Reviews// Prince Of Persia: Warrior Within

The change of style, presumably, had been conjured up to draw in a wider audience and, if early sales figures are anything to go by, the sequel has indeed had a stronger start. But in practicality, Warrior Within is considerably more accessible to those who have played the original. Firstly, WW is a seriously challenging game, even more so than Sands of Time, and yet it gives the player less scope of opportunity to work out what's required before being flung into the game proper. After a fairly brief, and nicely paced, tutorial section the puzzling/combat combo kicks in with full effect. And if you're not familiar with the nature of the puzzles, you may well get stuck, and frustrated, rather quickly.

For those who have completed the original, the take-no-prisoners learning curve and the increased scale of the whole thing will surely be welcomed: but with this slightly different formula behind it, it can still become a bit confusing. The play area -which pans out over two different time-scales, is distinctly less linear than before, and although that does encourage exploration, it can also get you lost in the process. In many ways, that could be construed as a good thing, but in a different light, it can make the gamplay feel less decisive and less precise.

It's important to underline the fact that Prince of Persia: Warrior Within is an excellent game, but it's just disappointing in a great many ways. With regards to the moody, fighty scenarios, people who wanted more Sands of Time will be justifiably irked by this not being that. For those attracted to the game on the strength of the original's reputation and the strong marketing, it could also fall short of expectations. Quite simply, if you're looking to find out what all the fuss was about, you'd still be better off tracking down the original and saving yourselves a few pennies in the process. This is a slightly muddier interpretation of the original's winning premise, and although the combat is quite enjoyable, the inevitable comparison’s to games focused purely on combat will surely work to its detriment.

It does seem like the developers' intentions have been honourable though, and there's certainly plenty of effort gone into Warrior Within. Visually, the cut-scenes and in-game environments are stunning. The PS2 version comes off the worst, but it's still a treat to look at. And although the storyline takes a certain understanding of the original for granted, it's as compelling as it needs be. But despite the heavy make-up, there has been work on attempting to make the core gameplay even better, and it's easy to understand that way of thinking. Aware that Sands of Time was one of the most finely crafted platform-puzzle games of this generation, the combat is supposed to add to the gameplay: making it more well-rounded and genre-defiant. It's as if Ubisoft Montreal played Ninja Gaiden: an extravaganza of tightly controlled, acrobatic combat paced with fiendish bosses, and attempted to meet such ambitious styles in this sequel.