However, within that, I
think we did a pretty
good job of keeping the
controls simple and
consistent. We didn’t
have the kind of
semi-arbitrary memo-
rized combinations
where you have to hit
X-X-Triangle-Circle.
Each of the four action
buttons does a fairly
simple, understandable
thing, and from that is
generated quite a lot of
richness as to what the
player can actually do.
And that comes from
having the controls be context-sensitive. So that, for example, pressing X if you’re
clinging to a pillar will cause you to eject from that pillar, whereas if you press X when
you’re standing on the ground, it will make you roll or it will make you jump, depending
on the situation. InSands of Time, it’s the same principle as inPrince 1: our goal was to
get the player to the point where he doesn’t have to think about what button is he going
to press, but just develop that instinct of reaching for a certain button in certain types of
situations and have the richness flow out of that.
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Timeseems to be pushing forward and innovating
the storytelling/gameplay blend that’s very popular these days. How do you
see that evolving in the coming years?
Certainly story is becoming more appreciated as an element of games. But games are
not about story. A movie is about the story, a game is about the gameplay. A good story
can enrich a game, it can add to the pleasure, in much the same way that a good musical
score can add to the enjoyment of a movie. But game designers can sometimes fall into
the trap of developing a really complex story and thinking that somehow makes the
game more complex or more interesting. Most action/adventure games with complex
stories suffer from a clunky alternation between gameplay and cut-scenes. My personal
preference to enhance the story aspect of action games is to bring the story into the
gameplay. If an interaction can happen while you’re playing rather than while you’re sit-
ting back and watching a cut-scene, then that’s the best place for it.Sands of Timedoes
that to a degree in the relationship between the prince and Farah. As they’re fighting off
monsters they shout to each other, they call warnings to each other, and occasionally if
the prince is hurt after a fight, Farah will express concern. There’s a lot of natural
opportunities for humor, whereas humor in a cut-scene can seem kind of forced. The
times that we do stop the game for a cut-scene between the prince and Farah are actu-
ally pretty few and brief, and those scenes focus on significant plot twists that flow out
of the gameplay and then right back into it with changed stakes.
Chapter 18: Interview: Jordan Mechner 349
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time