Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones Review (no fat)

Game Description

The Prince of Persia can never take a break from his perilous adventures for long. Back in his country after his previous battles, he finds that chaos runs rampant and that his country is only a shadow of its former self after having been ravaged by a war.

But that’s just the tip of the iceberg, as everybody shuns him, and he’s no longer welcome in his own homeland. Things just manage to get worse though, as his new love Empress Kaileena is kidnapped and mercilessly killed, thereby releasing the dreaded Sands of Time.

All alone, even within his own lands, and simultaneously fighting a whole new bunch of enemies, the Prince knows he has to keep his wits about him to survive. More so because his very own aggressive dark self, birthed by the effects of the Sands of Time, is his own worst adversary.

Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones Gameplay

This third installment marks a welcome return to the roots of the series, as it reverts back to an improved version of Sands of Time’s applauded game mechanics. The prince is confused, as he now has to deal with his past and needs to overcome his dark side, which rapidly threatens to take over. Acknowledging his wrongdoings is the first step to repenting from his sins and becoming a better man, and all this eventually dawns upon the prince while he tries to unravel the mystery of The Two Thrones. Along the way, he meets both allies and enemies alike throughout his now barely recognizable country.

Whereas Sands of Time would switch between action and platform sequences; The Two Thrones brilliantly combines both. Stealth now occupies a preponderant role throughout the game, as the prince can now rely on his amazing acrobatic skills to quickly dispose of his enemies. You can thus have him nimbly swing around and use all his other cool tricks to take your foes by surprise and kill them by mashing the correct buttons before they can even unsheathe their swords.

Of course, some enemies will actually fight back and cannot be sneaked around, and these often result in great battles. The action and platform elements are thus wonderfully combined with each actually acting like a subtle extension to the other. This makes The Two Thrones a very fun game to play through.

The prince faces a merry bunch of opponents, who are led by a handful of challenging bosses. Each boss requires a certain strategy to be defeated, and these always vary to ensure you have to use your complete arsenal of moves throughout your adventure. You also get the chance to fight against your darker self at the end of the game, who hasn’t yet lost all hopes of overpowering the prince. Additionally, you’ll also control him during certain levels.

Compared to the good guy, the dark version comes across as a blood-driven and conceited maniac who enjoys a wholly different set of attacks. In addition, such stages are more involving, as they also require you to grab enough sands of time, without which your alternate character’s life will be depleted. This feature does make the game more varied, but eventually strikes out as lackluster and frustrating since the Dark Prince is a surprisingly inept character in spite of his self-proclaimed superiority to his nemesis (…on second though, aren’t all bad guys portrayed as that?)

Moreover, The Two Thrones introduces chariot race sequences where you control horse-drawn wagons, your objective being to navigate through mazes of sharps turns and traps unscathed. This is a great addition to the game and makes it even more diverse.

The game also gets rid of the free exploration found in Warrior Within, and is a totally linear adventure. It actually benefits from this, as it gives you the feeling of racing against the clock. Unfortunately, the game suffers from its relatively low life span and a lack of replay value. There’s nothing much to do after you’ve seen the ending once.

Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones Visuals

The game’s aesthetics testify of Ubisoft’s objective to give The Two Thrones a unique atmosphere with superb backgrounds that range from huge gardens with swaying grass to towering architectures that look like they’ll crumble at the slightest touch.

The game also showcases some superb lighting effects. While the characters, including the bosses, lack the splendid textures of the backgrounds, the animation is nevertheless smooth.

Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones Sound

The music, while far from memorable, fits the game and has a nice mystic feel about it, something which was severely lacking in Warrior Within. The voices are as great as ever, and each character actually has a voice that does him justice, especially the charismatic prince who doesn’t lose his verve in spite of all the danger around him and the arrogant, spiteful Dark Prince. Similarly, the sound effects are appropriate throughout the game. There are a few exceptions, but none of which will particularly annoy you.

Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones Overall

Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones superbly combines platform and action elements onto excellent visuals and music to provide an addictive gaming experience. This latest installment will appeal to fans of The Sands of Time, as it returns to the series’ brilliant roots and improves upon them in every possible way.

Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones Cost

The game retails for $49.99, at the time of writing.