Re: Prince of Persia is 35!

On Thu, 19 Jun 2025 05:47:48 -0000 (UTC), ant@zimage.comANT (Ant)
wrote:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHhK0kvH58I

I never really liked the original game. I remember seeing it on the
Apple ][ but (if I'm remembering correctly) it was a bad crack (or an
incomplete game) and it crashed out at some point. It LOOKED neat
though.

I first actually played the game on PC in the mid-90s, shortly after
the sequel released. Again, the smooth animation was impressive but
the controls much less so. There was always this slight delay between
your keypresses and the on-screen character reacting and --not being a
huge fan of platformers to begin with and mostly familiar with stuff
like Mario and Sonic-- I instantly hated the gameplay. I had more fun
with the sequel ("The Shadow and the Flame"), although mostly because
it boasted more varied gameplay and locales.

The next game ("Prince of Persia 3D") was awful though. An early 3D
game, it looked and played like a shitty "Tomb Raider" rip-off. The
thing I most remember was that every time your character changed
elevation --even in the slightest amount-- he'd sheathe his weapon...
which was problematic when you were fighting enemies on a slope or on
stairs.

No, I only really fell in love with the franchise with "Sands of
Time". That game /nailed/ it in presentation and gameplay. I remember
love/hating the game for how it placed its save-points. You'd finish a
difficult platforming/combat sequence, and then the game would show
you a 'flash-forward' cinematic hinting at the next puzzle ahead of
you. Only AFTER that would you get the save-point. It was really hard
not to keep playing after you saved because of all the exciting stuff
the game had just hinted was waiting for you.

The later games were... okay. There was nothing intrinsically wrong
with "Warrior Within", "Two Thrones" and "Forgotten Sands", but they
were increasingly sequels made for the sake of there being a sequel;
they were pulling from a well increasing dry of novelty and
creativity. The 2008 "Prince of Persia" reboot was an enjoyable
departure, but the changes to its gameplay (it became essentially
impossible to die) turned off a lot of people, and the reboot was
abandoned after just the one game.

Apparently "The Lost Crown", the new side-scroller that came out in
2024, is quite good and it /was/ on my wishlist. The fact that it was
a side-scroller and required Ubisoft's UPlay client were the main
reasons I hadn't acquired it yet. Of course now, having learned what
we did about the company, I'm not likely to get it at all.