Prince of Persia: The Fallen King
Encyclopedia
Prince of Persia: The Fallen King is a third-person action-adventure
video game developed by Ubisoft Casablanca. Released for the Nintendo DS
hand-held game console on December 2, 2008, the game is a spin-off
of the game Prince of Persia. The plot, taking place in ancient Persia, concerns the player character's role in a celestial battle between two gods; Ahriman
and Ormazd
. The player assumes the role of the Prince, and Zal, fighting Ahriman's forces with a variety of different physical and magical attacks. Prince of Persia: The Fallen King has received mixed reviews, with the most agreed-upon problem being the control scheme.
The main objective of the game is to collect four pieces to a magical seal which will banish the evil god Ahriman
from the region. The Nintendo DS
stylus
is used to maneuver the Prince by touching the touchscreen
. The stylus is used to move the Prince, to do acrobatic moves, in combat, and to use Zal's magic. As the Prince and Zal progress in their adventure, Zal becomes Corrupted at certain points, in which the Prince has to pursue and defeat him. Sometimes, after being defeated, Zal gains new powers. These powers allow him and the Prince to perform gradually more advanced platforming maneuvers.
Platforming is done by using the Nintendo DS stylus, and tapping the touchscreen in the direction the player wants the Prince to move. For example, if the player wants to run up a wall, and jump back onto a rope, the player must first tap up the wall, then tap the rope. Sometimes, platforming implements combat as well. Combat is also done using the Nintendo DS stylus. There are three combat options; a sword strike, which causes the Prince to swing his sword to damage enemies; a block move, where the Prince defends himself against enemies; and a magic power triggered by Zal that does no damage, but causes the enemy to recoil, pushing them back should the duo be overwhelmed.
is the dominant religion. In the City of the New Dawn, the recently-liberated primary antagonist of the game, the god Ahriman
, runs rampant and begins infecting the land. The game primarily focuses on the Prince character, and his companion, Zal, as the duo attempt to locate the king of the land, who they suspect can help stop Ahriman.
Later on, Zal reveals that the King was split in two by the Corruption: into a corrupted beast and into himself. The Ancestor, a character that had occasional helped the Prince and Zal, guides them to find a special power to save the city. This power then fuses the Prince and Zal into one being that preserves both Zal's powers and the Prince's acrobatics. Together they face and defeat the king's monstrous half. The defeat of the beast frees Zal from the Corruption, but also causes him to perish. The Prince then frees the land from the Corruption by reaching the city's seal. In the end, the Ancestor leaves a message of hope for the Prince, promising that, in time, an inner power would be revealed and new ally would be found.
, based on twenty-four reviews. The main gripe among reviewers seemed to be the control scheme. IGN
reviewer Matt Casamassina called the control scheme, "ultimately passable, even allowing for some fun moments... [but] not superior to traditional controls". Casamassina elaborated saying, "Indeed, I've found it to be less responsive and reliable on most occasions... not an issue with a button". 1UP reviewer Anthony Gallegos also criticized the control scheme, and lack of control options saying the controls were "more immediately intuitive... [but not] necessary". Gallegos elaborated further, stating that he would have appreciated the option for a D-pad controlled game.
Another criticism was the length of the game, with some reviewers citing that it was too lengthy. 1UP reviewer Gallegos said he enjoyed the game initially, but it quickly got old and began to "[feel] artificially long, as though a few good ideas were tossed into a random level-generator and then slapped together until a game of desirable length formed". He further admitted that "If the team behind The Fallen King had just made it a lot shorter and perhaps added some additional challenges, like time trials, it might have helped with the diminishing returns I felt from each successive level".
An aspect that was liked, however, by GameSpot
reviewer Carolyn Petit, was the Prince character. She proposed that he was, "a good deal more likable than ... in the console game". She also said that, "you ... get the sense that, despite his constant wisecracks, he's fighting for something he cares about deeply". IGN reviewer Casamassina, however, criticized the way the Prince was portrayed, saying, "[The] DS Prince ... just doesn't exude much visual charm", and that, "in contrast ... he's the worst looking iteration of the character since the franchise's reboot a generation ago".
Action-adventure game
An action-adventure game is a video game that combines elements of the adventure game genre with various action game elements. It is perhaps the broadest and most diverse genre in gaming, and can include many games which might better be categorized under narrow genres...
video game developed by Ubisoft Casablanca. Released for the Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
hand-held game console on December 2, 2008, the game is a spin-off
Spin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...
of the game Prince of Persia. The plot, taking place in ancient Persia, concerns the player character's role in a celestial battle between two gods; Ahriman
Angra Mainyu
Angra Mainyu is the Avestan-language name of Zoroastrianism's hypostasis of the "destructive spirit". The Middle Persian equivalent is Ahriman.-In Zoroaster's revelation:...
and Ormazd
Ahura Mazda
Ahura Mazdā is the Avestan name for a divinity of the Old Iranian religion who was proclaimed the uncreated God by Zoroaster, the founder of Zoroastrianism...
. The player assumes the role of the Prince, and Zal, fighting Ahriman's forces with a variety of different physical and magical attacks. Prince of Persia: The Fallen King has received mixed reviews, with the most agreed-upon problem being the control scheme.
Gameplay
Angra Mainyu
Angra Mainyu is the Avestan-language name of Zoroastrianism's hypostasis of the "destructive spirit". The Middle Persian equivalent is Ahriman.-In Zoroaster's revelation:...
from the region. The Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
stylus
Stylus (computing)
In computing, a stylus is a small pen-shaped instrument that is used to input commands to a computer screen, mobile device or graphics tablet...
is used to maneuver the Prince by touching the touchscreen
Touchscreen
A touchscreen is an electronic visual display that can detect the presence and location of a touch within the display area. The term generally refers to touching the display of the device with a finger or hand. Touchscreens can also sense other passive objects, such as a stylus...
. The stylus is used to move the Prince, to do acrobatic moves, in combat, and to use Zal's magic. As the Prince and Zal progress in their adventure, Zal becomes Corrupted at certain points, in which the Prince has to pursue and defeat him. Sometimes, after being defeated, Zal gains new powers. These powers allow him and the Prince to perform gradually more advanced platforming maneuvers.
Platforming is done by using the Nintendo DS stylus, and tapping the touchscreen in the direction the player wants the Prince to move. For example, if the player wants to run up a wall, and jump back onto a rope, the player must first tap up the wall, then tap the rope. Sometimes, platforming implements combat as well. Combat is also done using the Nintendo DS stylus. There are three combat options; a sword strike, which causes the Prince to swing his sword to damage enemies; a block move, where the Prince defends himself against enemies; and a magic power triggered by Zal that does no damage, but causes the enemy to recoil, pushing them back should the duo be overwhelmed.
Setting and characters
Prince of Persia: The Fallen King is set in ancient Persia, in a fictional city-state called the City of the New Dawn, where ZoroastrianismZoroastrianism
Zoroastrianism is a religion and philosophy based on the teachings of prophet Zoroaster and was formerly among the world's largest religions. It was probably founded some time before the 6th century BCE in Greater Iran.In Zoroastrianism, the Creator Ahura Mazda is all good, and no evil...
is the dominant religion. In the City of the New Dawn, the recently-liberated primary antagonist of the game, the god Ahriman
Angra Mainyu
Angra Mainyu is the Avestan-language name of Zoroastrianism's hypostasis of the "destructive spirit". The Middle Persian equivalent is Ahriman.-In Zoroaster's revelation:...
, runs rampant and begins infecting the land. The game primarily focuses on the Prince character, and his companion, Zal, as the duo attempt to locate the king of the land, who they suspect can help stop Ahriman.
Story
Following the events of Prince of Persia and Prince of Persia Epilogue, the story begins with the split of the Prince and Elika. While Elika stays with the Ahura, leading the resistance against Ahriman, the Prince departs in search of the king of The City of New Dawn, in the hope that he can summon Ormazd, due to his affinity for the remnants of Ormazd's power. But here, the Prince finds a new ally, Zal, who introduces himself as one of the king's Magi and teams up with Prince to save the City of New Dawn from corruption and ultimately stop Ahriman.Later on, Zal reveals that the King was split in two by the Corruption: into a corrupted beast and into himself. The Ancestor, a character that had occasional helped the Prince and Zal, guides them to find a special power to save the city. This power then fuses the Prince and Zal into one being that preserves both Zal's powers and the Prince's acrobatics. Together they face and defeat the king's monstrous half. The defeat of the beast frees Zal from the Corruption, but also causes him to perish. The Prince then frees the land from the Corruption by reaching the city's seal. In the end, the Ancestor leaves a message of hope for the Prince, promising that, in time, an inner power would be revealed and new ally would be found.
Reception
Prince of Persia: The Fallen King met modest reviews by critics, earning 64% on review-aggregating site MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, based on twenty-four reviews. The main gripe among reviewers seemed to be the control scheme. IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
reviewer Matt Casamassina called the control scheme, "ultimately passable, even allowing for some fun moments... [but] not superior to traditional controls". Casamassina elaborated saying, "Indeed, I've found it to be less responsive and reliable on most occasions... not an issue with a button". 1UP reviewer Anthony Gallegos also criticized the control scheme, and lack of control options saying the controls were "more immediately intuitive... [but not] necessary". Gallegos elaborated further, stating that he would have appreciated the option for a D-pad controlled game.
Another criticism was the length of the game, with some reviewers citing that it was too lengthy. 1UP reviewer Gallegos said he enjoyed the game initially, but it quickly got old and began to "[feel] artificially long, as though a few good ideas were tossed into a random level-generator and then slapped together until a game of desirable length formed". He further admitted that "If the team behind The Fallen King had just made it a lot shorter and perhaps added some additional challenges, like time trials, it might have helped with the diminishing returns I felt from each successive level".
An aspect that was liked, however, by GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
reviewer Carolyn Petit, was the Prince character. She proposed that he was, "a good deal more likable than ... in the console game". She also said that, "you ... get the sense that, despite his constant wisecracks, he's fighting for something he cares about deeply". IGN reviewer Casamassina, however, criticized the way the Prince was portrayed, saying, "[The] DS Prince ... just doesn't exude much visual charm", and that, "in contrast ... he's the worst looking iteration of the character since the franchise's reboot a generation ago".