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I picked up Prince of Persia Classic for XBLA which is a remake of an original Prince game from 90s.

I can't figure out the fighting mechanics. There are two buttons - block and attack. I usually block after an enemy starts attacking sequence and then hit attack button right away. This works on easier enemies but not later in the game.

What is the fighting strategy? Are there any other buttons involved?

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3 Answers

up vote 7 down vote

No. Just those two buttons, as well as advancing and retreating. It's all about timing those four actions together.

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Ah, the nostalgia - Left, Right, Up and Shift, was it? – Piskvor Mar 4 '11 at 18:36
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+1, advancing and retreating is crucial. – Matthew Read Mar 4 '11 at 18:47
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@Piskvor: I really have no idea. I just remember bashing my keyboard silly trying to pass those "boss" fighters. I particularly hated the fat one. – System Down Mar 4 '11 at 19:21
@SystemDown: As for me, that skeleton was a real shock for me, plus you can't kill it directly. [shudder] – Piskvor Mar 4 '11 at 19:24
@Piskvor: Aaaaah the skeleton! I think I mentally blocked out all memories of those until you mentioned them. – System Down Mar 4 '11 at 19:27
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up vote 4 down vote

If it plays the same that the original Prince of Persia (by Jordan Mechner) did, you have five buttons (the exact keys are probably different on an XBox):

  • right (Right Arrow)
  • left (Left Arrow)
  • up (Up Arrow)
  • down (Down Arrow)
  • action (Shift)

Now, when fighting, Up was for blocking, Action for attack, and Down for sheathing the sword (attention, spoiler below).

(that last action is not as pointless as it would seem, IIRC you couldn't finish the game without it)

While fighting, you could also move closer or further away with Right and Left. Note that when moving close enough, you could switch sides with the enemy; enemy steps back when he is hit, you step back when you are hit. This could be useful e.g. for throwing an enemy into a hole, same height damage rules apply (one storey - no damage, two storeys - one life, higher or spikes - death).

As for fighting tactics, each enemy type (color-coded etc.) fights differently, and I don't recall the tactics any more - note however that each enemy of a certain type fights the same way. You may need to get closer to attack, or lure the enemy away, etc. Another spoiler:

(you can't kill everyone that you meet with a sword; be creative)

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+1 for including down/sheath in fighting – Smalltown2k Dec 23 '12 at 18:35
up vote 3 down vote

I ran into difficulty with the same thing a few months ago. The trick is to think of a button press as queuing an action rather then instantly performing that action.

In modern games we are used to hitting a button and getting a reaction, but because Prince Of Persia Classic was based on the original Prince Of Persia, smooth animations are favored over responsive input.

So my basic advice is, slow down, wait for animations to finish, pay attention to the start of animations, and react with a single precise button press.

Once you get this down the game because substantially easier. I still wasn't able to finish it mind you but I could suddenly get from level 2 to about level 5 without much frustration.

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Me too. Yes, you need to set up the next move. It's like there's a delay. – user16868 Dec 21 '11 at 21:32

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