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This article is about the entire Prince of Persia video game series. For the 1989 game, see Prince of Persia (1989). For the 2008 game, see Prince of Persia (2008). For the 2010 film, seePrince of Persia: The Sands of Time For the biblical phrase, see Territorial Spirit.
| Prince of Persia | |
|---|---|
 The logo for the 2008 Prince of Persia game. | |
| Developers | Brøderbund, Red Orb, Ubisoft, Pipeworks,Gameloft |
| Publishers | Brøderbund, TLC, Mattel, Ubisoft, SCEJ |
| First release | Prince of Persia October 3, 1989 |
| Latest release | Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands May 18, 2010 |
| Official website | Prince of Persia official site |
Prince of Persia is a video game franchise created by Jordan Mechner, originally developed for and released on the Apple II Computer in 1989. The original game and its first sequel were 2D platform games, but the series made the switch to three-dimensional following the release of Prince of Persia 3D in 1999.
Even though Mechner has been involved with the series in varying capacities throughout its history, the games themselves have been developed and published by several different companies. The first two games in the series, Prince of Persia and Prince of Persia 2: The Shadow and the Flame, were developed by Brøderbund. Prince of Persia 3D was developed by Red Orb Entertainment and published byThe Learning Company on PC, and developed by Avalanche Software and published by Mattel Interactive on Sega Dreamcast. French-based video game company Ubisoft began developing and publishing the series in 2003 with Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, and so far have been the most prolific of any company in bringing out new games in the series.
A film based on the series, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, was written by Mechner and released theatrically by Walt Disney Pictures in May 2010.[1]
Contents[hide] |
[edit]Games
[edit]Overview
Notes
- The Mac OS version of Prince of Persia is included as an unlockable bonus in the GameCube version of The Sands of Time.
- A port of Warrior Within.
- An upscaled re-release of the original Prince of Persia with new remade graphics.
- Mac OS version included as extra in the Wii game The Forgotten Sands, with a remapped control scheme.
- A port of The Two Thrones.
- The PS2 version of The Sands of Time includes the Mac OS version of Prince of Persia classic game as an unlockable bonus.
- The NTSC Xbox version of The Sands of Time include the Mac OS versions of both Prince of Persia and Prince of Persia 2 classic games as unlockable bonuses.
- The SNES version of Prince of Persia has slightly different level designs with enhanced graphics and 20 levels instead of the original 12, plus several "training" stages.
- HD remasters of The Sands of Time, Warrior Within and The Two Thrones are included in the Prince of Persia Trilogy collection on PS3.
[edit]Mobile games
There has been a number of Java ME mobile games developed by Gameloft, some based on older PC or console titles with 2D graphics and others loosely based on contemporary games but with 2D graphics and different gameplay due to technology constraints. Gameloft also developed some ports for both the iPhone and the iPad in 2010.[2]
| Year | Title | Platform |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Harem Adventures1 | Java ME |
| 2003 | The Sands of Time | Java ME |
| 2004 | Warrior Within | Java ME |
| 2005 | The Two Thrones | Java ME |
| 2007 | Prince of Persia Classic2 | Java ME |
| 2008 | Prince of Persia | Java ME |
| 2010 | The Forgotten Sands | Java ME |
| 2010 | Prince of Persia Retro3 | iOS |
| 2010 | Warrior Within4 | iOS |
Notes
- New game with graphics and gameplay based in the original 1989 game, but with different levels.
- Remake of the original 1989 game, with new graphics.
- Port of the Mac OS version of the original game, with the original levels and graphics, designed as a universal title for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad.[2]
- Port of the PS2 version of Warrior Within, with the same 3D graphics, with separate versions for iPhone[3] and iPad.[4]
[edit]Prince of Persia Trilogy
| [show]Prince of Persia Trilogy |
|---|
The Prince of Persia Trilogy (known as Prince of Persia Trilogy 3D on the remastered collection's title screen) is a collection of The Sands of Timetrilogy released on PlayStation 2 and subsequently on PlayStation 3 as part of the Classics HD range.[5] The collection includes The Sands of Time, Warrior Within and The Two Thrones, all previously released on sixth-generation video game consoles and Microsoft Windows. The games were remastered in HD for the PlayStation 3 with 3D and PlayStation Network Trophy support on one Blu-ray Disc. The PS2 collection was released on October 27, 2006 in Europe,[6] while the remastered collection was released on November 19, 2010 on Blu-ray in PAL regions. The release marks the first Classics HD title to not be published by Sony Computer Entertainment.
In North America the three games were originally released separately as downloadable only titles on the PlayStation Store. The first, The Sands of Time, was released on November 16, 2010 while the other two games followed in December 2010.[7] The Blu-ray version was to be released in North America on March 22, 2011[8] but the collection then ended up being delayed until April 19, 2011.
[edit]Stories
 | This section may contain original research. (May 2009) |
The Prince of Persia franchise has undergone several reworkings (reboots) and many different stories are told throughout the different games. However, they all share similar story elements. For example, all of the games are set in ancient Persia and they all feature a prince, who is adept at acrobatic feats while attempting to save the main plot element.
[edit]Original trilogy
[edit]The Sands of Time series
Main articles: Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, Prince of Persia: Warrior Within, Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones, and Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands
The Sands of Time trilogy, played out in three games between 2003 and 2005, keeps the common elements of an unnamed Prince, Vizier and Princess (Farah), and focuses rather on two critical elements, namely The Sands of Time and The Dagger of Time, both with elements of the concept of time travel. The Sands of Time have the power to infect and turn all forms of life into dangerous monsters, while the Dagger of Time has the power to slow down, stop and even reverse time. Time travel and its consequences feature both as gameplay and plot elements throughout the series, which is far more plot-focused than the earlier games. As well as the three games mentioned above, a tactics gamewas also released for the Nintendo DS, complementing Warrior Within, while another mainline game in the series, called The Forgotten Sands, was released in 2010.
[edit]Prince of Persia (2008)
Main article: Prince of Persia (2008 video game)
Prince of Persia (2008) is set in a mysterious land (the setting of which is largely based on aspects of the Zoroastrian religion[9]) in ancient Persia where the Prince found himself after getting lost in a fierce sandstorm. Following the sandstorm the prince meets Elika, a princess of the Ahura who is fleeing from soldiers. The prince helps Elika defeat her pursuers and follows her to a temple at the center of the kingdom. The pair meet Elika's father, who, it is revealed, commanded the soldiers to pursue Elika. Her father destroys the tree of life freeing the dark god Ahriman who spreads corruption on the land. Outside, Elika explains that they must heal all the Fertile Grounds in the kingdom in order to regain power and to stop Ahriman.
As the Prince and Elika travel the kingdom, healing the fertile lands as they go, Elika reveals that she had previously died. Her father, the Mourning King, could not handle his grief, and made a deal with Ahriman; Elika's life in return for his freedom. After cleansing the lands the duo return to the temple. Inside, the Prince and Elika must defeat the Mourning King and Ahriman. In order to do this, Elika transfers her own life to heal the tree. The Prince, driven by grief, destroys the tree of life, transferring its life force back to Elika, resurrecting her, but in doing so also fully releases Ahriman. The Prince carries Elika to the desert whilst the temple is destroyed and Ahriman escapes.
[edit]Future
Reported images of a possible future Prince of Persia reboot were posted in Ubisoft's official forums, these new images suggested that the franchise would possibly be changed to an Egypt setting.[10] However, Jordan Mechner has stated on his Twitter page that the screenshots are not related to a Prince of Persia project.[11]
[edit]Other media
[edit]Graphic novel
Main article: Prince of Persia: The Graphic Novel
Jordan Mechner finished writing the story for a graphic novel in 2007. The novel was written by A.B. Sina, and illustrated by Alex Puvilland and LeUyen Pham. It was released by First Second Books in autumn 2008.[12][13] The story follows two Princes, jumping to and from the 9th and 13th centuries. Although it belongs to the franchise the plot is not related to any of the game continuities or that of the 2010 film.[14]
[edit]Prince of Persia: Before the Sandstorm
"Before the Sandstorm" is a 2010 one-shot comic book that serves as a direct prequel to the feature film and thus explains the motives and backgrounds of some characters. It was published by Disney press and written by Jordan Mechner with illustrations by Todd Mcfarlane, Nico Henrichon, David Lopez and Bernard Chang.
[edit]Lego Prince of Persia
Main article: Lego Prince of Persia
[edit]Film adaptation
Main article: Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (film)
[edit]Recurring elements
[edit]The Prince's darker side
In both original 2D games and The Sands of Time trilogy the Prince encounters alternate forms of himself.
The Shadow is created in Prince of Persia when the Prince leaps through a magic mirror. The Shadow mimics the appearance of the Prince, but is clad in darker coloured clothes. It hinders the player's progress several times throughout the game, but in the end the Shadow and the Prince merge, becoming a single person once again. The Shadow returns in Prince of Persia 2: The Shadow and the Flame, but this time, rather than being a separate being which hinders the Prince's progress, the Prince can become the Shadow, abandoning his body to become an invisible ghost. The Shadow allows the Prince to retrieve a sacred blue flame from a temple, as the Prince is killed by a guard. When the Shadow retrieves the blue flames, the Prince rises again, this time possessing the flames himself. During the end events of the game, the Prince takes the appearance of the Shadow again, using it to launch the sacred flame at Jaffar, killing him. The Shadow then merges again with the Prince, making no further appearances.
In Warrior Within the Prince encounters the "Sand Wraith", who is later revealed to be the Prince from the future, wearing the "Mask of the Wraith" - a powerful ancient artifact, which can be used to travel back in time to fix one's previous mistakes. The Sand Wraith has much improved time controlling abilities, but his health degrades over time. With the help of the Mask, the Prince manages to sacrifice himself from the past and change his fate.
In The Two Thrones the Prince is infected with the essence of the Sands of Time, which causes him to develop an evil alternate personality - The Dark Prince, which in turn is the evil side of him for the past seven years, which led to the events and the reason why Warrior Within is so brutal and bloody. The Dark Prince has some improved fighting and acrobatic skills, but his health also degrades over time, so he must regularly consume Sands of Time to remain alive. The Prince reverts back to his normal form by touching water. Sensing that his alternate personality is slowly taking him over, the Prince finally manages to overcome it and defeats his enemies on his own.
[edit]The Dagger of Time
The Dagger of Time is a powerful weapon, capable of allowing its wielder to harness the power of the Sands of Time, and manipulate time itself. If the wielder steps into a large concentration of the Sands of Time, the Dagger of Time will allow them a brief look into the future. The Dagger of Time also is capable of making its wielder immortal. If the wielder uses the weapon to harness the power of the Sands of Time, then impales themselves with the blade, it will embed the Sands of Time into that wielder, making them immortal. The Dagger of Time is also the "key" which opens the lock on the Hourglass of Time.
The Dagger of Time was created on the Island of Time for the ability of controlling the sands, as indicated by the Vizier in Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones, who expressed his feelings over finding it there. It was stolen from the Island of Time before the events of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time by the Maharajah of India, along with the Hourglass of Time, which contain the Sands of Time. The Prince uses the Dagger of Time to release the Sands of Time during the events of the game. This brings about a plague of sorts; only carriers of the artifacts of time avoid mutation, and the resulting monsters can also only be killed by the artifacts of time. At the end of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, the Prince uses the Dagger of Time to lock the Sands of Time back into the Hourglass of Time, reversing the events of the game. He then gives the Dagger of Time to the Maharajah's daughter, telling her to lock it in the Maharajah's treasure vaults.
It is revealed in the Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones that the Vizier is alive again, due to the Prince's manipulation of the time line. Upon searching the Island of Time, the Vizier once again finds the Dagger of Time . He kills the Maharajah of India, and uses his army to invade Babylon, the place where the Empress of Time will soon arrive. He uses it to kill Kaileena, releasing the Sands of Time, but then impales himself, which makes him immortal. During this transformation, the Prince retrieves the Dagger of Time once again. At the end of the game, the Prince uses the Dagger of Time to kill the Vizier. The freed Sands of Time form a physical manifestation of the spirit of Kaileena, who takes the Dagger of Time from the Prince, and destroys it, along with the Sands of Time.
[edit]Awards
The success of the Prince of Persia series resulted in Guinness World Records awarding the series 6 world records in the Guinness World Records: Gamer's Edition 2008.[citation needed]These records include, "First Motion-Capture Animation in a Video Game" and "Highest Rated Platformer on PS2 and Xbox".
[edit]In popular culture
Under his associated act, "The Classic" (더 클래식) in 1994, South Korean singer-songwriter Kim Kwang-Jin (김광진) released the song, Magic Castle (마법의 성) with lyrics inspired from the storyline of the original Prince of Persia.[15]
In 1992 Victor Pelevin wrote a book Prince of Gosplan which is greatly influenced by the game. The main hero of the book lives in a mixed reality of real world and computer games and identifies himself as Prince of Persia. He tries to understand if his life is real or is he just seeing it on a computer display.
[edit]See also
[edit]References
- ^ "Prince of Persia trailer released". The Independent (London). Retrieved 2011-03-15.
- ^ a b "'Prince of Persia Retro' Arrives on the App Store as a Universal App for a Dollar". touch arcade. Retrieved 2011-03-15.
- ^ "Prince of Persia: Warrior Within swinging onto iPhone". PocketGamer. Retrieved 2011-03-15.
- ^ "E3 2010: Prince of Persia: Warrior Within HD Preview". IGN. Retrieved 2011-03-15.
- ^ McWhertor, Michael (2010-09-25). "Mortal Kombat, Prince of Persia HD Collections Go 3D on PS3". Kotaku. Retrieved 2010-10-09.
- ^ "Prince of Persia Trilogy release information for PlayStation 2". GameFaqs. Retrieved June 16, 2012.
- ^ Jim Reilly (November 15, 2010). "Prince of Persia HD Titles Coming to North America". IGN. Retrieved November 14, 2010.
- ^ Mike Harradence (February 1, 2011). "Splinter Cell Trilogy sneaking into shops in late March". PSU.com. Retrieved February 1, 2011.
- ^ "Questions & Answers with Ben Mattes (Producer)". Kotaku.com. Retrieved 2011-03-15.
- ^ http://kotaku.com/5931994/first-look-at-a-brand-new-prince-of-persia-reboot
- ^ https://twitter.com/jmechner/status/237291802795843584
- ^ "Q&A: Mechner Talks Prince Of Persia Movie, XBLA Remake". Gamasutra. Retrieved 2011-03-15.
- ^ "Our Giant Guide To Video Game Comics". MTV.
- ^ "Creator Jordan Mechner Explains The 'Prince Of Persia' Universe, And Where The New Graphic Novel Sits". MTV. Retrieved 2011-03-15.
- ^ "Six years after the return of the musical landscape ..." (in Korean). Heraldbiz.
[edit]External links
- Prince of Persia at US.PlayStation.com
- Prince of Persia Official Game
- Prince of Persia Official Website
- Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time at Disney.com
- Prince of Persia Game
- Prince of Persia - Download for Commodore 64
- Source code for original game
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