Prince of Persia®: The Sands of Time

Really loved this game, much more than the POP games that followed. To compare it with the ones that followed: * The platforming is less frustrating, hitting it just right. * The dialog is much better - his banter with the female character is hilarious. * The story is awesome * The graphics are just as good. * He isn't all "I'm so emo" in this one, I much prefered the art style. * Even the camera angles were done pretty well! * The fighting, again, is more fun than frustrating. Hitting the perfect spot between action and just having fun running around. This game really captured the fun and awe I had, playing the original POP. You'd be doing yourself an injustice not to pick this up, if you're the slightest fan of platforming games. Even if you don't normally enjoy platforming/action, you'll enjoy this because you can use "the sands of time" to help you out! Highly, highly recommended!

I didn't enjoy any of Jordan Mechner's platformers, as a child or now- they lacked the fluidity and precision of id platfomers like Commander Keen, or Nintendo and Sega titles of the same era. Price of Persia feels stilted, rigid and rather unwieldy, to my hands at least. The Sands of Time takes little more than the setting from these original releases. It tells the captivating story of an ambitious young prince unwittingly setting a curse on the city of Azad, and his quest along with the daughter of the Maharajah Farah to set things right. Though the story itself is relatively simple in terms of elements the byplay between characters is pitch perfect; the prince is a shining example of a flawed protagonist, while Farah and the relationship between them is progressive, contextually appropriate and engaging. The city of Azad is also an excellent example of indirect storytelling- the expressive environments and the prince's infrequent narrations give context to every location you visit. Even after one playthrough you'll likely remember a lot of Azad and its many rich surroundings. The then-revolutionary parokour engine used to control the prince remains as enjoyable and usable today as it did when it was first released, though it is not quite as fluid as the Assassin's Creed incarnations. Unlike it's cousin however precision platforming has a much greater emphasis, so observing and delicately yet quickly clearing the many dynamic obstacles make up the bulk of the game play, and are certainly the most enjoyable aspect. Farah will often be present, to help with cooperative challenges or to give comments on puzzles, adding welcome variation to the formula. Combat also appears in the game though it feels rather shoe-horned in- typically platforming almost entirely without enemies, but certain open areas are dedicated to combat, requiring the prince to kill all enemies that spawn in until there are none left. These can be frustrating especially with multiple enemies, but the prince has a good repertoire of combat abilities which keep things interesting for most of the game. Prince of Persia isn't perfect, in fact it's far from- platforming can be irritating even with the time mechanics, combat is difficult and eventually feels like a chore. Even the presentation has flaws- some of the supporting voice actors are very weak and the pre-rendered cut scenes are especially jarring. Yet the word "perfect" appears more and more often when people speak about this game. Why? For a start, especially when it was released, it really did feel unique. It had a pair of genuine, relatable, interesting characters in a direct narrative, something games have always struggled with, then and now. It offered a new way to think about platforming, a formula that has proven successful and stood the test of time. And the overall package, the unyieldingly consistent graphics, the well presented story, rather like a good movie leads to a memorable experience that stays with you long after you've finished it. Recommended.

Unfortunately nowadays it may be janky and odd if u havent played this before. The controls and the camera are the worst parts. I died many times because they werent synchronized... and the prince decied to jump the worng way.... Time to rewind...

Some of the prince's (fitting for the epoch) commentary aside, the game actually holds up pretty well, which is mostly thanks to the back for 2003 very thought-out control possibilities and intriguing level design. Funny enough, puzzles and acrobatics are actually more straightforward as I remember them being as a kid (as usual). The combat system is the critic point for most players from what I've seen. Coming from the same person who created the original PoP however, I see what they intended to do and actually like the more mechanical approach - although it indeed does become either "get smacked to zero in seconds" or "abuse that one weakness each opponent has" quite quick. Everything accounted though, the game is actually relatively easy if you know what you do and get all collectables for life and sand powers. As is classic for GOG Ubisoft titles (as far as I got them at least), the game mostly works out of the box, but needs some tweaking for things like (better) controller support or widescreen. Doing a google search or visiting the GOG forums will give you an overview of potential "obstacles" and ways to fix them - if you have experience with stuff like that it will probably take you a few hours at most. The game has a runtime of about 5 hours (+/- 1) by giving you several locations one at a time, each filled with new parkours, puzzles and enemies. One could say there could have been two or three more locations for an overall longer experience, but what there is already makes for a nice adventure from start to finish, at least. Characters are likeable, and while I am biased with playing it in my native language as a child, the English voice acting is quite decent, as well. The story is a classic tale with not that many surprises, but is told engaging and concluding. Overall a great time - still holding up well today besides the usual technical circumstances. Recommended!

This may be long winded, but hopefully it helps someone... I did not read the graphics card warning before I bought the game. I'm using Windows 10 64 Bit, Intel Core i5-7300U processor, Intel HD Graphics 620, 8 GB RAM and the still game runs well on my laptop. You just have to shut off the fog and water effects in the Graphics menu. The game does not support widescreen or my Logitech F130 xinput controller. There is a mod for the widescreen, Google will help you find that easy enough. I used AntimicroX for the controller emulation. Both those problems are solved. I still have my PS3 version of POP Sands Of Time HD Remake, and played it and this one to compare how they work. If you install the widescreen mod, turn off the fog and water effects, both versions are indentical. I cannot see a difference between them graphically (other than the water is clear in the PC version, in the PS3 version it has a slight blue tinge), they control the same, they sound the same. I'm not even sure what that fog setting does on the PC version as a result. Speaking of sound, both versions have semi wonky audio. The PS3 version has this "echo" to it, some parts are kind of hard to hear, some parts are blasted. The PC version is the same. I've Googled it, no one seems to have a fix, and I can't get it better no matter how I tweak my sound settings. I got this game for $2.25 CAD, so I can't complain too much. It still plays well despite it's flaws. It's still a great game and wonderful story. Just know it has it's quirks.