Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

If I made one bad choice in my life it's that I didn't buy this game sooner. Indeed, in the end I didn't buy it at all, instead I just borrowed it off my sis about a year ago. She never got it back.

The game is absolutely flawless in it's design. The story follows the Prince of err... you know, who has invaded the grand palace of his rival in search of the ultimate treasure: the Dagger of Time, locked away inside the treasure vault of the city. The Prince retrieves it for his father, and the story leads on from there.

This opening scene serves as the 'turorial' level, and teaches you all the basics you'll need to advance. And it also succeeds in drawing you completely into the Prince's tale. Controlling him as he dangles from precarious ledges manoeuvring his way around the massive architecture is a sight in itself away from the amazing graphics. HDR lighting is used to great effect, shining through the windows of dusty corridors or illuminating the sky in a burning sunrise. Animation is amazing throughout, the Prince diving off ledges and running along walls with grace.

Yes, I said running along walls. While the idea of using the environment to your advantage has been around for a while, POP does it completely differently. The game is split into two different gameplay elements, as the areas you face become more like logic puzzles as you try to figure out'How would I reach that distant ledge?' or 'How do I get to that switch while avoiding the traps?' Seeing your plan fall into action is immensely satisfying. And an early mishap by the Prince sees the Maharajah's defence system come alive, adding a new twist to puzzles.

Combat is the other main gameplay element, and while it can be quite repetitive, it is just as acrobatic as the environment puzzles. Fights in this aren't just a case of tearing your way through enemy after enemy. Battles also have to have some thought put into them, as some enemies use different weapons and can move faster, and can block different attacks and that. The dagger can be used in fights to give you the advantage, like freezing the enemy to the spot or to slow time down giving aiding you to see oncoming attacks. You can also reverse time, so if you suffered an incapacitating attack or fell into the pit of spikes accidentally you can simply reverse time and try again. It is a fantastic gameplay mechanic as it cannot be used that often so you'll find yourself conserving your Sand Tanks for tougher puzzles. This game really does play like a breath of fresh air.

Overall it suffers in the same area that so many games fall down upon today, and that is that it just doesn't last long enough, although that is acceptable considering the emotional depth of the story, and that fights can be quite irritating when you are ganged up upon by several enemies. There's also not much potential for replay value, apart from to live the experience over again. But the main thing is that this still stands today as an amazing experience against it's two sequels. And you can have forgotten everything about it when you go to play it again(and trust me, you will). Overall this game should be played by everyone, no matter whether they play games or not.

Looks: 9 Sounds: 9 Plays: 10 Lasts:8 Overall 10/10