Weakest combat, worst checkpoint placement, buggiest gameplay, and the poorest sound mixing (with once again no subtitle option to help your straining ears) out of the Sands trilogy. Yet, it's hard to be any less enamored with the experience given how it brings the story of this iteration of the titular character full circle. No longer the prideful young man we met in SoT or the angry, desperate individual he was in WW, The Two Thrones finds the Prince more solemn in demeanor. Seasoned, weary, and haunted by his past adventures and mistakes. This concluding chapter of his tale is all about him learning to face the consequences of his actions and overcoming the evils of vanity and selfishness in his heart to become the king his people deserve. It's themes of personal growth are powerful and add an emotional component to the story that was missing in its most direct predecessor, as our hero struggles with the temptations offered when the darker aspects of his personality are literally given a voice of their own and a returning love interest (herself having been a bit hardened by events) brings his honorable qualities back to the surface. That final segment before the credits roll where the two halves of his soul battle it out for supremacy, which I had honestly completely forgotten about, really spoke to me and brought about some personal realizations, allowing me to grow alongside the protagonist.

So the writing absolutely delivers in all the ways you'd hope, even exceeding expectations in terms of depth, and luckily while I do have my minor qualms the gameplay does as well. Triple T takes the best received elements from Warrior Within (the combo system, secondary weapons, etc.) and places them in the structure of Time. Although it is a little disappointing to see them forgo the second entry's larger scale rather than further refining and expanding upon it in favor of returning to a linear format, the title's new inclusions to the formula keep things from ever feeling like a total retread. Challenging chariot chase segments have been introduced alongside a variety of original twists on traps and platforming objects such as plates for stabbing your dagger into to hang on walls and panels that can launch you at angles. All of which come off as right at home in the series. Heck, the ability to now perch atop the bars you could previously only swing on is so natural I truly wondered why no one had thought of it sooner. Then there are the creative and exciting scenarios you'll encounter, from making your way through pitch-black ruins by only the glow of a magic sword to scaling the exterior of the massive Tower of Babel, that are memorable enough to help distinguish it in the minds of the players.

I suppose now would be the time to address my comments at the start of this review made in regards to the combat. It's not bad since the game basically uses the same system as Within, but attacks don't carry the same weight, there's a severely smaller pool of secondary weapons, throwing said secondary weapons is entirely unreliable now in terms of whether they'll hit the target or not, and despite looking cool the enemies aren't much fun to actually fight. As a result, I really only enjoyed battles when playing the "Dark Prince" segments. Two Thrones takes the relatively brief Sand Wraith section from the previous outing and runs with it. At regular points you'll swap over to this ancillary character who's devastating chain whip is a blast and can even let you swing across large gaps, more than making up for his constantly draining health. Most of the time you're the standard Prince however, so you'll probably want to avoid engaging with the local threats as much as possible. I imagine this was done to emphasize the new "speed" QTE stealth kills you can trigger by approaching an unaware enemy from behind, which on top of being a solid way to bypass the tedium of clashing with aggressive bands of soldiers also serve to reinforce why I love this title's location so much in a way.

Babylon might be my favorite setting in the franchise thus far. Not just because it's gorgeous and features fantastic level design with stellar environments that have remained etched in my brain for years, but thanks to its phenomenal tone as well. The vibe of being a lone, underequipped individual in a city being overtaken by hostile invaders who's only surviving the war going on around him by sticking to back alleys and streets less-traveled is near-perfectly captured. It reminded me a lot of Call of Duty missions I've played where you're sneaking through some Middle Eastern town to eliminate a high-profile target, stretched out into an entire campaign with that same sense of tension and insurmountable odds.

My point only other complaints stem from the technical side of the package. I've encountered a ton of minor visual goofs (locks of hair poking through faces, swords facing wrong angles in hands, and so on), foes inexplicably walking in circles and becoming invincible in corners rather than attacking me, and it's always annoying to have constantly toggle the volume on your TV because you can't hear what's being said in a cutscene or over the background noise all of the sudden. Stuff like that alongside how this apparently backtracks on the plans for increasing the property's scope the prior installment started should mean this is the weakest of its trilogy for me. Instead, it's currently my second favorite entry in the franchise overall as of this writing. The Two Thrones is a worthy conclusion for Prince of Persia's Sands storyline that takes the brand's always exhilarating parkour platforming and pairs it with some of its strongest writing thematically to give its protagonist the satisfying send-off they deserve, and create another standout gaming experience in the process that defies its age to remain a must-play for any and everyone.

9.2/10