I've been a loyal fan of Prince of Persia ever since I played the very first game (i.e. Jordan Merchner's masterpiece) on the Amiga. Anyone who shares the sentiment should be happy to know more about what Ubi Soft has in store for the latest follow-up to the popular action/adventure Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. That's right, folks, Ubi Soft opened the doors on Prince of Persia 2 (working title) and we managed to get a glimpse of the game in action.

Alright, which one of you is first?

The bold Prince shows no mercy!

The first thing that caught my interest is that the story follows the same character from the previous installment, only this time seven years had passed and he looks a slightly darker and troubled; as if a great burden was hanging on his shoulders. Specific points on the narrative, regrettably, remain under wraps for the moment. Sorry to say, we don't know what might be troubling good ol' Princy Boy, but we hope Ubi will shed more light on the subject as the show moves on (Hold on a sec, moves on? The blasted thing only just started! Curse this premature hypage!).

Prince of Persia 2 will run on the same engine as PoP: The Sands of Time. The developers appear to be content with the technology used earlier, but now they made an effort to optimize the engine code a bit further, so as to ensure additional features and more polished visuals. The demo on display revealed a level that took place on a pirate ship which sailed across the sea during a dreadful storm. Although this is basically the same technology at work, the game still looks amazing and appears to be as enjoyable as PoP: The Sands of Time. Also, some of the surroundings are considerably larger and more detailed than before which is certainly a commendable step forward. Another surprising, but most welcomed change, is the exclusion of load times, leaving players to enjoy the ride as they move from one area to the next without waiting.

So, what else do the boys at Ubi Soft Montreal have in mind? The team was quick to admit they weren't entirely pleased with the game's combat system, hence one of their priorities with PoP 2 is to make fighting more interesting for the player as he clashes with various baddies. From what we've seen, Princy Boy matured into a stern and tough warrior (still skinnier than Conan though), who sometimes uses brutal execution moves in order to overcome his foes. We saw a cool new move in action. You can now approach enemies from behind, grab hold of them and slice them in half or simply chop their head off (yikes!). You will then be able to use their bodies as a shield from further attacks - quite cruel, but very effective indeed. The main character is still skillful and nimble when it comes to combat, and we saw him use the mentioned head-slicing move to bring down a huge ogre. He climbed on top of the troll's back and attempted to decapitate it with a fierce blow. The AI has clearly improved as well, seeing how the troll didn't just sit there awaiting its own doom. It struggled and threw Princy Boy of its back. The Prince can also strike multiple foes at once without having to target them individually, like in the previous game. Well, I guess that's a standard noted in many action games nowadays (Return of the King, Ninja Gaiden, etc.).

Maneuvering through complex surroundings is a lot easier than before, since the Prince now has a whole new set of abilities and moves to cope with various obstacles he encounters along the way. For instance, he uses a rope to run swiftly along the wall and he can employ a neat new curtain-slide move to... well, slide down curtains (What a coincidence! That's something 2Lions does often around the office!). (You lie! We don't have curtains! - 2Lions)

Like I've said, the AI was tweaked and some enemies won't be easy to beat. Luckily, the developers have cut us some slack, offering a range of cool new features to topple these new adversaries. The Dagger of Time thing, which I believe you all remember clearly from the previous game, was replaced with a handy option to slow down time. Basically, everything around you, including the guards and monsters, slows down while your character moves with great speed. Most of these new special abilities will prove mighty useful for solving puzzles and overcoming powerful foes.

The thing about Prince of Persia 2 is that it expands upon almost every aspect of the gameplay, bringing the overall experience to a higher level. The complete version of the game is scheduled for a release in November 2004, so at least you won't have to wait that long to play it (if all goes well with the development that is).