Comments on: The Proposed Story Arcs for Prince of Persia

By: State of the Blog ‘09 | The Game Critique

State of the Blog ‘09 | The Game Critique — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 06:30:30 +0000

[...] over Prince of Persia than any other. A game I ostensibly disliked and felt insulted by, you can read here. My other game essays this year that I am proud of were on Beyond Good & Evil, again can [...]

By: The Swain

The Swain — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 22:16:44 +0000

Thank you for your comment. I have to say that for the logest time I debated on whether or not the Concubine or the Warrior should come last. There is a great case for both and I think this is a point where authorial intent would have been paramount to understanding the story. Does the creator want the focus to be on their relationship or on the theme of doing one’s duty?

I and others feel that epic end of the Warrior is better suited as a climax to the second act before confronting Ahriman. I can’t fault you for saying the Concubine comes last, it just it tells a slightly altered story, because it shifts the thematic focus. Like I said I would have preferred an author to make a decision.

By: Robyrt

Robyrt — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 19:19:14 +0000

An interesting analysis, but a lot more thorough than the one I went through. I agree that the open-world style of Prince of Persia works to the detriment of both story and gameplay, but here’s my thought process:

1. The Hunter must come first. He is the easiest to defeat in combat, the least thematically developed, and his introduction has a suspenseful “I think we’re being watched” scene that only makes sense if the Prince doesn’t know much about the land of the Ahura.

2. The Concubine should come last. The puzzles in her areas and her ability to reverse controls would frustrate newer players. Her dialogue refers to a developed relationship between the Prince and Elika which only makes sense after much of the world has been cleared. And the “top of the tower” scene is so good it shouldn’t be wasted early on.

3. The Warrior should come last. He is the toughest to defeat in combat. His storyline is only meaningful if you’ve been listening to Elika’s history lessons through the rest of the game. His ending sets up a tragic theme that nicely foreshadows the ending.

Based on these, I would put it like this: Hunter, Alchemist, Warrior, Concubine. I can’t fault you for switching Warrior and Concubine though.