Ok, so I was VERY close to reaching the end, but then a glitch occurred in which (spoiler alert) after pushing Kaileena into the portal, I was unable to do the same. I couldn't find the solution, so I just decided to look up a playthrough to see how the story ends. On one hand: Thank God it was just the last few minutes. On the other hand: Why only the last few minutes????

So what's my overall opinion? Well, I'm honestly shocked to report that... I kinda love it! However, I wouldn't blame anyone if they hated it. I was originally really sceptical about its bizarre tone shift, and it took me a while to get used to the combat (if you couldn't tell by my original review), but after giving it a second chance, it ended up winning me over. The parkour platforming is more fun and exciting than ever before and the way the story interlays with its timeline makes me look forward to playing it again just so I can pick up the details. That's not to say the story itself is anything really that interesting. It's mostly just a constant series of loopholes with characters that aren't nearly as interesting as what came before. I still vastly prefer its predecessor for doing so well at the little amount it set for itself and just being generally more charming, but I see Warrior Within as more of an alternative to that game than a legitimate follow up.

Sands of Time is a platformer with an amazing story but basic combat.
Warrior Within is an action game with amazing platforming but a basic story.