Prince of Persia The Two Thrones Story
Box art Cover
The Two Thrones follows the ending of Warrior Within in which the
Prince kills the Dahaka and successfully alters Kaileena's (The Empress
of Time) fate. While on a ship en route to his home city of Babylon, the
Prince tosses the magical medallion overboard, as he no longer needs it.
Promising Kaileena that no harm would come to her in Babylon, upon
returning he is horrified to learn that his city has been ravaged by
war. Additionally, his ship is attacked which results in both the Prince
and Kaileena being thrown overboard, although Kaileena is taken prisoner
after drifting ashore.
After fighting his way through the city to find her, the Prince realizes
that as a result of his efforts on the Island of Time to prevent the
Sands of Time from being created that the events of the original game
never happened, and The Vizier was never killed. Worse, he now possesses
the empty hourglass, the Dagger of Time, and the magical staff. The
Vizier is now in search of the Sands of Time, and has captured the
Empress of Time to get them. Just as the Prince finds Kaileena, the
Vizier kills her, and unleashes the Sands of Time, which strike and
mutate the Vizier's lieutenants into hideous sand monsters. Then, by
impaling himself with the dagger, the Vizier transforms into a
terrifying immortal winged creature. The Prince is also struck by the
sands of time, although the effects on him are not revealed until later
in the story. The unleashed sands of time cause the Palace to fall apart
and collapse. The Prince falls as the floors collapse around him, but
not before stealing the Dagger of Time.
Later, The Prince finds that the sands of time have split him into two
personalities: his usual self, which although flawed strives to be good
and noble; and the "Dark Prince" who represents the more cruel,
avaricious, and arrogant aspects of his psyche, and is manifested as a
bitter and cynical inner voice. Whenever the Dark Prince is dominant -
in the absence of water, and when he is able to feed on the Prince's
fear and anger - the Prince assumes his dark, corrupted form, although
his mind remains intact. In his natural state, the corruption of the
sands is limited to a glowing sore on his wounded left arm (where the
sands had fused a razor-sharp chain weapon known as the Daggertail into
his flesh), although the Prince is alarmed to discover that the sore
spreads further with each metamorphosis into the Dark Prince.
Meanwhile, the Vizier has transformed his army (and even some of the
population of Babylon) into sand monsters. While searching for a way to
defeat the Vizier, the Prince once again encounters Farah, who does not
remember him, and is surprised that the Prince knows her name- as a
result of all the Prince's time-travelling, the events of the first game
(including the ending in which the Prince fought the Vizier in Farah's
bedroom) never happened. Although initially wary of the Prince, she
agrees to help him defeat the Vizier.
As they travel together, the Prince continues to endure the inner
struggle between his noble aspirations (which resonate with the brave
and compassionate Farah) and the Dark Prince, whose voice is a constant
reminder of the Prince's darker tendencies. The Prince's growing
affection for Farah compels him to embrace a more selfless perspective,
beginning with concern for Farah and developing into compassion for his
downtrodden people. As this begins to happen, he realizes that the Dark
Prince, who claims to be part of him, is in fact a sand monster, who is
vying for control of the Prince and his kingdom. A particularly heroic
and selfless deed proves a turning point in his mission, as his heroism
inspires a new hope in the populace. Their spirits lifted by the
knowledge that their Prince fought to save them from the Vizier, they
rise up in defiance of his army so that their Hero might stand a better
chance. This provided enough of a diversion for the Prince and Farah to
get through the horde of sand warriors guarding the palace.
As they approach the throne room, however, they are ambushed by the
Vizier. He captures Farah and sends the Prince plummeting deep into a
dry well, only to survive by transforming into the Dark Prince. As he
goes further into the well, the Dark Prince's voice grows stronger and
more hostile, fuelled by the lack of water and the Prince's desperation.
He eventually comes across a dark room to find his father's lifeless
form lying on the ground. Overcome with grief, taunted by the Dark
Prince - "What now? Perform another Grand Rewind? Or perhaps go back to
the Island and return to a time when he might be saved, maybe, rescue a
damsel in distress along the way?" - the Prince recognises his own
childishness, the immaturity underlying his constant efforts to undo his
mistakes. He resolves never to walk down that path again, that he would
accept the consequences of his actions. With this resolution, he
silences the Dark Prince and reverts to his natural form - without
water. Taking up his father's sword he makes his way up the tower to
complete his mission.
Using the Dagger of Time and his father's sword, the Prince is able to
defeat the Vizier and free Farah. With the Vizier's death, his army
vanishes and Kaileena's soul is freed from his grotesque form. She
thanks the Prince by cleansing him of his corruption and removing the
daggertail, before leaving this world for another that more suited to
her presence. However, as the Prince leans down to reach for his
father's crown, he is confronted by the form of a dark warrior who says
to him, "All that is yours is rightfully mine, and mine it will be", as
prophesied at the end of Warrior Within. Before the Prince's eyes, the
dark warrior metamorphoses into the Dark Prince, who swings his
Daggertail and draws the Prince into the mental realm where the two
battle for control. With some help from the voice of Farah - "This place
reeks of sadness and cruel intentions" - the Prince realises that
battling his inner demon only serves to feed it, and to trap himself
within its realm. In the end he turns away and follows the voice of
Farah. Starved of anger, greed, and pride, the Dark Prince is finally
defeated.
Veterans of The Sands of Time are treated to a tribute and reference to
the first game in the trilogy. When Farah asks The Prince how he really
knew her name, he begins to tell her the story of the first game, using
the same monologue as the introduction and ending of that game, bringing
the Sands of Time trilogy full circle: "Most people think time is like a
river, that flows swift and sure in one direction. But I have seen the
face of time, and I can tell you, they are wrong. Time is an ocean in a
storm. You may wonder who I really am and why I say this. Come, and I
will tell you a tale like none you have ever heard... "
Gameplay
Farah
The Prince's acrobatic skills have improved. He is now able to launch
himself off walls at 45 degree angles at strategically placed vertical
shutters, slide down chutes, and balance on swinging poles, among other
things.
The designers have also added a stealth system to the gameplay. In the
past two games the player had to rely solely on open-surrounding,
multi-enemy combat. The Two Thrones expands upon this by adding a
speed-kill system, which allows the Prince to quickly and quietly kill
any enemy not aware of his presence. If the player does not complete the
speed kill, the enemy knocks them off and the speed kill fails. The
amount of moves or the length of time required greatly depends on how
strong the opponents are, with boss battles taking the most.
The Prince also develops a split personality, and this alter-ego
constantly bickers with him about right and wrong. At times, the Prince
physically transforms into the Dark Prince. These transformations have
been scripted and are not controlled by the player. During these times,
however, the player still has control over the character, and for the
most part, the Prince's dark side is simply an inner voice.
When controlling the Dark Prince, the player loses the ability to wield
a secondary weapon, instead using the "Daggertail", a bladed whip fused
to his arm. This opens medium range combat moves (like pulling an enemy
closer, then slashing them) and new interactions with the environment
(such as swinging off poles to reach a ledge). The Dark Prince also
constantly loses health as a result of the semi-transformation, much
like the Sand Wraith from Warrior Within. He goes back to full health
whenever he collects sand, from either a monster or object. Also, his
daggertail gives him a different button combination for speed kills, in
which he strangles his victims. The Prince returns to normal after the
player finds water.