Thursday 12 October, 2006

So I started playing this game, again, from the very beginning. The opening sequence normally wouldn't make sense the first time around, but since I've played before, I recognise the Prince running through the jungle and the princess waking in her bed. After this, the Prince begins telling his tale, narrating as if over a campfire. His tone keeps you hooked, wanting to know what comes next. The movie scene sets up a series of sword-fights b/w the prince and the defending guards. I quickly discover how incredibly agile he is. He can jump quite far as well as over his foe (falling with a lethal strike). He can even run along the wall for a short distance. To emphasize this, the game slows down the motion, as if in a movie, the first time you attempt each. This adds an interesting narrative quality to the game by using cinematic techniques that the average person would recognise and appreciate. It also reminds us that a story is unfolding, that I'm not just running around without purpose. The prince keeps talking about proving himself to his father by being the first to find a treasure vault, which gives us the sense of urgency to press on...

I've seen someone play this game and it looks really cool. I definitely do not have the skill to play it... this would be a hard game for me! It seemed like the game sets up alot of motivation for the character in the beginning to help the player understand them.

The game is actually fairly simple to play in practice, and the ability to rewind time makes up for a lot of the mistakes that would get you killed elsewhere. The challenge is usually finding a way to climb to the next area with the given terrain, rather than making difficult or perfectly timed jumps.

Peace,
-Squidget