1st February 1991
Prince Of Persia
In ancient times Iran was known as Persia, but it was never an easy place to rule. No sooner than the Sultan is off fighting for his country then the dastardly Grand Vizier proclaims himself ruler. To give some kind of legality to his reign he plans to marry the Sultan's beautiful daughter. This is bad news for you, not only because you love the princess, but also because the Vizier is the sort of guy who believes all is fair in love, war and pretty much anything else he wants to win in. So you've been thrown in prison and the princess given an hour to agree to marriage...
The Princess is imprisoned in a tower and can only be reached by battling through the dungeons, main palace and the tower itself. The further you progress, the more skillful the guards are, but there's much more to the quest than that. The palace is riddled with traps - loose floorboards rattle then give way, plunging you into fatal falls onto hard stone or razor sharp swords. There's also pressure pads which open gates for a few seconds, or close them! Beds of spikes can be crossed - if you're careful - while health potions restore energy. Further cause for concern is given by rumours that the Vizier is a magician!
Prince Of Persia is basically an arcade-adventure in the classic mould, complete with flick-screen scrolling, countless platforms and ladders plus plenty of swordplay. The difference is the detail with which your character has been implemented. He can walk, run, inch forward, jump, hang from ledges, duck, pick up objects, make various swords swipes and more besides.
Robin
Two 'great heads' for a game that looks decidedly mediocre? "What's going on?" you cry. Well, cease worrying Prince Of Persia is a superb mix of Dragon's Lair-style puzzles and traps with far better interaction.
Almost every screen is a mini-puzzle in itself needing to be taken carefully one at a time. Some are particularly devious - the end of level two had us dying for ages. But the marvellous way some complex moves are accessed, becoming second nature almost immediately, means you never feel too frustrated.
It's really enjoyable seeing the Prince leap about - he's animated with such skill that his zest and enthusiasm become infectious, driving you back again and again until the latest puzzle is defeated. My only real moan concerns the similarity of each level in graphic style, although the palace is a bit different - and better. Otherwise each level is nicely structured, progresively expanding the demands and puzzle complexity. Superior animation and quality sampled effects lift it above virtually all other Amiga platform games of this ilk. Recommended!
Stu
Prince Of Persia is one of those unfortunate games that doesn't look amazing in screenshots and lacks any startling new concepts. A shame because this really is a very good game. The sprites more than compensate for the unremarkable backdrops - the number of frames of animation in the prince must be incredible, it's all flawlessly smooth, even down to his stomach-swelling when he swigs down a potion.
Actual gameplay is surprisingly addictive, with lots of nice touches which add up to some tricky puzzles. Exploring is always worthwhile and can give the solution to rooms further on. Needless to say, there's plenty of pixel-perfect leaping about, but the hero is so controllable that this is rarely too irritating. Similarly going back to the start of a level can be annoying, especially with time always ticking down, but the superb playability always pulls you back.
It's amazing how such a basically simple game has been made to addictive and compulsive by programming flair and attention to detail.
Verdict
Presentation 94%
Intro, good demo, inter-level screen, keys option, save-to-disk after level three, infinite continue-plays (from beginning of level until time runs out).
Graphics 85%
Unremarkable backdrops, but all the characters are brilliantly animated. The main sprite has an incredible number of superb moves.
Sound 80%
Excellent spot FX with some nice tunelets.
Hookability 86%
Instantly playable, with complex moves mastered very easily.
Lastability 88%
It's fairly easy to use continue-plays to battle through a couple of levels, but a one hour time limit overall makes speed vital eventually with tougher guards and traps to look forward to.
Overall 88%
The best swashbuckling arcade-adventure in ages!
Screenshots
