Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones Preview

Does your head hurt yet? With each new episode in the PoP series, the story gets more and more complicated. Fiddling with time has always been a fantasy writer's biggest nightmare, so it's good to see that the continuation of the narrative can sound relatively plausible in view of the subject matter. It's also great to hear that the developers are shooting for an even moodier title, with even more personality to it. That certainly goes in line with the announced gameplay changes, one of which is the Speed Kill System. Skill and character go well together - with the Speed Kill System you will be required to provide skill, while The Prince(s) provide character (both The Dark Prince and The Prince will use the Speed Kill System).

I'm gonna make this jump and then you're mine.

Hello, boys!

As one of the PoP programmers explains: "The Speed Kill System is a whole new gameplay system we're introducing in PoP3. (The Two Thrones. - Ed) It allows you to perform very dramatic moves that take your enemy down in a single shot. Speed Kills require excellent timing and reflexes but are hugely rewarding. They really make the most of The Prince and Dark Prince's athletic abilities in fast-paced action-packed sequences."

The introduction of the Speed Kill System has also made an impact on how the developers are designing the AI for The Two Thrones: "Speed Kill is about killing your enemy BEFORE being detected. This new system made us rethink the whole AI of the enemies in the game, and the results so far are very impressive. Patrolling enemies will be able to detect The Prince, either by seeing him or by hearing him. If The Prince goes undetected, he will be able to trigger a series of Speed Kill attacks that lead to spectacular finishing moves. The Prince will often have to use his environment and his athletic skills to reach upper positions in order to take his enemies by surprise from above. If patrolling enemies detect The Prince, they will call for reinforcements and The Prince will not be able to trigger his Speed Kills anymore: he will have to fight his enemies heads-on."

In addition, the Speed Kill System will vary between The Prince and The Dark Prince as a reflection of their very different personalities. Clearly, this will have the biggest impact on the gameplay in terms of the innovations that were introduced in the third installment. The Dark Prince is a corrupt version of The Prince; he is ruthless, reckless, and only out for himself. This dark and sadistic personality particularly shines through the violent nature of his Speed Kills.
The Dark Prince's Speed Kills will be launched by a fast-paced combination of buttons, whereas The Prince's Speed Kills will be based on specific button sequences and very precise timing during a window of opportunity.
Also, their finishing moves will be very different as The Prince uses the Dagger of Time for his Speed Kills and The Dark Prince uses the Daggertail, a powerful mid range chain-like weapon. Now if this doesn't sound cool, I don't know what does.

Finally, concerning the visual identity of the next Prince of Persia title, Olivier Leonardi, Artistic Director on the project, explains that for the first time in the PoP franchise, this third instalment will take place primarily in an outdoor environment, as opposed to a huge fortress like PoP: Sand of Times or an island like PoP: Warrior Within. The Prince will evolve in the city of Babylon, his hometown. "Our goal is to make Babylon feel like a rich, vibrant city...but plagued by conflict. That is a huge challenge for our team," says Leonardi. He then goes on to add: "It will bring a lot of new features that will refresh the whole experience for PoP players. Babylon, like most ancient Middle Eastern cities, features a succession of rooftops that, altogether, form a real 'city above the city'. The rooftops are the player's kingdom. Being a powerful acrobatic warrior, here The Prince reigns as a predator. High on the rooftops, the player will see foes and objectives from a distance. Massive jumps and amazing heights will give players a great sense of vertigo. Conversely, when The Prince is in the streets, the claustrophobic environment will serve to reinforce the feeling of being hunted." In lieu of this, I cannot help but think of the very first Prince of Persia game ever made. Indeed, the rooftops were your best friend and your greatest enemy. It's so great to see how far we've come, now that The Prince gets to navigate the detailed and three-dimensional "upper and lower cities" within the city of Babylon.

In addition to everything that was mentioned, Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones will feature a variety of puzzles and all the other elements that fans of the modern Prince of Persia games have come to expect from the series. The Warrior Within had a decent idea that wasn't fully developed and was marred with a number of bugs. It looks like The Two Thrones takes the basic gameplay concept much further, and in the right direction. The game is visually stunning and it goes deeper character-wise than any other PoP game has gone.

We look forward to playing Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones come December 2005.