Prince of Persia: Two Thrones

Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones is a video game developed and published by Ubisoft. It was released on November 30 2005 in North America for the Xbox, PC, PlayStation 2, and the GameCube. It is to be released in late 2006, early 2007 for PSP and the Nintendo Wii, under the title Prince of Persia: Rival Swords. Following Prince of Persia: Warrior Within, The Two Thrones is the third and final chapter of the Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time trilogy.

Plot summary

The Two Thrones follows the ending of Warrior Within in which the Prince kills the Dahaka and successfully alters Kaileena's (The Empress of Time) fate. While on a ship en route to his home city of Babylon, the Prince tosses the magical medallion overboard, as he no longer needs it. Promising Kaileena that no harm would come to her in Babylon, upon returning he is horrified to learn that his city has been ravaged by war. Additionally, his ship is attacked which results in both the Prince and Kaileena being thrown overboard, although Kaileena is taken prisoner after drifting ashore.

After fighting his way through the city to find her, the Prince realizes that as a result of his efforts on the Island of Time to prevent the Sands of Time from being created that the events of the original game never happened, and the Vizier was never killed. Worse, he now possesses the empty hourglass, the Dagger of Time, and the magical staff. The Vizier is now in search of the Sands of Time, and has captured the Empress of Time to get them. Just as the Prince finds Kaileena, the Vizier kills her, and unleashes the Sands of Time, which strike and mutate the Vizier's lieutenants into hideous sand monsters. Then, by impaling himself with the dagger, the Vizier transforms into a terrifying immortal winged creature. The Prince is also struck by the Sands of Time, although the effects on him are not revealed until later in the story. The unleashed Sands of Time cause the palace to fall apart and collapse. The Prince falls as the floors collapse around him, but not before stealing the Dagger of Time.

Later, the Prince finds that the sands of time have split him into two personalities: his usual self, which although flawed strives to be good and noble; and the "Dark Prince" who represents the more cruel, avaricious, and arrogant aspects of his psyche, and is manifested as a bitter and cynical inner voice. Whenever the Dark Prince is dominant - in the absence of water, and when he is able to feed on the Prince's fear and anger - the Prince assumes his dark, corrupted form, although his mind remains intact. In his natural state, the corruption of the sands is limited to a glowing sore on his wounded left arm (where the sands had fused a razor-sharp chain weapon known as the Daggertail into his flesh), although the Prince is alarmed to discover that the sore spreads further with each metamorphosis into the Dark Prince.

Meanwhile, the Vizier has transformed his army (and even some of the population of Babylon) into sand monsters. While searching for a way to defeat the Vizier, the Prince once again encounters Farah, who does not remember him, and is surprised that the Prince knows her name- as a result of all the Prince's time-travelling, the events of the first game (including the ending in which the Prince fought the Vizier in Farah's bedroom) never happened. Although initially wary of the Prince, she agrees to help him defeat the Vizier.

As they travel together, the Prince continues to endure the inner struggle between his noble aspirations (which resonate with the brave and compassionate Farah) and the Dark Prince, whose voice is a constant reminder of the Prince's darker tendencies. The Prince's growing affection for Farah compels him to embrace a more selfless perspective, beginning with concern for Farah and developing into compassion for his downtrodden people. As this begins to happen, he realizes that the Dark Prince, who claims to be part of him, is in fact a sand monster, who is vying for control of the Prince and his kingdom. A particularly heroic and selfless deed proves a turning point in his mission, as his heroism inspires a new hope in the populace. Their spirits lifted by the knowledge that their Prince fought to save them from the Vizier, they rise up in defiance of his army so that their Hero might stand a better chance. This provided enough of a diversion for the Prince and Farah to get through the horde of sand warriors guarding the palace.

As they approach the throne room, however, they are ambushed by the Vizier. He captures Farah and sends the Prince plummeting deep into a dry well, only to survive by transforming into the Dark Prince. As he goes further into the well, the Dark Prince's voice grows stronger and more hostile, fuelled by the lack of water and the Prince's desperation. He eventually comes across a dark room to find his father, King Sharaman, lifeless on the ground. Overcome with grief, taunted by the Dark Prince - "What now? Perform another Grand Rewind? Or perhaps go back to the Island and return to a time when he might be saved, maybe, rescue a damsel in distress along the way?" - the Prince recognises his own childishness, the immaturity underlying his constant efforts to undo his mistakes. He resolves never to walk down that path again, that he would accept the consequences of his actions. With this resolution, he silences the Dark Prince and reverts to his natural form - without water. Taking up his father's sword he makes his way up the tower to complete his mission.

Using the Dagger of Time and his father's sword, the Prince is able to defeat the Vizier and free Farah. With the Vizier's death, his army vanishes and Kaileena's soul is freed from his grotesque form. She thanks the Prince by cleansing him of his corruption and removing the daggertail, before leaving this world for another that more suited to her presence, taking the Dagger of Time with her. However, as the Prince leans down to reach for his father's crown, he is confronted by the form of a dark warrior who says to him, "All that is yours is rightfully mine, and mine it will be", as prophesied at the end of Warrior Within. Before the Prince's eyes, the dark warrior metamorphoses into the Dark Prince, who swings his Daggertail and draws the Prince into the mental realm where the two battle for control. With some help from the voice of Farah - "This place reeks of sadness and cruel intentions" - the Prince realizes that battling his inner demon only serves to feed it, and to trap himself within its realm. In the end he turns away and follows the voice of Farah up an ascending staircase leading to a bright cleansing light. Starved of anger, greed, and pride, the Dark Prince is finally defeated. The Prince, now free because his inner demon has been defeated, awakens back in the real world to Farah's warm embrace.

Veterans of The Sands of Time are then treated to a tribute and reference to the first game in the trilogy. As they look out over Babylon, Farah asks the Prince how he really knew her name. He then begins to tell her the story of the first game, using the same monologue as the introduction and ending of that game, bringing the trilogy full circle: "Most people think time is like a river, that flows swift and sure in one direction. But I have seen the face of time, and I can tell you, they are wrong. Time is an ocean in a storm. You may wonder who I really am and why I say this. Come, and I will tell you a tale like none you have ever heard... "

Gameplay

The Prince's acrobatic skills have improved. He is now able to launch himself off walls at 45 degree angles at strategically placed vertical shutters, slide down chutes, and balance on swinging poles, among other things.

The designers have also added a stealth system to the gameplay. In the past two games the player had to rely solely on open-surrounding, multi-enemy combat. The Two Thrones expands upon this by adding a speed-kill system, which allows the Prince to quickly and quietly kill any enemy not aware of his presence. If the player does not complete the speed kill, the enemy knocks them off and the speed kill fails. The amount of moves or the length of time required greatly depends on how strong the opponents are, with boss battles taking the most.

The Prince also develops a split personality, and this alter-ego constantly bickers with him about right and wrong. At times, the Prince physically transforms into the Dark Prince. These transformations are scripted and not controlled by the player. During these times, however, the player still has control over the character, and for the most part, the Prince's dark side is simply an inner voice.

When controlling the Dark Prince, the player loses the ability to wield a secondary weapon, instead using the "Daggertail," a bladed whip fused to his arm. This opens medium range combat moves (like pulling an enemy closer, then slashing them) and new interactions with the environment (such as swinging off poles to reach a ledge). The Dark Prince also constantly loses health as a result of the semi-transformation, much like the Sand Wraith from Warrior Within. He goes back to full health whenever he collects sand, from either a monster or object. Also, his Daggertail gives him a different button combination for speed kills, in which he strangles his victims. The Prince returns to normal after the player comes in contact with water.

Development and production

The developers of The Two Thrones stated that they were aiming to make the game an equal blend of Ubisoft's two previous Prince of Persia titles. The first game, The Sands of Time, was relatively light in mood, while the second, Warrior Within, was significantly more dark and grim.

Yuri Lowenthal was confirmed to reprise his role as the voice actor for the Prince. Yuri was also the voice actor for the Prince in The Sands of Time. The Dark Prince was voiced by Rick Miller. Stuart Chatwood, the composer from The Sands of Time and Inon Zur, the composers from Warrior Within, both returned to compose the game's score, which has been described as "having Persian influences, but being much more epic than Sands of Time".

Many official videos were released involving humor, such as the bloopers of the mechanics (in a pre-rendered format) and "real-life" training.

During development, the working title was Prince of Persia: Kindred Blades.

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