#ormazd

So last week i got COVID, and was out of work for a few days. I use a dual-booted computer with windows/linux at home - with linux as my main but Windows to use a few windows exclusive programs and to play games on steam. With a lot of time on my hands, but little willpower to do anything challenging, i booted the old copy of PoP 2008 on the steam library, created a new game and got into the hidden valley with the worst walking infrastructure the gaming world has to offer.

A bridge salesman would really clean up in this place. -The prince

Now everyone who played this game already talked gameplay: How the moving-around-part is cool and the single combat with combos is meh. So let's say something else.

In a review from 2021, the reviewer talks about how the game's stylized graphics keep it timeless, and there is a care on the design of every level such that it feels like looking at a painting someone carefully crafted. This is a hard agree. The stylized looks+ the no death mechanic feel very modern, in a way. In the 2008 market, there was this flow towards more realistic games, and also a expectation that Prince of Persia was meant to be challenging, and this game subverted both. In this aspect, the game would be more successful if it was released today than in it's original climate.

Nolan North is here as the Prince. This game came the year after Uncharted 1 came out and was a huge success, and Nolan is here to bring that sweet uncharted rizz to the game. And bring it he does! Does it fit well with the game? Well, I liked it - but it's more of Nolan redoing a wisecracking adventurer in a magic antiquity setting. This is maybe not just ubisoft copying naughty dog's homework, but a trend of the 2000s to have these very, well, very 2000s people around having adventures in other epochs. Reminds me of this post about how everyone in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise is a 2000s hero except James Norrington (who suffers dearly for it), so while the game style and gameplay were ahead of it's time, this part really feels right were it belongs.

Elika - chosen one of the god Ormazd and last of the Ahura people, tasked to the keeping of the evil god Ahriman in his tree prision - plays more of an straight man role to the prince's joking and lamp-shading shenanigans. Her design is a very 2000's design: Where most video games hot girls are more about boobs-and-ass design-wise, she is all about that impossibly thin waist line. Overall a great character, and the banter with the prince is funny and fresh, she makes for a great part of the fun in the game.

Every creative endeavor is, for the lack of a better word, an aborted process. Animators would polish their animations forever if not for the cruel team leads to rip the file from their hands to give to the next guy on the pipeline. Planned features get scraped as the deadlines tighten, and so turns the world. PoP 2008 is no different.

- A central gameplay feature is the power plates: When the prince and Elika jump on them, the game's movement mechanics change, and a kind of minigame starts, based on the magic of the plates: The Green plates give the Breath of Ormazd, where the prince can run up, down and around walls like they are the floor, while avoiding bumps and obstacles on them. The Yellow plates give Elika a long term flight ability (Wings of Ormazd), the prince rides on her back and you use the arrow keys to avoid obstacles mid-air. The Red plates catapult you both to a next destination, and the true obstacles are the chain of conventional moves between the red plates. Aaaand the blue plates are the same as the red plates, but blue. We can see that the inspiration died after the red plates, if not with them. Every level has 45 light seeds (game 'currency', to trade for more plates), where 40 are accessible by normal routes, and 5 are accessible using a set of plates of a specific color hidden on the level. Many of these hidden plates are red (easy to place after the level was done) but almost none are blue, the most uninspired plate.

- The game has 4 main areas split into 4 sub-areas, each main area assigned to a boss. Each main area needs two power plates to complete - The Citadel, for example, needs the red and yellow plates. We can imagine there was space (there are literally unused closed gates in the corner of the areas) for 4 more areas, each for the unused combination of 2 of the plates, with 4 more associated bosses, that were removed from the scope pretty early in the project.

Speaking of bosses, the five bosses of the game incidentally make for a near perfect dark version of the heroic Five Man band. Its kind of sad they never interact or even acknowledge each other, but it's one of the limitations of the game onset from it's original design.

- The Mourning King is the Hero, a noble ruler who sold his soul for the somewhat noble - if selfish - motive of resurrecting his daughter.

- As his foil and Lancer, both in combat style and motivations, we have the Hunter, also a noble ruler who sold his soul for the cruel prize of hunting men .

- The Alchemist -> Brains, all mad scientist like.

- The Warrior -> Brawn, he literally cannot be damaged in combat.

- The Concubine -> The Chick, the Only Other Girl in the story. Does illusion magic stuff.

In the finale, Elika sacrifices herself to seal Ahriman back to the tree - and the ending is centered around you - the prince - redoing a bargain her father previously made and breaking the seals in exchange for Elika's life - undoing all your progress in the process. This is weird to me: While we see a growing relationship between Elika and the Prince - Story-wise they know each other for like, 8 hours tops. And there are few lines of dialogue that feel like a true romantic relationship developing. And it's also disrespectful of Elika's final wishes. But everyone bashes this ending, so I will do a first in gaming history: I will defend the ending of Prince of Persia 2008.

Why the Ending of PoP 2008 is Okay, actually:

First, the romance thing - two things come to mind: First - though there is little romance dialogue, there is much romance touching and physicality. Elika and the Prince are maybe one of video games more intimate couple in terms of physical interaction in gameplay. They move together, depend on one another. When they climb vines, Elika grabs herself onto the Prince's back, when they drop of a ledge onto the floor, the prince catches Elika and places her on the ground. They do a cute little spin together when changing places atop a wooden beam. This relationship is not mainly on the story, but is a core feature of the play of the game itself. Second: This is an 1001 nights themed story, where this kind of spontaneous, love at first-sight thing is a theme - this is echoed in the finale, where if you got every light seed in the map, the final seed that resurrects Elika is the 1001st light seed.

But outside of the romance, there are reasons grounded in friendship, and those hit harder for me: The Prince is a well traveled guy, and many of the dialogue lines with Elika revolve around this growing notion that Elika has spent her whole life trapped in this dwindling secret valley, desiring the amazing things of the outside world, but bound by her sense of duty even when all the other members of the kingdom shirked this duty and went away to the outside world. That the reward for her selflessness, her hard and unwavering faith in the god of light - that left her fighting for all of creation alone - was death. That would piss off our guy, damn - it pisses ME off. Elika fucking deserved to see the world, to enjoy herself! Damn this absent god that let her fight for the right to kill herself. I would want my friend to be free, and also we have the final point...

Ahriman's current prison (at the end of the game) is absolute dogshit - held together by strings, sticks, spit and a prayer. And the last magical maintenance staff is dead in your arms. Minutes later Ahriman is already fucking with your mind, and while you could get out and move on, the next wanderer to fall in the valley can be persuaded to cut the five flimsy-ass trees for as little as a bag of free candy. While a more cowardly person would want to get the fuck out and never come back you on the other hand want to see a chance of this business having a clear end to it. So you go back, get the magic power from the tree and resurrect the last of the Ahura, hoping to get her stronger, or to get a lead to finding more of the Ahura who went away, or even Ormazd himself.

The game would have everything lined up for a sequel along these lines (and it kinda has, in the DS spin-off game) but the whole franchise was cancelled and left for dead. It's so delusional to hope for a sequel even Nolan North himself said to a fan to go write some fanfic to scratch that itch.

Summary: Completed. One shot, beware the spoilers, they strike when you least expect it. My heart constricted, my light, my love had gone, Ormazd had betrayed us and now I had only one choice left, Ahriman.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Prince of Persia but if I did he'd have more gold and donkeys than he'd know what to do with. All of Ahrimans' whispers interpreted from the game.

My heart skipped a beat, Elika's whisper still rang in my ears as I watched her pour the last of her life's energy into the tree of life 'I'm sorry', sorry for what? Stealing my heart then sacrificing your life for a god who cares so little that he won't step in when his people are dying and Ahriman is trying to escape. I couldn't be angry at Elika, she was doing her 'duty', standing for her morals, even if I didn't believe in that crap it was a part of Elika and one of the things that made her so attractive to me. The concubine had warned me, Elika valued her duty above anything else, nothing else was important when it came to stopping Ahriman.

The blue tendrils connecting Elika and the tree began to fade as I rushed forward to her, fearing in my heart what my head already knew, she was dead. She had given her life to prevent his escape, to restore the trees and the land. She had already died once wasn't that enough for you Ormazd, or are you going to keep demanding that Elika proves her resolve to you; she isn't like her father, she will stand and fight for her duty. I scooped her up into my arms, tears beginning to sting the back of my eyes but I wouldn't let them come, I had to be strong just like Elika had been. I couldn't cry in the cesspit of Ahriman's prison, in the place where the last of the Ahura had died.

I walked up the stairs with Elika cradled in my arms, my fingers brushed against her skin, it was so cold and it shone like polished marble as all the colour and life seeped out of her corpse. She had been so strong yet so fragile, so easily broken when she sealed Ahriman, he had killed her in the end.

No it was Ormazd.

I shook my head slightly, I didn't like the idea of Ormazd, he had abandoned his people after the fight with Ahriman but surely he wouldn't let the last of his people die and leave Ahriman unguarded, he must have known Elika and her father were the last Ahura left in the City of Light. I walked out of the room that housed the tree of Life and walked down the corridor with Elika still in my arms. The crash of the doors slamming shut sent a shiver down my spine. Ahriman was sealed, that was definite now but at what cost. I looked down at Elika, so lifeless, so inanimate, it nearly broke my heart, it was such a high cost but was it worth it? Was Elika's life worth Ahriman being sealed? I didn't know and I didn't care I just knew that when Elika died so did part of me and I didn't think I would recover.

I had never told her how I felt, I had always hidden behind jokes, she had been right I never did let anyone get close and now I regretted it. If I had been nicer, more open then maybe Elika would have reconsidered, no that wasn't true and her duty would have driven her on, no matter what the cost. The outer doors of the temple slid open letting the sun shine through warming my skin but not my heart, nothing could do that.

I set Elika down on the tomb of her mother. Two strong women both cut off in the prime, two women who deserved to live more than anyone else. I brushed the hair out of her face and looked out on the desert. The four trees shone with light, feeding the temple the energy it needed to keep Ahriman trapped, all the hard work, blood and sweat me and Elika had put into giving them back their lives and now they had taken the life of the only woman I will probably ever love. I was starting to feel bitter but Elika had made her choice and I would have to live with it. As I moved my hand away from her face the visions that had haunted me and Elika rushed through my head. Her father making that deal with Ahriman to bring Elika back. That was one way to bring back Elika, otherwise I would have to face the darkness alone without her.

"What candle will shine in the darkness now that she has gone?"

The voice whispered in my head, so seductively, I knew what it wanted and I knew it was tempting me, but it was right, who will guide me through the darkness now that Elika was gone, no-one. She brought out the best in me, some goodness inside me that I had long since forgot. I always thought I only cared about me but Elika…Elika changed me. I couldn't go back to my selfish ways after all Elika had shown me but now I would have to because she was gone. No, I couldn't submit, it would go against all Elika had stood for.

"The power of this place wanes, and when I will be free, she will already have been forgotten."

Not by me. I walked down the temple stairs feeling the wind ruffle my clothes. This place, these people have already been forgotten, abandoned to the sands of time and fallen into decay but it will live on in my mind, Elika will live on in my mind. I could never forget all we had done, all the corrupted we had defeated together, it had had too much of an impact on my life, changed my view of the world ever so slightly. I still didn't believe in Ormazd but Ahriman, now he was real. I had seen what he could do, how much he could hurt people.

"What injury have I done to you that you have not done to me?"

That was true, I had gotten involved in this before Ahriman had even begun to try and kill me. Then again what had Elika done to him, he had hurt her before she had hurt him. It was her people who had kept him imprisoned not her on her own.

"Mine has been the imprisonment, mine has been the pain."

I'm in pain, I don't care about yours. Elika is dead and you're still there Ahriman, whispering in my mind. She had sealed you, but you still have a way to escape, through the minds and souls of others. Her sacrifice meant nothing, she had only postponed your returned, she hadn't stopped you for good.

"She is dead, dead for eternity, but I will be free."

My heart constricted, my light, my love had gone, Ormazd if he was real had betrayed us and now I had only one choice left, Ahriman.

"Fear not the night for it is the dawn that brings the pain, the night that brings the dreams."

I don't fear you Ahriman but I certainly don't trust you. I looked out over the desert once more, it was peaceful without the taint of corruption Ahriman would bring, but why should I care, no-one lives here, Ahriman could have this place for all I care, as long as I could have Elika back.

"Choose life, Choose death."

Is that my choice, let Ahriman stay sealed and loose Elika, or choose life and have Ahriman run riot over the city of Light and the rest of the world.

"I shall be free and where then will the light be"

I shook my head. I was on one of the platforms by a tree with my sword out ready to chop it down. How had I got here? I was preparing myself to cut down the trees, reverting to my selfish nature. The desire to have Elika back with me was selfish, I loved her too much to let her go, I was risking the world for my own happiness, sullying Elikas' final sacrifice.

"She has blinded you with her light, burned her will until it became yours."

I swung down my sword, easily slicing through the trunk of the tree. The ground beneath me changed colour as the power flow from the fertile ground to the temple was severed. Ahriman was still whispering but I couldn't hear it over my inner panic, I had weakened his prison, making it easier for him to escape, I couldn't go back now. There was no remaining Ahura with the power to restore the fertile grounds or the trees now that Elika was gone. I had to carry on cutting down the trees to release Ahriman; I had to bring Elika back if only to undo what I had done.

"Reclaim your destiny."

What destiny? If I had one, it had died with Elika and I don't even believe in that type of thing.

"I will be free."

I don't care, if it brings Elika back, she will put you back in your prison but I won't let her die this time, I'll find a way to keep her safe.

"She burns so brightly, a shining star for Ormazd."

Anger once again flowed through my veins as I jumped down from the second trees platform watching as the ground withered and died. Ormazd didn't deserve the loyalty of Elika. He had let her die when he could have intervened.

"Is he prepared to make such sacrifice or has he let his followers fall for him, fallen in his place."

The third tree was dead, the life draining out of the earth. Ormazd had turned his back on the world long before Elika was even born but I didn't care about that, I only cared that he could have saved her, he gave her the powers to stop Ahriman, but he must have known she was going to die, who would guard Ahriman now she is gone or doesn't he care. He let my love die and now he's prepared to let the world die.

"You seek justice then banish Ormazd, free me."

One tree left before I can set Ahriman free. It's what he wanted but if I get back Elika the world can go to hell. That was very selfish of me but why go against nature. I didn't know how to banish Ormazd and frankly I didn't care, he had already turned his back on the world, he wasn't interfering but if he thought Elika was going to die for him again then he was mistaken. Elika was my light, not his.

"The light burns, the darkness soothes."

No, that is not true, Elika was my light and she soothed my heart and soul, the darkness tears them out, the lack of Light, my light was tearing out my heart and I needed to fill the hole back up. I needed Elika back, I had to choose like you said before Ahriman, choose life or choose death. I could kill myself and join Elika and leave the Earth in peace, would that be a better choice.

"The choice is not yours, the choice is not yours."

I felt the dead earth crunch beneath my feet as I walked back towards the temple, the fourth tree destroyed on the platform behind me. No, the choice was not mine, not anymore, I had killed the four trees, even if I stopped now Ahriman would get out easily. I might as well finish the job and get Elika back.

"Offer me your soul, Offer me no resistance."

You don't get my soul Ahrian, Elika has it but I won't resist you anymore. The temple doors slid open as I walked through determined.

"I can be your beginning or your end."

Not my beginning, Elikas beginning. The new beginning of Elikas life and the end of my conscience. I won't care after Elikas back I'll deal with it then but until then it doesn't matter what everyone else will think about me. I know what I'm doing is right for me. If that makes me worse than Ahriman then so be it.

I looked at the tree of life, the thing that stole Elika from me and tighten my grip on the sword raising it in the air and brought it down through the trunk, cutting the chains that bound Ahriman and the barrier between me and Elika. The essence of life glowed from the remains of the tree of life as I picked it up in my hands. Walking back down the corridor I was struck at the similarity between this essence and the light seeds that we collected on our travels to stop Ahriman, this may offer some explanation as to why Elika grew stronger with each light seed she collected, they fed the essence of life that was used to initially revive her.

Holding my open palms over Elika I watched as the ball of light infused her, bringing her back to life. Her eyes burst open as she took a gasp of air:

"Why?"

She had to ask? I picked her up in my arms and took her away from the temple. The further away I took her from this place the further away I would be taking her from danger and the longer it would be before we had to face Ahriman again. She was watching me, I knew that and I knew she disagreed with what I had done. Her life was the price for the worlds safety, but it was too high a price for me.

The Plates of Ormazd:

Breath of Ormazd

Hand of Ormazd

Step of Ormazd