Prince of Persia: The Fallen King

Gameplay screenshot with Zal using his magic.

The main objective of the game is to collect four pieces to a magical seal which will banish the evil god Ahriman from the region. The Nintendo DS stylus is used to maneuver the Prince by touching the touchscreen. The stylus is used to move the Prince, to do acrobatic moves, in combat, and to use Zal's magic. As the Prince and Zal progress in their adventure, Zal becomes Corrupted at certain points, in which the Prince has to pursue and defeat him. Sometimes, after being defeated, Zal gains new powers. These powers allow him and the Prince to perform gradually more advanced platforming maneuvers.

Platforming is done by using the Nintendo DS stylus, and tapping the touchscreen in the direction the player wants the Prince to move. For example, if the player wants to run up a wall, and jump back onto a rope, the player must first tap up the wall, then tap the rope. Sometimes, platforming implements combat as well. Combat is also done using the Nintendo DS stylus. There are three combat options; a sword strike, which causes the Prince to swing his sword to damage enemies; a block move, where the Prince defends himself against enemies; and a magic power triggered by Zal that does no damage, but causes the enemy to recoil, pushing them back should the duo be overwhelmed.

Prince of Persia: The Fallen King was met with modest reviews by critics, earning a score of 64.63% on GameRankings[4] and 64 out of 100 on Metacritic.[5] The main gripe among reviewers seemed to be the control scheme.[1][2][3] IGN reviewer Matt Casamassina called the control scheme, "ultimately passable, even allowing for some fun moments... [but] not superior to traditional controls". Casamassina elaborated saying, "Indeed, I've found it to be less responsive and reliable on most occasions... not an issue with a button".[1] 1UP.com reviewer Anthony Gallegos also criticized the control scheme, and lack of control options saying the controls were "more immediately intuitive... [but not] necessary". Gallegos elaborated further, stating that he would have appreciated the option for a D-pad controlled game.[3]

Another criticism was the length of the game, with some reviewers citing that it was too lengthy. 1UP.com reviewer Gallegos said he enjoyed the game initially, but it quickly got old and began to "[feel] artificially long, as though a few good ideas were tossed into a random level-generator and then slapped together until a game of desirable length formed".[3] He further admitted that "If the team behind The Fallen King had just made it a lot shorter and perhaps added some additional challenges, like time trials, it might have helped with the diminishing returns I felt from each successive level".[3]

An aspect that was liked, however, by GameSpot reviewer Carolyn Petit, was the Prince character. She proposed that he was, "a good deal more likable than ... in the console game".[2] She also said that, "you ... get the sense that, despite his constant wisecracks, he's fighting for something he cares about deeply".[2] IGN reviewer Casamassina, however, criticized the way the Prince was portrayed, saying, "[The] DS Prince ... just doesn't exude much visual charm", and that, "in contrast ... he's the worst looking iteration of the character since the franchise's reboot a generation ago".[1]