Prince of Persia

When I first saw the cover of this game, I thought that it is related to the original series of the same name. And that the Prince in the cover is the usual Prince but with a different costume. I was in for a surprise.

The main guy with the red and blue scarf is a Prince in name only. He was wandering in the desert looking for his donkey when the princess Elika stumbled upon him literally. Little did he know that what he was about to find was a battle to save the City of Light from Corruption.

For thousands of years, Ahriman the God of Darkness has been striving to conquer everything that he does not possess. The God of Light Ormazd retreated and refused to fight against Ahriman. But this only made the latter bolder in his ambitions. As the Corruption spread however, Ormazd and his Ahura, the Warriors of the Light, were forced to confront the growing darkness. They sealed Ahriman in the Tree of Life. The Ahura were in-charge of guarding the prison but as the years passed, their powers waned. Ahriman found his chance to escape. Elika was one of these people tasked to guard the prison.

It was at this time that Prince found Elika while she was trying to run away from the soldiers. Prince had no choice but to follow her into the temple where they were later confronted by her father, the King of the Ahura, who set Ahriman free. Elika then tells Prince that they have to save the world by healing the corrupted Fertile Grounds.

They encountered the Concubine, the Hunter, the Alchemist and the Warrior while they were healing each of the Fertile Grounds.As the game progresses, they discovered that Elika had died once in the past. Because of this, her father had sold his soul to Ahriman to bring her back, thus making him one of the corrupted.

When they met Elika's father for the last time, the corruption had fully taken him. They had no choice but to fight him. The King however throws his body to Ahriman in order to resurrect the God of Darkness.

The final battle with Ahriman took place and in order to defeat him, Elika must use all her powers. They were able to send him back into the Tree of Life but at the cost of Elika's life.

But the Prince decided to resurrect Elika. He destroys the Tree of Life although he knows this will set Ahriman free again. The game ends with the scene where the Prince is carrying Elika's body while Ahriman stalks behind them.

***

This review does not include the DLC, but according to sources both characters found themselves battling Elika's father once more. In the end, they were able to kill the King but Elika leaves the Prince behind.

I enjoyed the usual acrobatic stunts and most of the battles. Traveling through power plates was a great experience as well. But the game is too easy because Elika is always there to save the Prince, although having her as a companion is useful. It's too user-friendly and she seems to be almost invincible because of her powers. 

I liked the layout of the kingdom. I enjoyed the stunning views and the detailed graphics of each of the Fertile Grounds. I spent a lot of time collecting light seeds as well, although the total number that can be acquired is more than what is needed to heal the Fertile Grounds. The puzzles were good and players will actually take their time to think.

I have no problems with this game when it comes to graphics, sounds, and the gameplay is isn't so bad even if the whole game is easy. The story has a lot of potential as well but what I don't get is the title. There was no indication that the male protagonist is the same lead character of the popular series. They could have added a subtitle to make it distinct. 

I'll give this a 6 out of 10 rating.