Comments on Pixel Poppers: The Choice Is Not Yours: Why Prince of Persia Has ...

I just finished this game, and I can say my only d...

2011-11-03T12:27:39.253-07:00

I just finished this game, and I can say my only disappointment is not being given the option to go back out into the desert, find my donkey, and leave. That is what I wanted to do, and that is what seemed to be the 'right' thing to do. It would have been nice to be given a choice in how to handle Elika's death.

I didn't really like the game for it's gam...

2011-08-02T15:12:23.725-07:00

I didn't really like the game for it's gameplay. The boss-fights were annoying (keyboard keys aren't color coded) and sparse, the game was too short, and the lack of resource management (as in personal responsibility for your jumping failures) pissed me off.

Yet, for some reason I finished the game.
I actually thought the rolling credits on the long way out of the temple were a bug, but when I layed Elika down and saw the trees, I was really contemplating the nature of games and this story for a solid ten minutes.
I saw what the game wanted me to do.

Realizing that there was no one to save me now, I tried to kill myself for another ten minutes and then went out with a

"Fuck you, game devs! I'm not doing that!",

uninstalled the game and never looked back.

I spent days thinking about it, and realized, that this 'option' made the game design actually good. It was quite an unique experience.

Tesh, your comment reminds me of another character...

2011-04-23T22:07:36.130-07:00

Tesh, your comment reminds me of another character: Kain from the Soul Reaver series, which coincidentally also uses time travel as a main plot element. In one piece of dialogue with Raziel, his 'rival', he likens fate to a coin which serves out a binary result for any give action (either you take an action or you don't); but what, he asks, might happen if that coin were to land on its edge?

In light of your suggestion, I think it's possible for the Prince to have realized that Ahriman would not be contained forever, that it was very likely that he and Elika might be the only ones who could stop him for good, and that the choices before him were both non-choices. In essence he's gambling on there being a "third option," on being able to cheat fate.

Would he have cut the trees down anyway? Probably. Did the Epilogue handle things badly with its backpeddling? Yes. But it still makes sense that the Prince, prodded by his budding conscience, might believe that he can save the world and still get the girl. Even if he wasn't necessarily thinking about that when he brought her back to life.

Sorry I'm late to this, but I really do love t...

2011-02-08T09:51:27.956-08:00

Sorry I'm late to this, but I really do love this game, and only recently found your blog.

I'll second Steven on this one and add a thought: The Prince notes a few times during the story that he doesn't believe in fate, that he believes in living your own life. I can't point to a particular piece of conversation, but I got the feeling that he was almost Kirkish in his tendency to try to find a different solution than the non-choices offered. I can't help but think that he not only fell in love with Elika, but also rejected the idea that there was only a binary "Ahriman free/Elika Alive" choice.

That said, my initial reaction to leaving her on the altar was indeed to walk away. Sadder, to be sure, but respecting her wishes. The game didn't offer me that choice, and I wish it had.

I did like the ending of the game, though. I thought it made perfect sense for the characters.

The game really does deserve a proper sequel.

Yeah well, the ending just pissed me off. Taking c...

2010-12-22T03:52:41.776-08:00

Yeah well, the ending just pissed me off. Taking control like that worked against what was otherwise a great story. It diminished the entire experience and I personally think it's neither brave, artsy or even passable as a game ending. It's like those old games that just printed a few words as an ending -
Congratulations. You completed a great game. The End!
From what I've read and seen about the dlc, it just makes it worse. No thanks, great game, good story but a terrible ending.

Great article

2010-12-21T22:47:49.845-08:00

Great article

I'm reminded of the King Lear alternate ending...

2010-10-24T07:06:37.263-07:00

I'm reminded of the King Lear alternate ending where Cordelia is okay and everyone lives happily ever after (albeit in Glouchester's case sans eyes), performed from the 18th century until the 1930s because the one Shakespeare wrote was considered too depressing.

Steven, I'm not so sure. I think that the issue is that the Prince only learned to trust and love one other person, rather than fight for others in general. He learned that it's okay to rely on and love people (which was hard because his parents died) but never learned that sometimes sacrifices must be made for the greater good (which was harder because his parents presumably died for such a cause). He could have gone out to seek the Ahura, or tried to find a way to contact Ormazd, or remained as a guardian of the temple, but instead he freed Ahriman. I see him as having been tempted in the same way as the Warrior and the Mourning King in that he does an evil
Also, there's a sense in which the fact that he loves someone means he can be tempted. He has grown, and he has something that he actually values which means he can be made to do awful things to get it back.

Cool ending, it's a shame I never got there. I...

2010-07-04T16:57:29.937-07:00

Cool ending, it's a shame I never got there. I really consider this to be among the worst games of all time, button mashing (press X to not die kind) and its brand of non-traditional gameplay aren't too fun to me, and collecting the exact same orbs nonstop got really old really fast. I love a good story, but this game didn't have it for me. The classic Alladin-style tale was better than a simple big bad vs. two trendy white Persians. I didn't even realize people really liked this game at all.

I enjoyed reading this. It clued me in to some of ...

2010-06-23T08:30:01.221-07:00

I enjoyed reading this. It clued me in to some of the reason I enjoyed the game and what the game play did well, but the ending was not one of the things I remember fondly.

In fact, I had to look up how to end the game because I thought the game was over when I put Elika down. The cutscene made it clear and the credits cemented it, so when the game didn't end, I was perplexed. Games end, you know? So when a game doesn't end when it's over, what do you do? Assume it’s not over.

While your exploration of the closing scenes is well-written and engaging, it seems inaccurate in favor of extolling a grandiose immersion level. I suspect, as was the case with me, that the driving impulse at the end for most players is figuring out why the game did not end as anticipated. And that search leads to the real ending.

It's not that the player wants this new ending like the Prince does--supposing that through immersion the player has become as short-sighted and selfish as the Prince--it's that the game didn't end like games typically do, so the player wants to find out why or assumes the game isn't over.

Elika’s death, if anything, was a fake ending. It was an ending I liked because it elevates Elika through her sacrifice and reminds me that her role was more important than mine, but I understand why the game didn’t end there: because the focus wasn’t on the main character. It would have been a far larger accomplishment if the game actually concluded by minimizing the role of the main character.

The ending tells me, not that I am being guided by a story that I can’t change, but that in games I am meant to be protagonist or antagonist; I can’t be a minor character in someone else’s story. Yet the characters in Prince of Persia were so well-developed, I would have been happy with the conclusion that I was Elika’s sidekick. And that would be quite an accomplishment for a game.

Great article. Most people I talk to wrote this ga...

2010-06-14T17:28:28.763-07:00

Great article. Most people I talk to wrote this game off without playing it due to its reputation for hand-holding. It was a bit too repetitive at times but I thoroughly enjoyed it, largely because of the excellent way the store unfolded and the great, Okami-esque atmosphere. Seeing the nightmarish wastelands revived was always a pleasant experience and some of the vistas in the game were downright breathtaking. It's a shame we probably won't get a true sequel because I enjoyed this much more than the other recent POP games.

Let me start by saying what a great article you...

2010-06-14T12:31:01.450-07:00

Let me start by saying what a great article you've written. Well thought and nice to read.

However, I strongly believe you misinterpreted the original ending which causes the dissonance with the epilogue.

Releasing Ahriman was not just the right thing to do, it is the climax to the Prince's characterization. From the beginning the Prince was a flawed character: only out for himself, not caring about anyone etc. The reason he helps Elika is because a donkey packed with gold is worthless if your world is ruled by darkness. A selfish act indeed. He lost his parents to 'someone elses war' and hates the fact that he is fighting someone elses war himself now. He also tells Elika that the Uhra's duty is stupid.

Because of his interaction with Elika however, he gradually changes. After their first encounter with the Concubine he tells Elika never trust anyone and ironically the only way to beat the Concubine in her lair is to do just that.

Another important thing to note is the fact that the seal of Ahriman was already weakening before this all began. Elika died in an attempt to enforce the seal. This is of vital importance to the plot.

When the Prince is presented the final choice it is the following: leave Elika, get his gold and live a happy life knowing Ahriman won't escape for another 100 years or so OR risk his life for Elika and the rest of the world and fight for the sake of others which he swore he'd never do (because of his parents). The Prince we started playing the game with would have left her there, the Prince we ended the game with goes on to become a real hero.

I loved the ending for the exact oposite reason as you did: because the Prince made the heartwarming and 'right' choice showing his growth as a character in a very subtle way. Because so many people interpreted the ending as the 'evil choice', the epilogue (read: developers) have the Prince literaly state why he did it, which is a shame but apperently had to be done for people to understand the story. It's not a retcon. The Prince starts as a flawed character but learns why people can risk their lives for others. That is the essence of the story. Saying the Prince's final choice was a testament of his flawed personality is to ignore his charactarization throughout the game.

Great underapreciated game. Holy wall of text batman!

@rh...

2010-06-11T20:01:58.668-07:00

@rhys:
The Prince can't get to any cliffs without Elika. You're asking what happens if the player does something they literally can't do. :)

There is no answer to this question, any more than if you were asking what happens if the Prince attacks Elika. It's just not possible within the game's world.

@doctor:exactly so what if the user does jump off ...

2010-06-08T05:07:31.456-07:00

@doctor:exactly so what if the user does jump off a cliff then...just inquiring..cause in the game the prince cant die...

@rh...

2010-06-07T21:13:28.792-07:00

@rhys:
Actually, the game world is cleverly designed to avoid this being a problem at all. Within the area around the temple, there are no enemies and no drops of a sufficient height to kill the Prince. And it's impossible to reach the more hazardous locations without the double-jump, which the Prince can't do alone. It's only possible for the Prince to jump off a cliff or otherwise take a high fall when Elika is still alive. Without Elika, the Prince literally can't get into a situation where he needs to be saved.

hey i played the game n uninstalled it..i needed t...

2010-06-07T02:03:56.049-07:00

hey i played the game n uninstalled it..i needed to know what if after elikas dies n prince jumps off a cliff or a high fall n dies who will get him back...
waiting for ur replies

@Cy...

2010-04-20T10:23:19.871-07:00

@Cyber Altair:
It's a common dilemma in sequels that deviate from formula (as I discussed rather longwindedly in relation to Ratchet & Clank). Push it out as a new, untested IP, or place it under the old familiar banner and bring in the installed fanbase, at risk of alienating them?

This Prince of Persia could well have been given another name, based on how it differed from those that came before it - but then again, so could have Sands of Time. I don't think the reason that Sands of Time escaped ire is because it's that much better of a game. It's because instead of rebooting soon after a beloved trilogy, it rebooted after a poorly-received installment.

The reason why the game suffered so much wrath and...

2010-04-20T05:37:32.978-07:00

The reason why the game suffered so much wrath and yet was saved is because of the Prince of Persia franchise backing it up. While all the PoP "fans" tried to shun it from their memory because it's different and the new fans liked it the game might have gotten even harsher reviews and therefore mediocre sales because it's different from most games this gen.

@St...

2010-02-25T23:49:52.625-08:00

@Steven A.:
I did think of mentioning Braid, where of course it gets a bit more complicated whether the death is an event or a non-event. :)

Let's go ahead and toss Bioshock on the diegetic-death pile too - and I find it interesting that the other three you mention are near the top of my to-be-played list.

Seeing the growth of diegetic mechanics is pretty fun - I didn't play Dead Space beyond the demo, but I think that had a fully diegetic interface, with in-game holographic readouts and such.

And yeah - Prince of Persia doesn't get nearly as much respect as it deserves. :) Partly because almost nobody talks about the ending. Commentary is gradually popping up, but I'm inclined to think most of the early reviews were written by people who hadn't beaten it - an all-too common problem. So mostly they just talked about how pretty and easy it is.

@Ro...

2010-02-25T23:25:25.062-08:00

@Rob:
You should! :) It's good times.

You might also find Shamus Young's video Reset Button: Most Innovative Videogame of 2008 interesting. He discusses the game's accessibility and lack of punishment. (I mentioned this video in my post about challenge and punishment.)

Well, I have a little more respect for POP now :P ...

2010-02-23T08:26:48.302-08:00

Well, I have a little more respect for POP now :P

And I learned a new word: Diegetic. Other games with diegetic death mechanics: Planescape Torment, Demon's Souls, Prey, Braid. I'd like to see games go towards more diegetic mechanics in general. Including, if need be, making the save system diegetic. Or even multiplayer aspects. Demon's Souls has some pretty cool ways of accomplishing both, but I'd like to see other ways try.

After reading all this - I totally want to play th...

2010-02-22T13:33:07.866-08:00

After reading all this - I totally want to play this game :)

- Rob

@pi...

2010-02-22T13:16:06.318-08:00

@pingela:
Yes. Exactly. That was a much more efficient way to say it than I managed. :)

The turning-around-and-wrecking part is the problem. It reminds me of what Kieron Gillen said about the controversial "No Russian" level in Modern Warfare 2 - if you're going to go out on a limb and make a brave statement, then you damn well better make it loud and clear. Don't go halfway.

No, it's more that in this case, True Art happ...

2010-02-22T13:03:41.061-08:00

No, it's more that in this case, True Art happened to be angsty. Despite the fact that angst is WAY overused in our society, angst still can make good art. And if you've made True Art that's angsty, turning around and wrecking the impact of that Art just to avoid angst... is stupid.

@Mid...

2010-02-22T12:49:04.306-08:00

@Midnight Tea:
Let me go ahead and fix that link...
True Art Is Angsty

I think my view here is closer to "This Piece Of True Art Happens To Be Angsty." :) The fact that the ending is kind of a downer is brave and notable, for the reasons Andy Chalk explained, but that isn't what makes it good.

What I love about Prince of Persia's ending is that the gameplay and the story are in perfect harmony. Unlike the moment I complained about in Bioshock where the narrative contradicts the player's experience, here the player's experience reveals the narrative. It's a piece of storytelling that demonstrates just what videogames are capable of, rather than relying on tropes inherited from older media.

But I do believe that True Art Is Not Afraid To Be Angsty. The Epilogue's attempt to make the situation a little less dark, and in particular making the Prince's decision the correct one, feels like a contrived attempt to assuage those who complained about the main game's ending being dark and "forcing" the player to commit an act with which they disagreed. It doesn't serve the story, and it turns the Prince from a fascinatingly flawed hero to a more standard one, while reducing Elika to an irrational woman who stays mad at the Prince for going against her wishes even though, by all appearances, he was right to do so.

That's why Prince of Persia's ending is great and the Epilogue's is terrible. Not because the first is dark and the latter less so. Angst for its own sake is at least as annoying as sugary sunshine for its own sake. But including darkness where appropriate, when it serves the story, is a sign of maturity in art. The fact that some games have endings like Prince of Persia's means that videogames are growing up.

I smell a bit of this here... http://tvtropes.org...

2010-02-22T09:01:15.524-08:00

I smell a bit of this here...

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki.php/Main/TrueArtIsAngsty