There is a sense of redemption surrounding the new Prince of Persia game. Ubisoft has perhaps taken to heart criticism that the two previous Prince titles, Warrior Within and The Two Thrones, portrayed an unexpectedly dark hero. After the delightful romance of Sands of Time, fans were certainly taken aback by the more emo stylings of the later Prince. Indeed, who can forget — let alone forgive — the cringeworthy “You bitch!” line from the early stages of the Warrior Within?
The story behind the new Prince’s adventure — so far unequipped with a helpful subtitle — could be read as a metaphor for Ubisoft’s desire to make amends. Corruption has blighted the lands, a seeping black ooze that permeates every corner of the world, decaying all that it touches. It’s the Prince’s job to remove the corruption and restore Persia to its former glory. Filthy grottos become crystal ponds; parched outcroppings give way to waterfalls; grimy waste is replaced by butterfly-laden green fields; the molten darkness succumbs to rainbows of colour. The meta-narrative correlation between this game and the previous trilogy should be clear by now.
With this new title, however, Ubisoft has taken the opportunity to cleanse the series in more ways than one. Ignoring any attempt towards realism, the art direction demonstrates a developer confident to choose its own path. Environments are daubed in almost abstract fashion, eschewing photorealistic detail in favour of impressionistic shades of texture and focusing your attention on the incredible lighting and architecture.
Characters carry a similar abstraction and are designed in a manner akin to cel-shading — you can see the black outline on each limb, item or piece of clothing. The result is almost painterly and does much to capture the fantastical nature of lead artist Mickael Labat’s original concept sketches.
As expected, the Prince — and his mystical female companion Elika — move beautifully, too. Always a hallmark of the series, and it must be said of Ubisoft Montreal in general, the character animation is just exquisite. A particular highlight arrives in the combo moves between the two: the double-jump, for example, sees Elika use the momentum of her jump to propel the Prince into a second aerial somersault. Their interactions when climbing and shimmying are also quite touching, as the pair constantly clasp hands in a way somewhat reminiscent of ICO.
