Prince of Persia: Warrior Within

Prince of Persia: Warrior Within is the sequel to the acclaimed action platformer Sands of Time, created in 2004 by studio Ubisoft Montreal for Xbox, and deliberately conceived in a much darker, rawer, and more aggressive spirit than the gentle, fairy-tale tone of its predecessor. The Prince is pursued by a supernatural entity called the Dahaka, from whom he tries to escape by traveling back in time to the very source of the Sands of Time itself, in order to prevent their creation and thereby reverse the fate this powerful entity has placed upon him for misusing the sands in the previous story.

The game kept the beloved acrobatic parkour-style navigation through the environment, wall-running, swinging from poles, and manipulating time, but substantially deepened the combat system with dual-weapon combos and bloodier, more brutal kill animations. The Prince could pick up virtually any weapon dropped by a fallen opponent to wield in his second hand, throw axes at enemies, or disarm them and finish them off with their own blade, making combat feel much freer and more improvised. A special chapter came in the form of chases from the Dahaka, during which the player had to blaze through an entire series of acrobatic obstacles without hesitation. The darker visuals and industrial soundtrack, however, sparked mixed reactions from fans of the original game.

Critics praised the more elaborate and deeper combat system and the still-excellent level design full of acrobatic puzzles, while faulting the game's overreaching attempt to impress with grittiness at the expense of the atmosphere that made Sands of Time famous. Despite this friction, Warrior Within remains an important and influential entry in the series thanks to its bold artistic direction and its still-praised combat mechanics, which later action titles partly adopted as well. Even today, fans of the series still passionately debate whether Warrior Within's darker direction served it well or pulled it away from its roots.