The Prince of Persia: Sands of Time trilogy were visual marvels when they first released in the early 2000s. Ubisoft’s use of lighting and animation was unprecedented for its time in all three games. They were a different kind of 3D platformer that were as much about combat as they were about jumping. The use of the wall-run was a gameplay mechanic hadn’t been seen before in any 3D game. Ubisoft eschewed the colorful mascot-platformer for a more Eastern medieval flavor that immediately set Prince of Persia apart from other games in the genre.
Warrior Within’s aesthetic is a darker, edgier take on Prince of Persia: Sands of Time. Why Ubisoft thought they needed to go this route, I don’t know. Maybe Sands of Time’s sales what weren’t they thought they should be, and this was their solution to make the series more mainstream. Or maybe the developers thought the Prince was too soft in the first game and they needed to toughen him up. It doesn’t ruin the game by any stretch, but a lot of the charm of Sands of Time is lost in Warrior Within.
He’s still the same Prince from Sands of Time, but the game seems to go overboard at times making sure you understand how angry and edgy he is. Whatever Ubisoft’s reasons, Warrior Within is definitely the dark second chapter of this trilogy.
However, none of that affects the actual gameplay, which is every bit as good as it was in its prequel. You’ll be jumping, swinging, vaulting, and climbing all over the place.
Warrior Within’s soundtrack uses a lot of heavy rock music during battle sequences. It’s a bit heavy-handed and overdone, and it becomes more of an issue the farther you get into the game. It’s one thing to have it playing during battle sequences. It’s another when it randomly turns on while you’re trying to figure out a puzzle. And it goes, and goes, and goes, and goes. There were times when I almost went into the options to mute the sound just so I could think straight. It gets repetitive and obnoxious.
The music was controversial even back when the game was first released in 2004, especially when they announced they were going to have a couple Godsmack tunes in the game. However, the non-rock parts of the score are great. You go from head-banging rock to piano and synth tracks that do a much better job of providing atmosphere and immersion in the world.
Don’t misunderstand, the rock music in Warrior Within is not bad, but it could’ve been utilized with a bit more tact and taste by the developers instead of using it as a cudgel to constantly remind you how angry the Prince is now.
Looking back, the gaming industry’s obsession with being ‘mature’ in the early 2000s is funny, but it wasn’t funny then and was taken very seriously.
Combat has been improved from Sands of Time. The Prince can now double-wield and pick up weapons from enemies and weapon racks that are lying around. The ability to throw your secondary weapon adds a whole other element to the fighting that wasn’t in Sands of Time. It basically gives the Prince a ranged attack. He can use pillars to aid him in combat by swinging around them to take out his foes. He can use counters as well that can make a big difference in how you approach enemies: you can be aggressive and offensive, or you can sit back and wait for them to come to you (my preferred method).
Lots of new elements help make the fighting in Warrior Within deeper and more satisfying.
Warrior Within required some tinkering on PC to get it to work correctly. First, I had to put the game in ‘run as administrator’ mode to get it to boot. Then I had to download a fix to get it to run in widescreen. Then I had to map all the buttons on my controller. Later on, I had to download a third-party program to get my left and right triggers on my controller to work simultaneously. It’s further evidence that Warrior Within could use a remake. The game itself is great, but it’s been plagued with technical hiccups and annoyances ever since it first released on consoles in 2004. It took some time to do, but none of it was difficult, and I was rewarded with a 4K/60FPS experience for my effort.
VERDICT
Does the Prince of Persia trilogy absolutely need to be remade? No. The original games look dated, but good. Ubisoft’s art direction and use of bloom lighting hold up even today. I don’t know who Ubisoft has working on the announced Sands of Time remake right now, but if a competent developer could make these game take advantage of modern consoles and high-end PCs, they would drop jaws just like they did when they first released.
Conclusion: Prince of Persia: Warrior Within, despite its technical issues, is still a great game and worth going back to.
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