Who Is The Prince of Persia?
written by: Dale Alan Mayrose on 6/13/2003 9:39:31 AM
Fresh from his breakout, award-winning performance at E3, the Prince of Persia is poised to conquer next-gen consoles this holiday season, when he'll be making his debut on PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube and GameBoy Advance.
A gaming icon that defined the action/adventure genre, the Prince has been quiet of late, but he's back and better than ever - redesigned, re-imagined and ready to rumble. Original Prince of Persia creator Jordan Mechner is working closely with Ubi Soft Montreal to develop a new breed of hero - and now that he's revealed just a hint of his incredible skills, everyone wants to know: Just who is this guy?
Inspirations:
From the classic '1001 Nights Tales' to martial arts movies to capoiera - a Brazilian fighting style that resembles stylized dancing, inspiration for the Prince came from different historical periods, geographical regions, and artistic genres.
Of course, video games themselves - from the original Prince of Persia games to contemporary titles - greatly influenced the development of the modern Prince; the design team closely studied who the Prince had been, and who he'd be measured against, to understand where they wanted him to go. It was quite important for them to create a character defined both by his skills and his physical attributes - a multi-dimensional individual to whom gamers could easily relate.
What's In No Name?
His name is the Prince. Formerly, now and in the future. While other characters in the games have individual monikers, the Prince has always been . . . the Prince.
Even in '1001 Nights' he was always referred to as "the King's son." Simple, to the point, and a bit mysterious - the perfect choice for a no-nonsense action hero with superhuman moves. Other action heroes might need a name, but the Prince of Persia doesn't - the title says it all!
About Face:
In addition to jaw-dropping moves and incredible fighting skills, the Prince possesses an extremely expressive face that plays an integral role in defining his personality. Facial animations play a crucial and subtle role, for both the cinematics, where they combine with the recorded voice performance to convey certain narrative elements - thoughts, feelings, motivations, and within the game, where they help the player know how the Prince is doing and how he is reacting to other characters and to his surroundings.
Details, Details:
An immense amount of research and attention to every detail marked the development of the Prince - from facial expression and coloring to clothing and statue, the team made sure that the Prince represents the pinnacle of modern action heroes. The Persian style comes through clearly in all aspects of his costume, from boots and pants to armor, which is made of characteristic soft leather rather than the medieval metal armor styles of Europe. From a technical standpoint, the Prince has 1500 polygons, with many details seen through the physics engine of the game. His hair, pants, and increasingly roughed-up shirt are affected by movement and wind, and his dagger even swings from side to side create an even greater sense of realism.
You'll see much more about the Prince and his adventures as the game gets closer to launch. There's plenty to say about his evolution, his moves, and the epic quest he must undertake to repair his ravaged land - this is just the beginning of a long reign!
