Prince of Persia for Game Boy

I got a new game recently. Prince of Persia, my Japanese GB cart nr 536. It is uncommon in the Japanese version.

The controls play fine, the game idea is what it should be, the graphics is excellent, and there is nothing to complain about. From what I could find on the internet, the GB version is a pretty flawless version of this classic platforming game. I played a GBA version (Sands of Time?) a while ago, and I thought the GBA game had lost the charm... It was complicated with different powerups and weapons, stopping time and so on.

The original version that was released on every major console and computer is very simplistic. You have 1 hour of time to complete the game. If you die, you restart the level with the same time you died with. You get a password after each level so you can start the level with the time you had when you first entered the level.


It looks better with Super Game Boy but I took this image from gamefaqs.

The game is more like a puzzle than a platforming game. You need to time your jumps and be careful so you don't step into something that kills you. For example you have to step slowly towards the edge, turn around, press down to jump down. And so on. It has its charm, but it isn't much action and you might feel constricted if you aren't used to it.

Most of the game is spent running, jumping, and sometimes fencing. The fencing is also more like puzzle than action.

Not only do you have to complete the level, you probably want to replay it until you can do it in a short time. A good game for the perfectionist, not for a person who wants to blow up stuff and have constant action...

Update 2013-05-12: I played a couple more hours yesterday, and couldn't even beat level 3 (I came close one time!). There are 14 levels. You can expect the game to take a long time, at least if you haven't played Prince of Persia before.

If this was my first Game Boy game, I would have played it for hours and hours. I would have been very happy with it. It isn't too difficult, and most people should be able to beat it, but it will take several hours to master all the traps. I give it 4/5.