run across rooftops to get to your destination.

PoP is open-world and allows you to explore the world at your own pace. Combined with the fact that you can run up walls and essentially get anywhere possible, exploring your environments is very enjoyable. It is easy to become immensely engrossed in your surroundings for hours on end.

A welcome new feature makes use of your mystical partner, Elika. Should you make a wrong jump and begin to fall to your death, Elika will reach out and save you, throwing you onto the nearest platform.

As well as saving you when you fall, Elika will also assist you in combat. During battle, you can call upon Elika at any time to attack your opponent for a little extra damage. She will also save you if you are mortally wounded.

The exploration gameplay is very similar to another Ubisoft title, Assassin's Creed. There is a bit of a difference though, as Prince of Persia's exploration and gameplay revolves around more "over-the-top" maneuvers.

The similarities cannot be missed though, and if you were a fan of Assassin's Creed, you will enjoy exploring the landscapes in PoP.

Showdown: Speaking of combat, PoP's combat system revolves around 1-on-1 combat. You will not face enemies as you explore, and instead you will do battle with one adversary at a time.

During these intense encounters, you will have to counter and attack with strategy. The skirmishes are surprisingly realistic, as if you relentlessly attack your opponent or strike at inopportune times, you will be countered and absolutely destroyed.

The gameplay is quite enjoyable and while does feel a little familiar to fans of the Prince of Persia series, the game has enough new features to make the franchise feel like it is significantly different.

The combat in PoP also feels similar to that featured in Assassin's Creed. Everything from the striking movements to the stances, there is no way you could miss the similarities between the two games.

Moving Painting: The art design of Prince of Persia is completely new and goes in a vastly new direction. The game looks very much like a moving water painting and has an amazing look to it.

Your environment is very beautiful and full of vibrant colors and tones, as well as dark contrasts. Oddly, your surroundings also look realistic and detailed.

Rent vs. Buy: Prince of Persia is a very enjoyable game that does not suffer from any flaws whatsoever, though does not do everything perfectly.

While the game is gorgeous and the combat and exploration is very enjoyable, the lack of a strong storyline and occasionally boring point of journeying keep PoP from perfection.

If you were a fan of Assassin's Creed, you will love Prince of Persia, but some may also find PoP to be a little less impressive then Assassin's Creed. Nevertheless, Prince of Persia is a very enjoyable experience that at the very least must be rented and tried.

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