Ubisoft’s Ben Mattes pins down Elika’s role in Prince of Persia

Remember the Ubidays 2008 trailer for Prince of Persia (DS, PlayStation 3, Windows, Xbox 360)? If you didn’t already know, Elika is the lithe and equally acrobatic sidekick who gave our hero, the so-called Wanderer, the lethal boost to bring down the big baddie midway into the short flick. We now learn that she is one of Ubisoft‘s instruments to re-capturing the magic that is Prince of Persia. Learn how they plan to do so at the full story.

In a recent interview with Eurogamer, Ubisoft‘s Ben Mattes, producer of Prince of Persia (DS, PlayStation 3, Windows, Xbox 360), reasoned that the choice of leaving the new PoP title as is was because they were trying to breathe new life to the magic that was Prince of Persia. He added:

We’re trying to rejuvenate the franchise, to take ownership of the genre and establish ourselves as the number one action adventure game. We also want to differentiate ourselves from the Sands of Time trilogy and the Disney movie, because we’re not connected with them.

In order for Ubisoft to bring a fresh start to the action platformer, they outlined their focus on character relationships. Now that’s an idea not so far from the company’s implementations in ambitious Far Cry 2 (PlayStation 3, Windows, Xbox 360).

The new plan demanded that the hero’s sidekick be fleshed out and more involved in the gameplay dynamics. After juggling with design concepts, they came up with Elika.

For many portions of Prince of Persia, Elika is to be the player’s partner in crime. She can aid in both combat and traversing the odd landscape that the battle between “the light and shadow” has reshaped. When battling foes one-on-one, Elika can maintain a magical or physical combat posture and be poised to strike anytime upon the player’s call. And her strikes seem to be event-designed, according to Mattes:

In combat – if you’re fighting an enemy, Elika’s just on the periphery, kind of dancing around and ready when you need her. If the enemy has thrown up a magical shield to block your sword attack, you’ll need to break that shield. Press the Y button and Elika will jump into the middle of the fray and perform a magical attack. She’s not way in the background casting lightning bolts – she’s literally jumping and flipping and attacking with you.

Ubisoft says there’s a button that’ll be a dedicated “Elika help me” trigger, and she will always be close enough to immediately give aid. This becomes instrumental on the acrobatic portions of the game where timing is essential.

“By collaborating, the two of you can reach destinations you might not have been able to reach on your own,” the producer added.

But Mattes revealed Elika’s principle design: she’s never going to push the hero out of the limelight. Thus, you won’t find her actively participating in combat and getting in the player’s way. Instead, she’ll be doing the opposite and ensure that the hero remains the star of the show.

Via Eurogamer