We're starting a new series today I'll dedicate to the greats of old. It would serve as a directory on-chain, so we might never forget the titles that paved the way.

These games were my childhood. I remember playing Warrior Within on Hard mode for what it must've been a year. My child's mind struggled to comprehend how a game could be so difficult - "the most difficult game in the world!" I shouted atop the rooftops to anyone that would hear me: my 6th-grade classmates, mostly.

It's not the most difficult game in the world. 😂 It was damn hard at the time, with introducing mechanics that would ripple into today's gaming landscape. 💯

The predecessor to Assassin's Creed, and the daddy to a lot of action-adventure games of today. Let's take a thorough analysis of a forgotten legend in our storied history: Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time trilogy. 📣

I love these games with a passion. They were a vital part of my developmental years and I will not hide my bias. This is a gush-piece if you ain't about that life: get. 🖐

Ubisoft Montreal developed the trilogy. The studio that would go on to develop the Assassin's Creed series. I remember at the time hating the AC franchise for stealing my favorite studio from me... (All these years later I still somewhat do...) I knew that the Prince's days were numbered, and while there were a couple attempts to revive him - they failed. 😭

Ubisoft released the Sands of Time trilogy at a transitioning point for gaming. Developers had new toys to play with 🤖, they released tons of innovative games in the mid-'00s. Prince of Persia was one of the earlier entries in this cycle, and the bar it set was high. ❕

NOTE: Prince of Persia was a storied series before the first game in this trilogy was even a thought. It enjoyed success on many consoles, from the NES to Sega Saturn. The franchise was in limbo, however, until Ubisoft picked it up and send it to their studio over in Montreal to create a fresh and exciting franchise.

We'll begin with the series' namesake, the first game in the trilogy: The Sands of Time.

This is where we get introduced to our titular Prince. Prince with a capital P since he never gets a name. 😂

• The world grabbed gamers' attention everywhere. It was bold, magical, and fun;
• The protagonist was witty, charming, and incorrigible;
• The romantic interest was sassy, attractive, and tragic;
• The gameplay was smooth, calculating, and for the time - groundbreaking;

All the trademark mechanics of the series (figuratively speaking, mechanics should never be trademarked, and the recent trend of doing so is really disheartening) were established in this game. Namely: sand-time powers like reversing and slowing time; the acrobatic precise combo-based combat system; environmental puzzles; a vibrant, unique world. 😍

That last one became a point of contention with the second title. Although I argue, it brought an entirelextra dimensionon to the franchise.

The second game, Warrior Within, is substantially darker - a more apt choice of words would be edgier. And for my 12 y/o mind was the most badass thing imaginable. 😎

Godsmack sent me on a journey of angst, blood, and awesome (apparently Godsmack is a $#!% band??? Well nobody told me). So much so that I consider this game in my top 3 favorite games of all time.

When it was released though, audiences did not look kindly on the darker Prince 😨. Critics said the game was too much of a departure from its sunny palace halls. It seemed like a blatant attempt at superficially aging up the franchise. 😕

Ubisoft Montreal however, made their choices wisely, and with a plan: The Prince was older now, battle-hardened. He cussed when he thought and he had grown arrogant. Years of evading death had made him callus and unlikable. Fans felt betrayed but failed to understand the nuance of what the devs were doing. Ladies and gentlemen, this was one of the first times in gaming history that a protagonist got character development. 😱

The combat and platforming became much tighter making it much more responsive and fun to play. The camera is the only truly antiquated mechanic in this game 🤢 - it gives you a fixed angle to play in, and changes depending on the area. This drove me up the wall as most times you would just die from bad input.

I would love a remake of these games with a static, normal camera. 😊

The Two Thrones blends its predecessors magnificently. 😘 The Prince returns home, refreshed from his journey, filled with hope. But he is not the same, as all the shadows of the past come back to haunt him. Culminating in a well-told, satisfying story arc. 🤗

I love that the Dark Prince (a secondary playable character) is a direct response to the Prince's years of combat and hardship. ❤️

The story is told precisely and with striking confidence. The loose ends are all tied up, and they address all concerns. It's certainly campy but it's well-executed and knows what it is. // which is the most important thing when creating a product 💯

This game also tried to introduce new mechanics such as QuickTime events and carriage riding. And while these additional elements didn't exactly stick to the landing, they also didn't distract or hinder the player. They also added stealth elements, which I despised as a child, and now as an adult find equally baffling. Guess they were prepping for AC? eh

The finale was also shorter than the previous game, which for me at the time was a real bummer. To this day, I feel like this title was rushed. Ubisoft Montreal just wanted to get to their Assassin's Creed series... bastards... 😭😭😭

Almost every modern action-adventure game owes the Prince some respect. Oh, not to mention Ubisoft's biggest franchise to date, Assassin's Creed. (boooo)

Games like the new Tomb Raider series borrow heavily from the Prince's exploration system. While the Arkham games took its combat system and basically removed any semblance of tactics.

Also! Its movie adaptation ain't half bad either. It ain't good... but judging by the quality of adaptations we've gotten it's one of the better ones.

I just now finished writing this piece to find out I couldn't have picked a better title for the first entry in this series. What better way to commemoratethe the greats of gaming past than with a game about time travel. 😅

Shout-out to the 🍕PIZZA🍕 gang, 🤙 gang. 🤙 (gang)

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Have a great start to your week everyone! 🙌

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