The BudgetBin Review - Prince of Persia: Rival Swords |
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Most people think time is like a river, that flows swift and sure in one direction, but I have seen the face of time, and I can tell you, they are wrong. Time is an ocean in a storm. You may wonder who I really am and why I say this. Come, and I will tell you a tale like none you have ever heard...
Time. That's one iffy subject. When we reminisce about certain events past, we sometimes think about the "what if's" and the "if only's". Well, we were able to explore the idea of turning back time in Prince of Persia's Sands of Time story arc.
You've probably played the first and the second one, Sands of Time and Warrior Within (or Revelations on the PlayStation Portable) so the story is quite familiar to you. Like Warrior Within, Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones was ported to the PSP with some added bonuses for fans as Prince of Persia: Rival Swords. Examples of which include the chariot races and multiplayer - we'll get into those later.
In this third and final title of the story arc (Sands of Time is a trilogy), the Prince has finally come home to Babylon after seven years of being away and he has brought the Empress of Time, Kaileena, with him. In a twisted history repeats itself kind of irony, the Prince again finds himself the victim of a shipwreck and learns that all of his efforts to undo everything and change his fate have lead to the Vizier getting a hold of the Sands of Time.
Back to the Future plot twist
Sounds pretty bad eh?
Well, if you haven't played the title yet, we'd advise you to skip this part of the review.
Still there? Don't say we didn't warn you. Anyway, the Empress of Time gets kidnapped by the Vizier, since he needs her to get the Sands of Time (an empty hourglass and the Dagger of Time would be useless without the sands). The Prince arrives too late as the Vizier kills Kaileena and stabs himself with the Dagger of Time to turn into an immortal monster. The Prince was also exposed to the sands - causing a chain weapon to be fused to his left arm. In addition to that, he also gets a sarcastic inner voice which takes over in the absence of water, known as the Dark Prince.
And let's not forget Farah, the beautiful princess from India. She hasn't stayed dormant during the years that the Prince was away. She had become very adept with the bow, and is able to assist the Prince in this title. The problem is, Farah doesn't remember the Prince (sometimes, it sucks to play with time, doesn't it?).
Basically, the storyline of Prince of Persia: Rival Swords neatly ties up the entire trilogy's story arc into a full circle, ending with the quote above, which is the starting quote in Sands of Time.
Acrobatics, Daggertail moves, and puzzles
Now, let's talk a bit about gameplay. In its previous incarnations, Rival Swords can be played either via joystick or mouse and keyboard (later on, a Wiimote). It's a whole different playing field when you're doing acrobatic stunts in the PSP version since you only have one analog stick. Well, we can't really complain much since, while the handheld has its strengths, it also has its limitations. Still, some aspects, particularly the controls, could have been better.
It gets a bit frustrating when you're trying to run up a wall but you end up doing a horizontal wall run - straight into a pit of spikes or what not (thank you sands and the rewind power). Sometimes, you're trying to jump in one direction but end up going on another course completely - also leading to your inevitable death. I admit, I suffered a couple... of hundred retries before I got past that falling pillars part.
One of the coolest things we found in the game is the stealth or speed kills. Timing takes some getting used to, but the results can bring massive hurt to your hapless enemies. Another cool thing is the use of the Daggertail in speed kills and normal attacks since the chain gives a lot more reach and a whole new world of ouch to your enemies.
Another thing we found irksome are the camera angles. They aren't so hot at times when you're beside a wall or something. It is irksome when you have to adjust every so often, though it is negligible after a while.
Let us now get into one of the additional features that were included in Rival Swords: the chariot races. It feels a bit like Need for Speed meets Ben-Hur. One of the tips you have to remember whilst driving a chariot is that it is not a car, but a rickety piece of machinery - so watch out for walls, and stuff. Also a welcome addition to the PSP port was the ad-hoc multiplayer mode and the extra content story-wise.
To wrap things up
As a whole, Prince of Persia's second trip to the PSP is far from boring. From the spike pits, the moving walls that aim to turn you into wallpaper, and the environmental puzzles in general, Rival Swords is decent to say the least. For a Prince of Persia fan like this writer, some of the problems with the title can be ignored when compared to the entire gaming experience. When compared to Revelations, Rival Swords plays not just like a port, but in some respects as an individual game entirely.
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