Revered on home consoles, the
resurrected Prince of Persia series was a critical success. The control over the
lead character was incredible, simple to perform, and incredible to watch. Bringing
problems was the camera, and now in 2-D on cell phones, this sequel translation is a mild
success, hampered by a convoluted control scheme that leads to unnecessary death and
aggravation. Even though it's on a small cell phone, the game maintains the look and feel the series is known for. The environments recall classic locales, and the hazards bring back memories of instant deaths. That's what made the series more of an underground hit, the relentless pitfalls and patience-required jumps frequently resulting in tossed controller.
They're still here in full force. Most are easy enough to navigate with a control scheme that takes away some of the movements from the player. It resembles the original Prince of Persia in this manner than the new series. Pressing a jump button will cover an entire chasm without worrying about a directional change. It's convenient, but only if there was a single jump button.
Instead of just letting players vault in the direction they're facing, the 1 and 3 keys dictate which way you're leaping. It's an unnecessary inclusion; one better served for combating multiple enemies than traversing levels which progress in every direction. It's too easy to be caught up in the visuals or a combat sequence and forget which jump button you need, only to end up in a bed of spikes. This goes for everything, including rope swinging and wall running.
Combat isn't fluid either. However, it's easy to get a hold of
and enjoy. Enemies only put up a small fight, and racking up a hit count is not a problem.
Memorization is imperative as foes pop out of the air. Birds are especially absurd,
sapping enough life away to kill in less than a second. It's not even enough to register
what actually did the player in. The extra arena mode turns this type of play into an
entirely new game of nothing but hacking away at the small selection of enemies.Numerous combinations and gore-absent fatalities are available to keep things fresh through this surprisingly long portable title. You can use the same basic combo the entire game and win, but you're only cheating yourself out of some special animation routines. Their ease of use (easier than jumping) only makes them more enjoyable.
While it's definitely mixed, players looking for a familiar die-then-repeat style of gameplay will like Warrior Within. Each new section is an extended puzzle, challenging your cell phone dialing dexterity with every leap. It's a struggle to grasp the controls (decent tutorial or not), and it's going to come down to your patience level if you continue or delete this one.
