This platforming feels different.
I think I am about halfway through the new Prince of Persia and I don't know if I should say that I have been playing it for 6 hours or if I am 6 hours in to my commute. I am considering this turn-of-phrase because as the Prince, you navigate by chaining your moves together as you encounter them in the world. If you see a ring, you press B which catapults you into a wall-run that leads to a double jump that drops you on a bar to swing to the next platform. The path from point A to point B is an uninterrupted path of gymnastics. If you stop mid-combo, you fall and have to go back to the last place you actually had both feet firmly planted. Although this is much more exciting than running around like an ultra-marathoner in games such as Fallout 3, there is a side-effect: you can't control when you stop and you can't make a quick detour when you want to. In effect, traversing the Prince of Persia's world, feels like a freeway system.
While they are practical to get across huge cities like Phoenix or Los Angeles, freeways lift you far above the city or they plunge you deep into sound retention barriers. Most of the time you can't see the city around you because you are more concerned with road signs or with the next exit. Also, you can't make that quick right turn at the stop sign when you see a shop that looks interesting. Essentially, you can't experience the city when you are stuck on a freeway.
Similarly, I can't wander around in Prince of Persia as well as I can in other platforming games. Like navigating a freeway-focused city, I can't make a quick U-turn to check out that interesting restaurant. Instead, I am more concerned about making sure I am in the correct lane so that I can make that exit that will get me to the I-10 interchange.
