Prince of Persia: Epilogue Hands-On
It ain't over till it's over.
February 18, 2009 - SPOILER WARNING: The Epilogue DLC takes place immediately after the events of Prince of Persia. While there won't be any story spoilers for the DLC, it's impossible to discuss the Epilogue without revealing major events from the Prince of Persia storyline.
The first, and possibly only, Prince of Persia downloadable episode begins with a slap. When last we saw the Prince, he was bringing Elika back to life at the cost of freeing Ahriman. Prince of Persia: Epilogue begins almost immediately after these events with Elika showing her displeasure at the Prince's decision. Elika's not just upset, she's devastated. The lively princess is now all doom and gloom. You'd think coming back to life would be everything a girl could want, but Elika is focused on the end of the world. What a Debbie Downer.
The basics of Prince of Persia remain in Epilogue. The focus is again on platforming, though there are several boss battles. The difference is that the acrobatic sequences are more complex than in the retail version of POP and more challenging. The four traps from POP are back, though the tremors are most prevalent. There are few sequences that don't involve the tremors (the balls of corruption rolling up and down the walls).
Unlike POP, which only required you to time the initial trap to successfully navigate an acrobatic sequence, Epilogue forces you to look ahead at other traps down the line. This comes at a cost to the fluidity from the retail version. There are many times where you'll need to pause on a pole to time out the next series of traps. Many of the tremors overlap the ledges you shimmy across, making these once safe hanging moments very dangerous. The sequences are longer, which means that one mistake will send you further back in the level than in the retail version. For anyone who complained that POP was way too easy, the layout of Epilogue will at least give you some challenge. No, it's still not "hard," but it's definitely no longer easy.
The power plates make a return in the Epilogue, but are no longer used as a way of keeping the Prince and Elika out of certain areas. The Underground Palace mixes up the powers a bit, but the majority of plates are for a new power called Energize. This new Elika ability temporarily rebuilds destroyed structures. This really is the best of both worlds as Elika's power creates new walls for the Prince to run across, adding more acrobatic challenges throughout.
Of course, Prince of Persia isn't just about platforming. Ahriman is on the loose and he's really pissed off. But he's not powerful enough to wipe out the Prince and Elika just yet. Instead, he sends Elika's corrupted daddy and a new enemy, the Shapeshifter, to finish the duo off. The Shapeshifter is going to look awfully familiar. That's because it's both the Hunter and the Warrior. Not since Faye Dunaway cried out, "She's my sister and my daughter" has a dual identity been so sinister. The Shapeshifter changes between the two throughout your battle. Remember that the Warrior can't be harmed by physical attacks, so this change in personas also forces a change in your tactics. You'll need to back the Warrior towards the edge of a platform, knock him back to force him to change into the Hunter, whom you can damage.
The good news is that you have a new attack to lean on. The Sprint attack is used by rapidly tapping the acrobatics button when you have some distance from an enemy and have full health. The Prince charges at the enemy and then a button prompt appears. Hit it quickly and you'll deliver a stunning blow to your enemy. But be careful, because the enemies in the Epilogue can also use this attack (and will frequently).
Prince of Persia: Epilogue isn't particularly long, but is a nice addendum to a great game. Look for it to be available for download on PS3 and Xbox 360 on February 26. Pricing has yet to be announced, but cross your fingers that this is $5.
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