Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

Even though the Prince of Persia series has enjoyed relative success over the years, it has never really reached that plateau of being an "elite" series. Don't get me wrong, the series definitely has a very strong base of followers, but for whatever reason has never been as recognizable a series as the Zelda's and Mario's of the world. This is really a shame too, as the Prince of Persia franchise has always been a very solid line of games. With the release of The Sands of Time, the Prince of Persia series has now reached our current line of systems, and it has done it with style.

The Sands of Time has a story and cast worthy to carry on the Prince of Persia name. The setting is medieval Persia, the most powerful and mysterious kingdom of that time period. After a strenuous battle with the mighty Maharajah, the King of Persia, along with his son the Prince, finally achieve victory. Looting his palace for treasure, they come upon an extravagant hourglass and a strange dagger. Unknown to the Prince, these items have the power to control time itself, and transform him into an immortal god. Duped by a dying Vizier, the Prince releases the Sands of Time, destroying the kingdom and turning its inhabitants to demons. Surviving the incident, the Prince sets out to save the kingdom, and return it and its people to its former glory.

As players set out to return the once great Kingdom to normal, they will be able to utilize the very dagger looted by the Prince himself. Unlike most daggers, this blade not only has the ability to stab zombies and other enemies in the gut, but can also be used to control time. In time, the Prince will be able to gain five different powers to control time. By progressing through the game, players will be able to gain the Power of Revival (rewind), the Power of Delay (slow motion), the Power of Restraint (freeze), the Power of Haste (fast forward), and the Power of Destiny (foresight). Each power is gained at different times, and each is utilized in different ways.

Although these different modes to control time don't seem like all that much, the way they are implemented and used is very nice. Instead of being used primarily on enemies, the powers are used often on elemental traps and other environmental hazards. While making your way through the collapsing palace, it is imminent to use the Sands of Time correctly in order to get across certain gaps, maneuver between platforms, and so on. This isn't to say that the Sands of Time are not used on enemies however, as that is far from the truth. In fact, enemies play a key role in being able to use the Sands in the first place.

In order to use the Sands of Time, the dagger which controls time must be charged. Players will be able to see how charged the dagger is by the circular gauge and the top left of their screen. When the gauge is full, the powers that control time can be used. However, by using the Sands of Time, the gauge will fall. When is becomes empty, the powers can no longer be used. Players can recharge the gauge by defeating enemies, and stabbing them with the dagger once fallen. This in itself is a nifty addition. Instead of just walking over to some boring recharge platform, players get to acrobatically stab a fallen enemy. Awesome.

Speaking of acrobatics, the Prince you control has some incredible maneuvers at his command. I don't know if it's just growing up in medieval Persia or whether this kid was once part of a flying circus, but the Prince has some amazing tricks he can perform. Running up or along walls, flipping over enemies, swinging betweens pipes, all commonplace in The Sands of Time. This is really one of the games high points. You'd be surprised how amusing it is to run along a wall in order to cross a 20 foot pit. Even running up a wall to reach a higher platform has some serious amusement value.

Another key note is that these acrobatic maneuvers also cross over into the combat portion of The Sands of Time. When multiple enemies are being confronted, players can use the Prince's monkey-like skills to flip over enemies, roll around them, or just plain old bull-rush them. With a press of a couple key buttons on the GameCube controller, players will be able to vanquish a horde of enemies in mere minutes, and be able to refill their Sands gauge in the aftermath.

To go along with all these nice gameplay elements, The Sands of Time sports some of the best graphics available on the GameCube to date. Based in a very realistic environment, the action never stops as everything is displayed in full 3D. Characters, enemies, and especially environments are beautifully displayed. Textures are extremely smooth, the framerate is constant, and the game takes advantage of some very nice lighting effects. Even during the high-flying antics of the Prince, The Sands of Time very rarely suffers from very minimal slowdown, if any at all. It's not often that a game can put together the entire package in the graphics department, but The Sands of Time proves that it can be done.

Prince of Persia also showcases some very crisp sound effects. Swords clashing, bones crushing, and even monsters dying are all represented with vibrant sounds. The background music also sets the tone nicely, keeping in harmony with the СArabian' setting. The Sands of Time features minimal speaking from characters, but when it is used it's very well done.

If you're a fan of games taking you awhile to run completely through, The Sands of Time is right up your ally. Although by far not the longest game ever created, Prince of Persia will provide a solid number of hours in playtime, ranging from the 20-30 mark. Plus, if you enjoyed running along walls as much as I did, you may find yourself running through the game two or three times.