Pricne Of Persia: Warrior Within is a dark, immersive adventure game that is one of a kind.
When it comes to the second chapter in the PoP trilogy the fans are mixed. Some simply adore the darkver vibe of Warrior Within, while others preferred the storybook feel of The Sands of time. However, I will dive into that aspect later on in the review, along with the Princes changing personalities.
Warrior within begins moments after the completion of the Sands of Time. The evil Vizier has been stopped and the Prince Saved the beloved princess Farrah. However, he did not recieve a fairytale ending for upon releasing the sands of time as he did int he first game, as well as carrying the mysterious yet powerful dagger of time, he unleashed a muderous demon known as the Dahaka; it's sole mission being to eliminate whoever wields the dagger of time. Our nameless Prince is unfortunately that wielder and the game opens with the Prince running for his life from this beast only to have it be an illusion. Armed with a royal boat and a crew of devoted soldiers, the Prince travels to the island of time. This is his destination because a mysterious old man loyal to the Princes kingdom told him that on the island of time the empress of time created the sands and with them created the Dahaka. In order for the Prince to keep living he had the brainstorm to go back into the past and stop the sands from being created. However, his journey would not be easy, for as the old man warned him "no man can change his fate".
The action sequcnes in the game are comfortable yet simple. The square button swings the sword, X allows for acrobatic performances during combat, O picks up another weapon and the Triangle button allows for use of a secondary weapon. The combos are endless therefore making combat interesting. Much like in the Sands of time the prince can use walls and pillars to his afvantage in combat, leaping off of them to surprise the enemy.
The enemies in Warrior Within vary. You fight everything from demonic soldiers, to seductive female-demons, to ferocious wolves to colossic enemies coated in armor. The enemies do have a tendency to repeat themselves but it isn't to the point of boredom. Each area in the island of time has specific enemies which the prince must fight. Some of these enemies are slight variations on other enemies in the game. However, overall the enemies aren't cut and paste and they aren't dull. Their dialog can be a little annoying at times, (for example the women enemies saying "Would you dare strike a woman?" about seven times in one fight can get on your nerves) but that is only a minor complaint that should not interfere witht he overall feeling towards this game.
The graphics are splendid for the overall tone of the game. Warrior Within is a very dark, bleak and depressing game and the graphics reflect such. In terms of technicality there are better games out there but the style is unique. From the blurry lights that coat the eyes of certainv illains to the murky and depressing scenery the graphics fit the game very well. The game revolves around time travel, going to the past and present consistantly (since certain areas can only be accessed in the past because the present world is very desolate and destroyed) but the graphics reflect the time changes very well. The present is very cold colored, very sad and grey but the past is very bibrant filled with crimsons and golds. Ubisoft did a great job on the character design, background devleopment and overall artistic feel to the graphics.
Much like every Prince Of Persia game, Warrior Within has its share of obstacles. From stone blocks that shoot out of the wall, to spiked pillars, to roatating bladed cylinders and so on, Warrior Within requires a unique skill to complete the game. Of course the Prince must run on walls, jump gaps no human could ever possibly make, avoid deadly traps and so on. I find that some of these obstacles are mroe challanging then any of the enemy battles.
The soundtrack is very unqiue. Rathter then the orchestrated traditional eastern music of the first game, Warrior Within takes a more mdoern feel to its score; a modern feel consisting of distorted guitars, pounding drums and mass ahrd rock/heavy metal appeal. The game even uses Godsmack's "I stand alone" when the dahaka comes to chase the Prince. Although I am a fan of metal music I do not think the score fits the series very well but it does cater to the dark feel of the game which is a big positive.
What makes the game so differant from the Sands of time is a variety of things. The obstacles are varied and slightly more difficult, the feel changes and the Prince drastically changes in personality. A young lad that was slightly preppy and talkative in nature now becomes more dark, matured and concentrated. Fans detested this because they preferred their humorous Prince but I preferred the drastically updated one. I found this Prince to be better because he now knew the serious issues at hand. He was not joking about his world being turned to ruin with mosnters anymore, he knew what his mission was in Warrior Within and that if he slacked even once he would die. Death and fate are the overall themes of this game and the new Prince reflected both the fear of death and the fear that one could not change their fate.
My only complaint in regards to this game is that thehealth upgrades were very difficult to find. In order to have an easier time getting through Warrior Within, one must find all of the hidden health upgrades in the game that make the Prince both stronger and gives him a bigger health upgrade. However, I have been through this game twice now and have not found more then two or three health upgrades. I have found that without these health upgrades it is very difficult to get through this game. I also found that the hidden artowkr can be difficult to complete but that is a minor complaint.
Overall, Warrior Within is the best game in the trilogy. It is a dark game filled with an epic story, unique gameplay, beautiful scenery and a healthy length. If somebody wants to have a unique and immersive videogame experience then definately check out the Prince Of Persia series; especially Warrior Within.