Thought Overflow

Anybody who’s ever played video games should probably have heard of this title. The original “Prince of Persia” game, released in the late 1980′s set a benchmark for video games. Like I’ve said multiple times, the primary reason some games are memorable is that they focus on all the right things, and at the top of the list of right things is the gameplay. Prince of Persia differed from other games of its time in many ways. Firstly, unlike the characters in the other 2D left-right-top-bottom scrolling video games (think Dave or Duke Nukem), the prince could more than walk and jump. He could jump up to reach higher platforms and pull himself up, or slow down to a snail’s pace so as not to set of a spiky trap, etc. Also, unlike the other standard platformers and shooters that were released for the DOS at that time, POP offered challenges in terms of finding the right path and having to complete the entire game in less than an hour, a core gameplay feature that fit in with the story. If you’ve played the game, you’ll probably agree with me when I wonder what came first…the gameplay decision to impose the extremely challenging one hour time limit, or the story or the reason why it was implemented.

Perhaps this question can be answered by the creator of the game, a certain Mr. Jordan Mechner. In the twenty-first century (2003, to be precise), a new trilogy for Prince of Persia began with a game called Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. Obviously, the series had a lot to live up to. Since 1989, the original Prince of Persia has achieved legendary status and is often called one of the best games ever released for the PC. Jordan Mechner, the architect of the original trilogy, joined the developers of the game, initially as a consultant and later as a writer and game-designer. Needless to say, the game was a tremendously enjoyable affair. Its successor, Prince of Persia: Warrior Within, to which the only thing Jordan Mechner gave was permission to use his trademark, was, in my opinion, nowhere near as fun as Sands of Time. This is not to say, however, that anything Mechner touches is gold. Case in point is a game called “The Last Express“, which received some outstanding reviews for some of its gameplay concepts, but also wasn’t particularly successful due to certain shortcomings (which included glitches and some gameplay ideas that took away from some of the fun of the game). Anyway, I’m beginning to digress. Just in case you’re curious as to what goes on behind the scenes of the development of a wonderful video-game, here’s an article written by Jordan Mechner, which highlights the creative and technical decision making processes during the game’s development:

The Sands of Time: Crafting a Video Game Story

I have recently completed the second game in this current trilogy, Prince of Persia: Warrior Within, and am set to begin the final game in the trilogy, Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones. However, considering I have exams around the corner, I think I’m going to put it off for a couple of weeks. The primary reason for writing this post was just to highlight how much thought and passion goes into making video games, and how it pays off in the form of a game that is truly an immersive, magical journey.