Prince of Persia: The Fallen King
Score: 70% ESRB: Everyone Publisher: Ubisoft Entertainment Developer: Ubisoft Montreal Media: Cartridge/1 Players: 1 Genre: Platformer (2D)/ Action
Graphics & Sound: Prince of Persia: The Fallen King uses the same general look of the current console reboot, but with a smaller stature. Characters have a slightly more child-like appearance that falls somewhere between a cartoon and the current crop of Playskool action figures. I generally go for minimalist styles like this, but with The Fallen King, there is a lack of charm to really draw me in. The look is clean, but the diminished stature of the Prince and his world will probably be enough to drive older players away. I normally wouldn't advocate judging a book by its cover, but in this case the interior is a bit off anyway. If the art doesn't grab your attention, there's a chance the gameplay flaws might look a little worse off than they are. I have to admit, however, that the overall look works for the game - at least on a technical level. The bigger, brighter style makes things easier to see on the DS's screens. Although I sometimes had a problem interacting with objects, I never ran into an issue where I couldn't find what I needed to touch, slash or jump towards. Sound does its job and fits the tempo of the gameplay, but is otherwise unremarkable. The ambient music does a good job of staying noticeable, but out of the way while the other sounds are barely noticeable at times.
Gameplay: Prince of Persia: The Fallen King begins with the Prince seeking the assistance of the king to help stop Ahriman's corruption from spreading further across the kingdom. At least, that's what I think is going on. Storytelling isn't one of the game's strong suits; there's a directed story, though following it is just as difficult as some of the platforming elements. Eventually, the Prince meets a wizard named Zal who is hunting a spirit that the Prince inadvertently sets loose. This introduces a team-based element to the game that helps add another dimension to the platforming sections. Sometimes this is as simple as using Zal to reach an area the Prince can't normally reach with this athletic abilities, while other times the two need to split up and solve individual puzzles similar to The Lost Vikings. Even with the added elements Zal brings to the game, The Fallen King is still a hard-nosed platformer. Though not as complicated or rigorous as previous Prince of Persia games (such as the Prince of Persia re-release on XBLA), the various tricks, traps and bottomless pits the Prince comes across require a decent amount of forethought and dexterity to accomplish.
Difficulty: No amount of speed can overcome the stylus-based controls. The current trend in designing DS games is to either use the bottom screen as an extension of the playfield or as some sort of interactive map/ inventory, or to completely slave all controls over to the touch screen. Prince of Persia: The Fallen King opts for the latter, and while they are functional, they aren't precise. For example, the distance between the Prince and the area you touch determines if the Prince walks or runs. As long as the Prince is in the middle of the screen the system works, but if he's too close to one side or the other, his ability to run is lost. The little combat in the game is bland and overly repetitive. Although the in-game description would lead you to think that combat involves timing and skill, it never goes beyond tapping on enemies until they die. Boss fights are a little more interesting, though no more difficult than normal fights. Most boss encounters involve some sort of pattern recognition. Though interesting, the stylus controls can get in the way.
Game Mechanics: Unresponsive controls also take their biggest toll on the game's core mechanic - the platforming. To jump, you need to press the platform that you want the Prince to jump to. However, you can't hold the stylus down for too long, otherwise it will registers as a run (or walk) command. This is especially problematic when the Prince needs to make successive jumps. Even if you take the stylus off the screen and then touch again, the screen will more than likely miss the break and run the Prince off the side of the platform. Of course, input misreads are dependant upon the screen actually reading the commands. Though it didn't happen too often, there were times when my touch commands didn't go through. I never had the issue when jumping, though it was a problem when trying to detach from walls or using the Prince's "power slice" to break stones. Despite the overreliance on the touch screen, Prince of Persia: The Fallen King is still a strong platformer. The core mechanics are all in place, but it seems that somewhere in development, someone got carried away with the control possibilities. On one hand, I applaud the ambition, but at the same time, it's a shame to see that ambition ruin an otherwise well-crafted game.
-Starscream, GameVortex Communications AKA Ricky Tucker
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