Kingdom Hearts Unchained X

“Touch to Start”

                “Kingdom Heart’s Unchained X” (Chi pronounced Key, don’t ask) is an online game set before the Keyblade War mentioned in “Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep”. When I first heard about it I wasn’t sure what to think, but it’s free, so I knew I was going to get it. In the Japanese version of the game they use cards, which was changed for the American version to medals, probably do to the fact that cards might have brought back horrible memories of “Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories”. What’s more, because it’s online, they can keep it going for as long as they want, even after “Kingdom Hearts 3” comes out. I hope they do, because this game is incredibly fun.

Characters

                So in this game, unlike in previous “Kingdom Hearts” games, you make your own avatar right from the get go. You can name it whatever you want: Soriku, James Pooplots, or Destroyer of Worlds, really, it doesn’t matter. This guy or girl is your companion throughout. You can change him into a her, change your name, or do whatever you like. The game is very open. It gives you all kinds of outfits (both male and female) to choose from. Honestly, the amount of collectables in this game is staggering, even overwhelming at times.

                The only other character that you meet (as of level 130) who is not a “Disney” character is Chirithy, a cat like creature that helps to progress the otherwise lacking story along. That sounds like a complaint, but I assure you, it’s not. Chirithy is there to help give the game some context. He/she/ it will tell you stories of the past or present. He/ she/ it will find out information while you wail away on heartless in the area. Chirithy will lead you to new worlds or even help you traverse words by giving you hints where to go next.

                There are, of course, “Disney” characters as well. As of yet, I’ve only met a few, but if the game keeps updating, that could change. When it originally came out the levels capped at 200. Now It’s something like 300+. As Far as I have seen there are only good “Disney” characters. There have been villains via Medals, but there haven’t been any villains in their respective “Disney” worlds. Again, I’ve only just finished level 130, so I have a ways to go. I will try to keep this blog up to date as I go, but with my wonky update schedule, and the sheer amount of content that this game provides, that could prove to be impossible. We shall see.

Story

                The story is a bit lacking though only in the respect that it’s so spread out. Stealing the main synopsis from Wikipedia it says:

                “ Kingdom Hearts χ opens in pop-up book format, showing Kairi and her grandmother in Radiant Garden. Kairi's grandmother is telling Kairi her favorite story of light and darkness. In the Dive to the Heart, the player is asked to choose between five unions, known as Anguis, Leopardos, Unicornis, Ursus and Vulpeus. Once the player has chosen, Darkness surrounds them - though they summon forth a Keyblade, which is described to them as being "...the power of Light meant to drive away Darkness". The player is enveloped in light and suddenly finds themselves in Daybreak Town. Upon the player's arrival, a massive Corridor of Darkness opens, releasing a Darkside Heartless into Daybreak Town. Although the player summons their Keyblade to defend themselves, they are easily overcome by the large Heartless. Before the Heartless can finish them off, the player is saved by their respective Foreteller; who forces the Darkside back into the Corridor of Darkness and follows it in order to destroy it.”

                So, as you see, there’s a lot of content, but because it’s so spread out it comes in increments. When you go to a new world it feels more like this:

See random character from random world.

“Oh hey stranger who I’ve never met before, I’d hate to be a bother but will you help me out by defeating all the Heartless that are popping up around here? Thanks.”

                That’s pretty much it. Every once in a while Chirithy will tell you something important like “The experience you’re collecting is actually light from Kingdom Hearts” or “Hey, the reason the Darkball Heartless are so damn hard is because you get to go to a new world.” I may have been paraphrasing there, but you get the point. As I said, the story is very stretched out, and often it is hard to remember everything that’s happened. All you really need to know though is that, darkness is spreading throughout the world, and it’s up to you to keep it at bay.

Worlds

As of now there are only about five worlds you go to. The first, and seemingly hub world, is a new world created for this game. It is called Daybreak Town. Anyone familiar with the “Kingdom Hearts” games will feel an uncanny resemblance to Twilight or Traverse Town here. There is a small, yet welcome, familiarity in these places. The main difference in this town is, as the name suggests, day. The name suggests a kind of hope which will likely be present in the next “Kingdom Hearts” game. It could also be a metaphor for the fact that the game is an encyclopedia of the first keyblade wielders, hence the name could represent the “dawn” of the keyblade era. That doesn’t mean that it’s not also a metaphor for the next game. Knowing Nomura San it’s probably a bit of both. Anyway, the story of this level takes place after a scene with Chirithy. It tells you to explore for a while. After fending off some Heartless Chirithy tells you that there are other worlds that need your help. You come back here several times, moving between worlds. As stated above, this world acts as a hub for the story of the game. Anytime Chirithy needs to figure something out (like why there are so many Heartless around) it takes you here. There is also a time in the game when he tells you about the light. All he tells you is that you have to collect it in order to fend off the darkness. It’s not that I didn’t like the scene, but it felt unnecessary. It’s like telling someone to turn on a light before they enter the room or else you won’t be able to see. Whatever, I’m sure it will make more sense as the story progresses. I’m not even half way to level 200 and they’ve added more stories for every world at this point.  

Wonderland is the next world you enter. Or is it Aghriba? Wait, Maybe it’s the Dwarf

Woodlands. I can’t remember. You travel between these worlds so often that, by the time you get to level 20 you won’t remember which world came first. I could, of course, look it up, but let’s be honest here, does it really matter? As I stated above, the story within these worlds, while it exists, isn’t really important. Take Agriba for example. You see Aladdin and Abu fighting a Heartless. The Heartless takes Abu just as you arrive. In the next minute, you meet Aladdin and he asks for your help. That’s it. You spend the next four chapters or so fighting Heartless to get Abu back. Of course the story doesn’t end there. You don’t find Abu right away. There are several instances where you come back. At one point you are helping the guards looking for Aladdin because they think he stole something. So, as you can see, it’s really just you helping others.

                A similar story can be said for Wonderland. You traverse through the area helping Alice find the white rabbit. That’s all I know. She sees him now and again and gives chase but as for why she needs to find him, or what she will do when she does; that’s still up in the air. Maybe as I get further into the game it will reveal more.

                The Dwarf Woodlands is even more similar. There, you are helping the dwarves reunite and, I assume, eventually Snow White will show up. I know this because I saw it in the intro of the game. This brings up an odd paradox though. In the images shown as the game starts there is a spoiler of the Prince kissing Snow White. Now that in itself may not seem like much but that same scene occurred in “Birth by Sleep”. This game is supposed to take place before that game so does that mean it happened twice? Or could it be that the game will explain how it was in both games? Maybe it’s just a very large plot-hole. I guess I’ll have to wait and see.

                You will find yourself going back and forth through Daybreak Town and these three levels a whole lot.  That’s not to say it’s a bad thing, but you do revisit many of the same places. It’s not until you reach level 130 when a new world opens up to you. The world is the world of the Coliseum. Naturally, there is a tournament going to be held there. You train with Phil when (an older Herc) gives up his ticket so you can take his place. This is another one of those plot holes considering that in “Birth by Sleep” Herc was still a scrawny teen.  But, this is me assuming Square knows what they are doing and giving them the benefit of the doubt. I know Square would never do anything to intentionally displease its fans. (Don’t make me a liar Square). Also, via the spoilers from the intro Hades arrives here, so that’s at least one “Disney” villain.

Game play

                The game utilizes the touch screen on your phone or mobile device. Despite that, it feels very much like a “Kingdom Hearts” game. Square did a great job of making it feel right. You can use your finger to run, jump, walk, open chests, and fight. The worlds, while you tend to visit the same places, make you want to explore them if only to collect items that allow you to level up your keyblade. To fight you tap the screen, or swipe if there are multiple enemies. As you fight you collect these orange star orbs that I’m sure have a name. Collecting these orbs allows you to perform special moves. Think Sonic Blade or Ars Arcam from the first game. These moves come in exceptionally handy on the harder enemies.

                Speaking of harder enemies, every five levels you complete you are greeted by an old friend. And by old friend I mean a Raid Boss. These guys start out fairly easy, but the more you play the harder they become. It’s both fun and frustrating; especially considering that these guys can kill you in a single blow. The trick, aside from playing the game less, is to stun them. Doing so will allow you to fight without remorse. You’ve got to be prepared though. Go in there with the wrong keyblade equipped and you’re as good as gone. What I really like about these battles is that they are all enemies from the first game. The first one I fought was the Behemoth. I was so happy. I want them back in “Kingdom Hearts 3” SQUARE! I love Behemoths. They were the most fun enemy to fight in the first game. Darkside came next. I like fighting him even though he has been in almost every game. I still think it’s Sora’s Heartless. Hell, that’s what I was called in “Re:Coded”. You probably didn’t notice though, being so light headed after bashing your head against a wall. I know I was. Anyway, there’s an Opposite/ Guard Armor and, yes, even a Trickmaster. The game seems to cycle through these four enemies, which is fine.

                The game play is more of a turn based style here, like the “Final Fantasy” games but many of the enemies can be destroyed in a single turn. Some of them, such as the Morning Star Heartless, cannot. I wasn’t sure how I’d like a turn based system but it turned out pretty good. The game doesn’t have to whisk you away to some far off land so that you can fight the enemies. Instead, it lets you fight them right where you are. All you have to do is engage. That’s, honestly, one of the things I liked about “Final Fantasy XII”. You didn’t have to wait for the battle to load. You fought the enemies then and there.

                Now, in order to fight you have to equip a keyblade, duh. However, these keyblades work a bit different. Just because you have one equipped doesn’t mean you can use it. If you want to use the keyblade you have to equip medals also. Medals are, essentially, collectables. They can feature pretty much anyone from the “Kingdom Hearts” franchise. There are four types:

Red: These are strength medals. They are usually very powerful attacks.

Green: are speed medals. They are much faster than red, though not as strong.

Blue: are magic medals. They are good against stronger.

Gray: are used for leveling up.

With the obvious acceptation of gray meals, each of the other colors are used in battle. As you fight, the game will tell you what medal your enemy is. Should you prepare for battle correctly, your medal will over power your enemy. Red over powers Green over powers Blue over powers Red. The game does a good job of letting you know what you’ll need before battle. Just because it tells you though, doesn’t mean it won’t throw in an enemy with a different color just to surprise you.  The game will allow you to attach five medals to a keyblade, adding one extra medal from another player (more on this below).

                The medal’s aren’t just used for fighting through. You can sacrifice any color medal to level up another medal. Say you have a blue Riku medal and fifty green Dewy medals. Want to sacrifice all fifty Dewy medals to make the Riku medal stronger? Go for it! The game is pretty lenient on what you can sacrifice. Now, there are some medals you don’t really want to sacrifice if you can help it. The fairies from “Sleeping Beauty” for example, can be used to “evolve” your medals. What does that mean? Your medals come in three different types:

Copper Medals are generally weaker but level up much faster than the others.

Silver Medals are a bit stronger and take a while longer to level up.

Gold Medals are the strongest and take a hell of a time to level up.

There may be platinum medals but I don’t want to think about that. Most of the medals only need a gray “material” to level them up. There are only a few medals that require a red, green, or blue to evolve them.

                Once you have your medals equipped you are ready. But, before you fight the game offers you a little extra help. At the beginning of the game you are given a choice “Kingdom Hearts 1” style which asks you what party you want to be in. You can change the party to whichever you like, and whatever party you are in will offer you help. If you have “joined a group” then you will receive help from only members of that group. If you have not joined a group then you get to choose from a vast number of people playing. That sounds like a better deal, but there is a catch. In a group, if you are having trouble with a Raid Boss you can call upon your friends to help you. This is especially helpful when the bosses reach higher levels.

                The last game play mechanic in the game is more of about customization. It works similarly to “Final Fantasy X”’s sphere grid. The game offers you several outfits as a way to make your avatar stand out. In order to collect these outfits you have to collect avatar coins. Once you have enough coins you can tap on an outfit and it will take you to a “sphere grid” to allow you to exchange your coins. You spend your coins on Health, Defense, Strength, and eventually, outfits. Not only does this allow you to grow stronger, but it allows you to keep your character looking fresh. It’s a great way to pass the time.

Game Design

                The game looks very good. I had assumed, when I first heard about it, that Square wasn’t going to put that much time into it, considering, you know, that they were busy making remakes of games that really don’t deserve remakes. At any rate, I was wrong. The game looks fantastic. The backgrounds especially are very impressive. The avatars and other NPC’s look good as well. Even the music will feel familiar if you have played any of the other games. The outfits mentioned above are riddled with detail. There is only one “new” keyblade, called the Starlight key. That’s the one you start out with in the game. The others are all replicas of keyblades Sora had in the first game. The cool thing about them though, is that you can level them up and change the way they look. For example: The starlight key starts out silver. As you level it up it grows stronger. Once you are able to add oracahlcum (A rare item) the key turns from silver to gold. It’s subtle things like that I appreciate. It means, to me, that the people who made the game put a lot of thought into it. They didn’t just say “We know that everyone wants Kingdom Hearts 3, but we’re busy and can’t be bothered so instead we are just going to put out some game with the Kingdom Hearts name that isn’t very good but we know the fans will buy it anyway because it says Kingdom Hearts on the cover.” (See “Kingdom Hearts: ReCoded” game). Unchained X is a surprisingly fun game, and a great way to pass the time until “Kingdom Hearts 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue Black Cover We Just Keep Giving These Things Weirder Names” comes out. With any luck Square will keep it going long after Kingdom Hearts 3, assuming there is a game after 3. Nomura has specifically said this is the end of the Xehanort Saga. That may mean that a new villain will take his place. I guess we’ll just have to wait until the secret movie comes out at the end of the 3^rd game.

Music

                Again, I thought the game was going to be half-ass. The music was no exception.  Sometimes it’s a relief being wrong. The music is great. Square spared no expense for this game and it’s free. They didn’t have to make it sound great or look good, but they did. I appreciate that they care enough to go all out for a game like this. Now if only they would remake “Final Fantasy VI” in the glorious hd that it deserves. I digress, the music in the game is great. What I like most about it is that there is no “Simple and Clean” or “Passion” in it. Don’t get me wrong, the songs are great, but how many “Kingdom Hearts” games do they really have to be in? They are getting a bit old to me, and I imagine that I’ll have to listen to at least one of them before the end of “Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance”. So yeah, I’m just sick of hearing the same song over. It’s kind of like when you sort of like a song on the radio until the station plays it every hour on the hour, beating you over the head with it until you either love the song or hate it with such a passion that your ears explode every time you hear it, or any song like it.

Conclusion

                This game is a great way to pass the time until the next “true” installment comes out. What’s more, is that so far Square has done a great job of adding content so that it never feels stale. I hope they continue to add content and worlds even after the next game has come out. Speaking of next game, it’s supposed to come out this year December 2016. I am excited for it, as I didn’t want to buy a 3ds for it. Of course, now I have to buy an even more expensive ps4 for it, so there’s that. Fortunately, there are already several games I want and still more coming. As for this game, I will try to update this as I progress but, unless something significant happens, like I meet a new character, or the story changes drastically, I probably won’t update. There are over 200 levels so something is bound to happen. I guess we’ll see.
Updates
So, something happened that I wasn't expecting. The game offered a new level. While this

isn't uncommon in a game that keeps on updating, it is significant in that it was entirely new. Most of the updates (even when Square did the Jungle Book update) were simply rehashes of other levels. In the case of the Jungle Book, they took part of the Dwarf Woodlands. It already felt somewhat like a jungle, so they didn't really need to do anything new. This has happened a few times now. That being said, Square recently went above and beyond what was expected. They added a "Beast's Castle" level, not for the main story of the game mind you, but as a temporary level. The fact that they went out of their way for a level that they knew would only be temporary is a plus in my opinion. Keep it up Square.

I haven't been playing this game for a long time. I got to a required section of the Coliseum and quit. The game was throwing enemies at me that were beyond hard. I had to fight one in the underworld that I literally spent 24hrs on and had barely gotten it's health to half way, so I said fuck it and gave up. However, with Kingdom Hearts 3 (now out) I wanted to go back to the game. There have been some welcome changes, specifically, a change that lets you massacre enemies. It takes some of the challenge away from the fights, but for me, destroying that boss that had made me give up on the game was a welcome sight. Honestly, I don't really play Kingdom Hearts for the difficulty. If I play it on difficult, it's usually just so I can get the secret endings easier. When I want a difficult game I turn to DMC or NG for that.
But, yeah, so I'm playing again. Hopefully I'll keep this updated but we'll see. As for story updates, My character just met another keyblade wielder named Ephimer, and is joining him to sneak into the chamber where the foretellers meet. Finally got past that last part. Went to a bunch of worlds I didn't care about, and now and finally caught up on the story. So in a nut shell, Keyblade War happened, Character died, heart transplanted into computer, life was good until computer started glitching. Wreck it Ralph world. That's as far as the game goes currently. I've got to say, getting there doesn't really feel worth it. Neither does having to fight your way through everything especially as the enemies just keep getting stronger and your deck just seems to keep getting worse. Whatever I'm caught up. Don't think I'll end up staying that way in all honesty.

Prince of Persia Warrior Within

“You were supposed to die.”

                Prince of Persia the Sands of Time was well known for its, great sound, great game play, unique story progression and for its Persian inspired themes. So, naturally, when thinking about a sequel there was only one thing that could make a great game even better: GodSmack. I’ll just let that sink in. Oddly enough the song seems to work with the darker tone of the game but it still feels strange to have it play in the game, and it does play. After the first few times, however, it just becomes background music, and when you hear it, you know you better start moving.

                There are a few things this game does right and a whole lot it doesn’t. As the sequel to one of the greatest games in history there are bound to be a few hiccups. One of the first things you’ll notice upon playing the game is that the enemies speak. This is fine and all but when they only have three lines to choose from they get old very fast. One of the more aggravating enemies in the game even exclaims “The pain is exquisite,” as you slice her in half. Really though, developers, if you are going to pay to have someone say lines, then have them make up some as they go along. Don’t just give them six lines to say and call it a day. I mean really tell me this isn’t annoying:

“He’s the one the Empress wants dead.”

“Help me with this.”

“Send for reinforcements.”

“He’s the one the Empress wants dead.”

“Help me with this.”

“Send for reinforcements.”

“He’s the one the Empress wants dead.”

“Help me with this.”

“Send for reinforcements.”

“He’s the one the Empress wants dead.”

“Help me with this.”

“Send for reinforcements.”

“He’s the one the Empress wants dead.”

“Help me with this.”

“Send for reinforcements.”

I think you get the picture. Before we get into the other aspects of the game let’s introduce the characters. There are five people to watch out for this time, as opposed to the first game, where there were only three.

 

Characters

The first of these characters is the Prince, pictured above, voiced in this game by Robin Atkins Down (Luxard in “Kingdom Hearts 2”), who is a much more hardened character. The game proves it by having him call someone a “bitch” in the first five minutes of the game. It also likes to remind you by having him scream out at random for random reasons. It kind of makes him sound as if he is constipated. This may be the case though, as the Prince is being chased by a creature known as the Dahaka. This beast won’t let him sleep, it won’t let him eat, or bathe, or even stop long enough to use the restroom. Also conspicuously absent from this game is the companionship. In the first game he had Farah to talk to while solving puzzles. Even when he was alone he talked to himself about what Farah had said or done. In this game the Prince just yells “Next” at enemies even if he is nowhere near defeating them. When he is solving puzzles the most you’ll get out of him is screaming. As you face the Empress mid game he says to her “I’ve been thinking . . .” every time I see that scene I wonder at what point he stopped screaming at nothing and when he started thinking and why I did not hear anything about his proposal until this moment.

Shadee voiced by Alicyn Packard is a dominatrix in the company of the Empress of Time. Why does the Empress need a dominatrix you ask? Well other than to kill the prince, Shadee also acts as a conscience to the Empress of Time. Naturally of course, the Empress does not listen and proceeds to try and defy her fate. In the end, Shadee turns on the Empress of Time and it’s up to the Prince to try and save by killing the Shadee. She has a brief moment later in the game but it is short lived. After she’s dead, if you return to certain areas of the game you cans still hear her ghost calling out for your head. It’s a neat affect that I’m fairly certain was also just lazy development.

Dahaka, voiced by Richard Dumont, is the monster that keeps the Prince constipated at all times. He makes it his life mission, in fact. This thing shows up at random times throughout the game and chases you down hallways. If you fuck up or move in the wrong direction, even for a second, you are dead. Interestingly though, when he does speak you cannot understand a thing he says. That is because he speaks in reverse. If you rewind time after you hear him speak you can hear what he says. For those of you who really want to know here, just imagine the song in the background as “I Stand Alone” by Godsmack. Now, as it turns out, this beast has one weakness, water. How a beast “created” by the Sands of Time in order to make sure that the timeline remains exactly how it’s supposed to be has a weakness to water is beyond me. The reason for this is, most likely, so you can kill him in the” true” end.

Kailina a.k.a the Empress of Time voiced by Monica Belucci knows she is going to die, having seen it in the time line. She decides, like the Prince, that she doesn’t want to die, and so tries to change her fate. That is, perhaps, why the Prince is so fond of her. So much so, in fact, that at the end of the game he saves her from the Dahaka and sail off to Persia where her and the Prince “share a vision” while going at it. Monica Belucci does a splendid job of making the character sound, somewhat of Persian descent. She is the only one though. While I can’t speak for the Dahaka, the Prince, Shadee and all the other inhabitants are American.  Actually, the prince is British, but same thing really. I suppose since this game takes place on the Island of Time it could be anywhere. Honestly, as much as I complain about it, I like the voice acting. It just gets irksome when you have to hear the same thing all the time. That and the producer’s decision to have the Prince yell and scream at nothing. But I digress. I have no qualms with this game really.

The last of the characters in the game doesn’t really have any speaking parts, so I’ll put him in further down.

 

Story

The story is fairly simple. The Prince, after releasing the Sands of Time in the first game, was supposed to die. Oddly enough there are several clues to this in the first game. Obviously, the Prince escaped his fate, so now; he is being hunted by a giant monster with only one purpose. Kill the Prince. In a moment of respite from the beast the Prince visits a blind prophet who tells him about the Island of Time. The Prince sails there only to have his boat destroyed by Shadee. They fight and the Prince ends up on the shore of the island. Once there, he has to find his way to the Empress and

kill her.  Along the way he finds that he is not the only one seeking the sands. There is a black wraith that is following him. You learn why only after the Empress is dead.

Killing the Empress in the past releases fulfills the prophecy and releases the Sands of Time. The Prince realizes this when he meets the Dahaka after Kileena’s death. In running, he comes across a tomb, presumably his own tomb, the story isn’t clear, where he finds that there is a mask which will allow him to go back in time and try again (hence the fifth character, the Wraith). Now this is where the story splits off. In the original ending, the Prince tricks Kileena into coming to the present where he kills her and goes home. However, in the game there are spots to upgrade your health, provided you can get passed the dozens of traps that await you there. If you do managed to find all the health upgrades, and if you pick up the water sword in Kileena’s chambers, then you are treated to the “true” ending in which the Prince tricks Kileena into the present. She is then hunted by the Dahaka, because she doesn’t belong in the present time line. The Prince, with his water sword, defeats the monster, and the two of them sail away to Babylon. The problem with this ending is that it confused a lot of people. Many people, myself included, missed several of the health upgrade spots in the original play through, and so got the “other” ending. Fortunately, I read about the “true” ending and was able to locate many of the health upgrade areas and see both. Still, very confusing though.

 

Gameplay

This game plays much like the first with one major difference. The fighting doesn’t suck. It’s probably the best in the whole series. Now, that being said, the fighting still isn’t good. There are some things that the game does right, such as making different enemies susceptible do different moves so as not to make the fighting feel stale. Then, there are things the game does just to piss you off. Like throw an enemy on the wall that you have to attack while you are wall running or risk dying, using up all you sand, and having to start over. Those women characters especially, the ones who like pain, are the worst. Not to mention the exploding dog/ porcupines that won’t stop coming until you destroy whatever gate the game wants you to destroy. So, yeah, if not for the women and the exploding dog/ porcupines the game would have really great fighting mechanics. Alas, that that is not the case.

Then, you have the giant trolls. They aren’t completely, not fun to fight, but they are very irksome as well. Once you get onto their back you have to keep an eye out for their hands as they will try to grab you. Should they do so, they will likely throw you, more often than not, to your doom. Another thing you will notice is that the game has blood though you can turn it off if it’s not something you like.  My issue with the game is mostly due to the fighting. As mentioned above, there are several enemies that are just annoying as Hell. When you are fighting said annoying enemies you are usually fighting at least three at a time if not more. Often, the game will throw several groups of enemies at you. It can get very tedious very fast.

One thing that the first game was lacking was the appearance of boss fights. Well, this game amends that. Mind you there are only four in the game, but still, there are boss fights. The first and second are with Shadee. I count them as one because, well, nothing changes other than setting. The third fight is with Kileena.  The third is with some griffon creature after you get the mask. The final fight, depending on whether you acquired the water sword, is with Kileena, or the Dahaka. In all honesty, I kind of liked the fact that there weren’t boss fights in the first game. It made the game feel more like an upscale Ico. The Warrior Within, feels more like a failed attempt at a Ninja Gaiden game with a decent story (For more on this subject see Ninja Gaiden 3).

 

Game Design

One of the coolest aspects of the game is when you travel between present and past. There is a really great cut scene that shows the progression of leaves and vines as they begin to take over, or vis-versa. Of course, after seeing this scene for the fifth time, it becomes less impressive. Much of the game takes place between past and present as the Prince goes from area to area. Time portals allow you to get to places that are unreachable in the present. It’s a cool concept, accept for one thing. Most of the game takes place inside. There are a few scenes, specifically in the garden, where you are allowed outside. That is where the game really shines. The lighting affects in the first game were beautiful. I loved to just stand there and admire the scenery. The garden, unfortunately, is the only place where you can do that. The rest of the game takes place, mostly, within the confines of the Empress’s castle. Not to say that the castle isn’t beautiful in its own right, but let’s be honest, would you rather look at a beautiful landscape or a hallway with traps? As for the characters, they actually look quite good. The Prince’s constipation seems to have done wonders for his complexion.

To conclude

What can I say about this really? If you read my first PoP post you will remember the dungeon music that I said didn’t really fit the game. Well, it’s back. I guess it fits here with the darker tone of the game, but it’s unfortunate that it’s the only real music in the game. Sure, you’ll hear a lovely melody as you move through present and past, and you’ll hear “I Stand Alone” by Godsmack every time the Dahaka chases you (just the tune fortunately), but still, those are the only pieces of music that really stand out to me. I can’t recall any other piece of music in the entirety of the game.  It’s a shame, because the first game had such great music. Now, before I go onto the next game I would like to point out that there are more Prince of Persia games. A game called Prince of Persia Revelations and Prince of Persia Rival Swords. Revelations is Warrior Within, with, maybe, a few extra scenes thrown in. Rival Swords is the same thing as The Two Thrones, with extra content. That said, I am not going to do them. Unlike Kingdom Hearts, I cannot bring myself to torture myself. I had a hard enough time with this and the next game. I don’t need the pain of trying to play these games on a smaller screen. I did try Rival Swords and gave up something like halfway through the story when I was being chased by lava and got to a point where I couldn’t climb up anymore. That was enough for me. After that, I was fortunate enough to buy Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep. I need no other game for the psp than that.

Well that’s about it for this. On to the next game . . . . . . . . .

 

 

Pictures taken from prince of Persia wiki, I think. If it is your image and you know it, let me know so that I can give you credit.

 

 

 

 

               

Prince of Persia Sands of Time

“Most people think time is like a river, flowing swift and sure in one direction, but I have seen the face of time, and I can tell you, they are wrong.”

Back in 2003 Ubisoft set out to remake an old classic. The Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time was originally a side scrolling game in which the player had one minute to traverse through a dungeon and save a princess. This 3d remake of the game changed many aspects of the original for the better. The time limit was gone and the story became much more complex. One of the things it did, that I wish more games would try to do *cough* Kingdom Hearts *cough* is that it didn’t have to stop the whole game so that the player could watch the main character have an epiphany. Instead of stopping so the player could watch a beautifully rendered cut scene, most of the conversation was done in game, and what’s more, they managed not to make clues too obvious. Kingdom Hearts “GET UP ONTO THE HYDRA’S BACK” is a good example of what not to do. Interestingly, hearing the prince’s thoughts made him feel a bit more realistic. It also made for some great banter between the two main characters. In one part of the game the main character even expresses joy whilst moving down a pole. It’s amazing how much a simple act can make you forget that the characters aren’t real.

According to almost every top 10+ list on-line, this is one of the best games ever created. Many games owe some aspect of their existence to this game, though some more than others. So the question is what makes this game so great? Well much of it has to do with the . . .

Characters

While there are other people in the game such as King Shahraman, the Sultan of Azad, and an unseen warrior whose name is Rustav, two characters in the game. “Excuse me, did I say two? We were three.” -

Prince

Prince aka Cocolukia voiced by Yuri Lowenthal. This is the main character. He is never given a true name or ever asked, accept at the end, and even Cocolukia, I can assume, is not his real name. He is often described as having master sword fighting skills, which, let’s be honest, is not the case. He should be described as being extremely athletic. I will get into gameplay and fighting, later, but for now I’ll just say it’s not good. What is good is wall running, jumping, pole swinging and trap evading. The prince is also very comical, especially in the moments of the game when he is separated from his companion. It’s part of his charm though. Without those moments of him talking to himself the game would have felt very boring. See “Prince of Persia Warrior Within”. Another thing I would like to point out is that the Prince is Caucasian. Seeing as how the game is set in Persia, I don’t see how this possible. Not only is he Caucasian but he is British. This seems to be a recurring theme in movies and games. It’s as if the producers just think “Hey, this game is set in Persia, but let’s just use a British guy, no one will know the difference.” Whatever, it is what it is I suppose, and if you can get past that, the game is really fun.

Farah, played by Joanna Wasick, is the Prince’s companion. She is there in the background for much of the beginning but later, becomes a very helpful ally. The banter between her and the Prince throughout the game is beautiful. The way that they argue and talk and help each other is really what keeps the player engaged in the game. It reminds me a little bit of the game Ico only Farah is much more capable of protecting herself that Yorda. You do still need to look out for her though. If she dies it’s game over. Also, you want to be careful not to get to close to her during battle or she may put an arrow through you. Her voice actress, while not Persian, is something like a cross between Indian and British, which at least gives the ambiance of being of Persian.

And lastly, the Vizier voiced by Berry Dennen. This guy is seen a few times in the beginning of the game and a few times near the end. Even though he’s not present through the middle of the game, it is apparent that some, if not all, of the sand creatures are under his control. Even though the player barely sees him, his appearance makes you hate him just enough to want to kill him in the end. That’s enough for me. Sometimes the best villains are the ones that are evil for the sake of being evil. My only thing I don’t like about this voice actor is that he tends to whisper all his lines. This can be a major issue when there are no subtitles to the game. But, seeing as how he’s only seen, maybe five times in the whole game, it can be overlooked.

Story

                The story is told mostly in the first person by the prince. The Prince goes to war in some city in Persia where the sands of time rest. There, he discovers the dagger (and Sands) of time. He and his father take the sands of time and the dagger to the Maheraja in Azad, where the Vizier tricks the Prince into opening the sands. Everyone dies accept the prince, because he holds the dagger, the Vizier, because of his staff, and Farah, because of her amulet.

                As the prince and Farah travel together, eventually, they discover that some of the sand creatures are being manipulated. It’s not until they reach the Tower of Dawn, some 90% ways through the game, that they discover the Vizier. When the Vizier traps the Prince and Farah, she takes it upon herself to right the Prince’s wrong. She fails, and the Prince ends up doing it himself. In the end, the Prince returns the dagger to Farah back in her own castle, where the story starts. The Vizier shows up and ruins everything until the Prince kills him. That’s it, end of story. It sounds tedious, and in a way, it is. As stated above. This game is like Ico in style, but, honestly, a little more believable. When the end comes, and tragedy strikes, you feel sad. One of the things about Ico that didn’t really feel real was the lack of conversation between the two characters. The fighting, though, is far more enjoyable in Ico than it is in Prince of Persia.

Game play

That, of course brings me to the game. It is truly at its best when you are solving puzzles (aside from that horrible platform/ beam puzzle) and dodging traps. What’s even more fun is if you fall, or die in battle, or are too slow to get to a door before it closes, you can rewind time and try again. It is a beautiful, yet simple concept. Honestly, I’m surprised more games haven’t found a way to implement more of the things that came from this game. There is one thing, however, that this game could have done better. That is the fighting. It’s just horrible. Once you realize you can just wall launch most enemies to death that will become your favorite move; that is until you get the really awesome sword at the end of the game, but that’s if you can make it that far. The really unfortunate thing is about the game is that there is far more fighting than puzzle solving. While you can escape some of the fights easily enough you miss a save opportunity if you do. They only appear once an area has been cleared.  This means that if you die before you make it to the next save you are royally fucked. Too bad there’s no way to fast forward time to the spot where you died.

Should you fall in battle, then heaven help you.  As soon as you fall down enemies surround you. You can try to block, and you can try to get up, but no matter how much you try, the enemies will knock you back down. You can use up all the sands of time just trying to get back up, but even that will not work. It’s really very monotonous. The only respite is that there are checkpoints within the game, so you at least don’t have to start over from where you last saved, but it is still very tedious. Even as you find ways to extend the health bar in the game, you WILL spend most of the game with very little health. Oh, and fuck those damn birds.

Design

                I’ll be brief with the graphics but, holly shit! The graphics in this game are just wow. For being a PS2 game it’s amazing how this game can still hold up graphics wise, today. In the cut scenes, one of the things that I like, is that the characters aren’t extremely beautiful like they are in Japanese games *cough* Final Fantasy *cough* they have flaws. The prince becomes battle damaged throughout the game. The Vizier is just ugly. Ubisoft wasn’t trying to make beautiful characters. People have flaws. I feel like the fact that the characters don’t have creamy smooth skin helps to make this game even more realistic. Also, the animation in the fabrics is just mind blowing.

Sound and Music

                The sound and music of the game are just beautiful. There are subtle little noises all over the place, like when the Prince’s hands grab onto a ledge, or even when he runs along a wall. It might be one of the best games, sound wise, I have ever had the pleasure of playing. The music, for the most part is wonderful. Most of it, as it should, has a Middle Eastern vibe. The music just fits. Now I say “most” because the game has one piece of music that feels very weird. It is when you enter a prison. The music goes from being Middle Eastern to heavy guitar riffs and pounding drums. This is amended a bit when the words start, which is some kind of Middle Eastern sounding chant, but it still feels a little strange.

                There’s really nothing more I can say about the game other than maybe a few secrets. Whilst playing the game you can find the original Prince of Persia game hidden behind a wall. And at the beginning of the game there is a secret code you can put in and be transported to a dungeon inspired by the original classic game. It’s really cool that they added them in there. Ubisoft certainly didn’t have to. It’s nice when companies do things simply for the sake of fan service. Like re-making Final Fantasy VII. Square better not change a damn thing in that game. Just update the graphics to make it pretty that’s all you have to do Square, that’s all.

                I guess I’ve got to go and play the other games now. Yeah . . .

Most pictures taken from ign.com the last one was taken from somewhere else. If it is yours, please let me know and I will give you credit.