The darkest version of Prince of Persia.
At the beginning of the 2000’s, Prince of Persia it was the franchise to beat all over the world. This new series was supported by 3 pillars: superb gameplay thanks to the use of the most popular Parkour, puzzles that made us rake our brains and intense battles against all the gods. Prince of Persia’s first 3D opus, The sand of time (which we’ll be getting a remake of in a few months), fell in love with critics and gamers alike, making us the best action adventure game in this year 2003. But how could you improve something that you thought was impossible? Well the people of Ubisoft he did it again in the Original Xbox with the second part of this new series: The soul of the warrior.
With the sequel, the Canadian studio in Montreal gave a huge leap of faith by completely changing the tone of the game. While the gameplay and the way of navigating the game have remained largely the same, the story and visual effects have been received an incredible review. Gone are the warm tones of the Prince’s quirky, sarcastic comments. And best of all: it works!
Prior to the game’s release, while still in high school, I spent a lot of time reading print magazines about it, as well as putting my hands on my head to the huge change It seemed to have struck the artistic style. So let’s remember and see why El Alma del Guerrero is the best opus of the series.
The Warrior soul It begins seven years after Las Arenas del Tiempo. The Prince of Persia flees Keeper of time, Dahaka, who wants to inflict severe punishment on him for having freed the sands. As a last resort, our protagonist goes to the Time Island to fix their mistakes. Our mission will be to obtain an audience with the Time empress. A dark premise that is maintained throughout the game.
The best thing about the argument is that it basically relies on four characters to tell the story, which only increases the feeling of dread. There is the prince himself, who has changed a lot since its appearance in Las Arenas del Tiempo. What was a guy talkative and lively, now it seems defeated and vulnerable. And then there is Dahaka, the dark figure that appears at intervals to remind the prince of his mortality. We will also face the provocative and seductive Shahdee, servant of the Empress. And finally, there is the mysterious Kaileena, which turns out to be the empress at the end of the game.
The tone of the story contrasts sharply with that of Las Arenas del Tiempo and Las Dos Coronas, because it does not correspond stylistically
It is true that gameplay has remained largely the same than in the previous title. I mean, awesome. But the dark tone of the story was also noticeable in her. When the prince reaches the shore, the island greets him with a dark melody and a flock of swirling crows. The island itself is dark and depressing, its strength crumbles and lacks life, without the passage of time seeming to disturb it. It changes a bit as the Prince unleashes the ability to time travel. As if by magic, the vegetation returns and the large rooms regain their former splendor. The game contrasts not only with the other installments, but within its own limits. Apart from the puzzles scattered around the fortress, we are not given many moments of respite. Yes The warrior’s soul wore its dark tone
He was also much more graphic and violent than his predecessor, focus on provocation and blood. During the fights, each sword blow left visible cuts and the prince killed all enemies a glorious splash of blood, A la Tarantino. He often beheaded them or even split them in half. Recall that Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time had a friendlier tone and a friendly PEGI +12. This The Soul of the Warrior had a totally justified +18. Dark music and heavy metal accompanied each fight.
The warrior’s soul wasn’t perfect at all. In the Xbox version, the game has suffered more than drastic framerate drops and the camera easily induces moments of confusion and saying “where the hell am I?” But the gameplay and story have so much substance that the flaws can easily be overlooked. Their characters, environments, and music worked in unison to form something unique and special. Today, it is rare that a game differs so much from its predecessors and somehow retain the essence. And to try something so different, and even more to get it, developers deserve big applause.
For now, the only way to play El Alma del Guerrero is on the first Xbox, since the game has not yet reached backward compatibility. In the meantime, we’ll have to wait until March 18, when the long-awaited remake of Las Arenas del Tiempo will arrive. And if all goes well, maybe we can see a second part of it too …