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Prince of Persia (GBA) Review
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Developer |
Ubi Soft Montreal
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| Publisher |
Ubi Soft
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| Genre |
Adventure
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Ubi Soft raised the level of the Prince of Persia series to unimaginable levels on home consoles only to send it crashing back to earth with this uninspired side-scrolling jaunt. And while it certainly would have been great to have a portable rendition of The Sands of Time, gamers may have been better served with a completely original game, rather than one that almost entirely lacks the magic of the console versions.
No, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time for the Game Boy Advance is not a complete disaster. Far from it. The game actually contains a few entertaining elements ripped directly from its big console brothers. The plot has been carried over, albeit skimmed down, and the ability to manipulate time is fully intact. The prince must still make death-defying leaps utilizing various obstacles and the character animation continues what the original games began. The most significant difference (other than the missing third dimension) is the emphasis that has been placed on action. Sure, there’s plenty of exploration and puzzle solving, but not nearly to the degree of the 3D versions.
For the uninformed, The Sands of Time tells the story of a young prince who, while in battle with his father’s army, discovers a magic dagger and mistakenly unleashes evil upon the kingdom, awakening various sand creatures and other foul beings. It is up to him to discover the secret behind the sands of time and to bring the kingdom back to its normal state.
Gameplay - The original Prince of Persia focused more on exploration and using the Prince’s arsenal of moves to navigate through the castle. And while this game does contain a hint of these elements, it comes off as more of an action game. Unfortunately, the sword fighting is a tad stiff and unresponsive and not nearly as lip biting as the home versions. The Prince is not nearly as handy with a sword as he has been in the past and oftentimes will take a cheap hit due to the sluggishness of the control system. To make matters worse, the enemies are borderline idiotic as most of them either stand in one place and shoot at you or just run back and forth until they come in contact with you. It gives off a very generic and non-engaging feel.
There are certainly puzzles-a-plenty in The Sands of Time, but their execution is a bit off. While the levels are fairly large, they seem to be put together haphazardly and without much logic. For example, in the home versions, the rooms were laid out quite realistically and the player had to figure out how to use the existing architecture to his/her advantage. In this handheld version, pillars and walls seem to be stuck in places simply to provide obstacles, rather than having any other logical design to them. As these puzzles are solved, the gamer is rewarded as the Prince gains various abilities and hints to help him finish his quest. These come in the form of scrolls, which either explain how to perform certain moves, or provide hints on what to do next.
Graphics - Graphically, the game is actually quite polished and impressive. The Prince has retained his animation and fluidity from previous 2D installations. And thanks to updated technology and smart design, he looks better than ever as a collection of pixels. While the gameplay seemed to receive short shrift from developers, they definitely took the time to give us a bit of eye candy. Background animations are clear, colorful, and there is even a neat little special effect or two to take a gander at.
Overall Value -
After playing the home console versions of The Sands of Time, it’s difficult not to be disappointed with this version. So many times the GBA gets the short end of the stick when a game is released on all three consoles. It would have been wonderful if Ubi Soft did something similar to what Nintendo did with Metroid Prime and Metroid Fusion last year by releasing the home console versions and then giving us an entirely unique adventure on the go, rather than a watered down, scaled back version.
The game does have a good length to it, and some bits (time manipulation, exploration, etc.) are borrowed successfully from its big brothers. Unfortunately, it’s not nearly as inspired, polished, or compelling as the home versions. However, if you’re a Cube owner and really want unlockable content, by all means pick it up. Luckily for Xbox and PS2 owners, that content doesn’t require the “advantage” Nintendo’s connectivity gimmick.
Review by John Luedtke
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