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Play as your favorite character in the game with ancient scenes and skilled game challenges

Play as your favorite character in the game with ancient scenes and skilled game challenges

Vote: (653 votes)

Program license: Paid

Developer: Ubisoft

Version: 2.0.2

Works under: Android

Vote:

Program license

(653 votes)

Paid

Developer

Version

Ubisoft

2.0.2

Works under:

Android

Pros

  • Exceptionally fluid gesture controls for navigation and combat
  • Smart difficulty tweaks made to a classic adventure game
  • An upgrade system for personalizing combat

Cons

  • Graphics lack the original's personality
  • Gameplay can feel flat to modern players

The original sequel to the classic action-adventure game has been remastered and adjusted to play on your Android device. More accurately, the developers have taken the general ideas behind the original and essentially set off to create a new and modernized spin on the premise. The story is a rote but comfortable one. You're the Persian prince in a fantastical version of medieval Persia, and your identity has been stolen by your sorcerer nemesis Jaffar. By modern standards it might not be exactly riveting, but it provides a reasonable scaffolding to hang some interesting character and setting designs.

When the original Prince of Persia was released decades ago, its use of motion capture animation and a storybook art style wrapped players up in a cinematic experience that was in many ways the first of its kind. This port similarly innovates in the ways that it makes that smooth and fluid movement map effectively to the notoriously fickle demands of touch controls. Simple gestures allow you to adjust the prince's movements on the fly — and when you get used to it, it really helps you feel like the swashbuckling hero the prince is supposed to be. Traditional on-screen controls are also available. While perfectly competent, they seem a bit unnecessary given how good the core control scheme is. This series has always been more about environmental puzzles and extravagant acrobatics than combat, and the navigation is fortunately strong.

The core experience here is the same as it was in the 1990s, but the developers have made a few changes for better and for worse. The graphics are the most obvious change put in place, and they're unfortunately a fairly significant downgrade. The bright colors, distinct lines, and extravagant architectural design of the original's art style remains a classic today. This latest update trades these in instead for a more generic quasi-three-dimensional approach. Both characters and animation come across as blocky, and they've aged poorly even over the course of just a few years.

The other major change from the original is the removal of a set timer in lieu of an approach that favors exploration instead. It's a move that's made the game less challenging but one that's also made the challenges less arbitrary. The result is a game that actually flows a bit more smoothly and allows the player to explore at their own leisure. It's an approach that feels thoughtful but one that also begs the question of why. Without new content added, there's little to find or do by exploring hidden corners and distant passageways. It's a decent upgrade to a classic sequel, but it's one that hasn't quite found the way to highlight what made the original sing.

Pros

  • Exceptionally fluid gesture controls for navigation and combat
  • Smart difficulty tweaks made to a classic adventure game
  • An upgrade system for personalizing combat

Cons

  • Graphics lack the original's personality
  • Gameplay can feel flat to modern players