Android version of the classic platform game sequel
Prince of Persia Shadow & Flame is the sequel to the classic platform adventure game, Prince of Persia.
Ducking and diving in ancient Persia
Prince of Persia Shadow & Flame for Android is based on the 1993 game of the same name in which the Prince must flee the royal courts of the palace to escape the evil Jaffar. He then embarks on an adventure that takes him through strange lands where he encounters mythical bad guys at every turn.
The Android version of Prince of Persia Shadow & Flame is a high definition remake of the original, which follows the same storyline though some of the specific gameplay and puzzles differs from the levels in the original.\n
The gameplay of Prince of Persia Shadow & Flame will be instantly familiar to those who played the first game. The idea is to traverse each level by jumping platforms, avoiding booby traps, solving puzzles and slashing up enemies. It's great fun to play and there's lots of variety within the levels. Unlike the first Prince of Persia, bad guys often come in groups, making it more of a challenge to beat them all off.
There are things to collect in Prince of Persia Shadow & Flame, such as health potions and coins, which can be exchanged for items from the shop (weapons, combos and potions, for example).
There are 14 levels in total in Prince of Persia Shadow & Flame, set across five unique worlds. The game feels a bit easier from the original PC version, however, and the removal of some of the more challenging elements from certain levels makes it a tad easy. Still, to achieve 100% exploration on each level will take you plenty of time.
When you die you can choose to play from the beginning of the level or revive yourself from the last checkpoint. Be warned that you only have a given number of revives, after which time you'll need to pay to have more.
Choose your control system
There are two different control systems in Prince of Persia Shadow & Flame giving you the choice between touch gestures or an on-screen joystick with action buttons. Personally, we found the gesture system more fiddly than using the joystick, but it's good there's an option for both so you can work out which method is best for you.
The combat system works pretty well and it's possible to pull off some impressive combos if you're nimbled-fingered.
Bringing Persia to life
The visuals in Prince of Persia Shadow & Flame are excellent and are a significant improvement on Prince of Persia Classic for Android. The classic motion-captured animation of the Prince is used to great effect and the backgrounds and scenarys look gorgeous.
The sound effects are crisp and realistic, and help to lift the atmosphere of the game even further, as does the Middle Eastern-themed incidental music in Prince of Persia Shadow & Flame .
The verdict
Prince of Persia Shadow & Flame is a high quality remake of a great game. Some of the slight gameplay tweaks might not sit well with ardant fans of the original, though.
