One thousand years ago, the brothers Ahriman, God of Darkness, and Ormazd, God of Light, fought for control of the world. Ormazd and his warriors, known as the Ahura, were outnumbered, but Ormazd tricked Ahriman into entering the Tree of Life, imprisoning him within it. Knowing with shame that his initial appeasement of Ahriman allowed the war to happen, resulting in widespread destruction, Ormazd left for the stars.

The Ahura kept watch over the Tree of Life in Ormazd’s absence, but as one generation gave way to the next, their powers began to wane and their numbers dwindled. Ahriman was thought to be neutralized by his imprisonment, but he continued to search for ways to gain his freedom.

After Elika’s mother died, her father, the current King of the Ahura, fell into despair and withdrew from his duties. The few remaining Ahura abandoned their task of tending to the Tree, giving Ahriman the opportunity he has long sought: in exchange for freedom, he tells the King, he can resurrect the dead woman.

As the Prince of Persia story opens, the King is on his way to free Ahriman while Elika races to stop him. The King sends his soldiers to head her off, but when she meets the Prince, he gives her an advantage in fending off the troops’ attacks. As the game progresses, you’ll learn some surprising secrets about Elika’s past.

Tying in the Mythology

Ahriman (also known as Angra Mainyu) is the destructive spirit of Zoroastrianism, while Ormazd (also known as Ahura Mazda) is the religion’s main god. It is an ancient faith that was begun by the prophet and religious poet Zoroaster — the three Magi who visited Christ with gifts after his birth were possibly adherents of Zoroastrianism, although there are different schools of thought regarding their identity.

“We were looking to give strong meaning to the game, so we wanted to tie a real mythology to our story,” Emery explains. “Zoroastrianism was our best choice. It’s a strong mythology in terms of impact, and the state of conflict between Ahriman and Ormazd is immediately clear to the player. It was easy to tie the journey of Elika and the Prince to this conflict: they are toys of those gods who fight for world domination, but their personal choices impact that conflict.”

Four Combatants of the Apocalypse

Ahriman’s freedom allows him to not only corrupt innocent men and women, turning them into his foot soldiers, but to also bring four mighty combatants to his side. Each of them fought in that war 1,000 years ago, after Ahriman gave them what they wanted in exchange for their servitude. Now they are once again fighting for his cause, and you must defeat each of them to free the four lands from Corruption.

• The Hunter: He grew up a prince who had everything he could ever want, including advisers who taught him to track and kill every wild animal in his kingdom. Ahriman gave him the opportunity to hunt the most deadly game of all: man. He is quick and agile, using an “inkblot” attack that splashes Corruption across your field of vision.
• The Alchemist: He was once a scientist who sought to discover the secrets of immortality. When he grew old and frail, he asked Ormazd for a few more years of life, so he could finish his work, but he was rebuffed, so he turned to Ahriman, who granted his wish but required him to perform experiments with Corruption on unsuspecting people. The Alchemist likes to deploy a shield that lets him regain some health, and he’ll try to get you bogged down in patches of Corruption every chance he gets.
• The Concubine: Once upon a time, she used her beauty and power to influence affairs in the Royal Court, but an assault left her scarred. Ahriman restored her ability to hold sway men, but at the cost of servitude to him. She varies her attack speed, making it difficult to block her blows, and she can cast a spell that reverses your controls, potentially causing you to make a costly move in the wrong direction.
• The Warrior: He used to rule over a peaceful people whose pacifism left their kingdom vulnerable to attack. The king asked Ahriman for assistance and was granted the ability to repel an invading army. His people, however, rejected his now-monstrous state, and he left to serve his new master. You won’t be able to defeat him with your sword, forcing you to drive him over the edge of a cliff or into a corner, where you can grapple with him. He can summon Corruption to his defense, forcing you to back off for a moment.

• Press the E key to summon Elika’s compass power any time you’re unsure where to go next. She’ll point you in the right direction.
• You can also press E during combat to bring Elika’s magic to your aid.
• As often as possible, press the T key to talk to Elika, who will tell you more about the current land and its upcoming enemies. She’ll also impart bits of back story.
• You can defeat some enemies by forcing them to the edge of a cliff and sending them to their doom. No need to completely deplete their life bar.

• To tell which walls are perfect for wall-running, look for worn-out areas running horizontally across them — that’s where the Prince can establish and maintain a hold on the wall.
• If you find yourself stumped, check out a video walkthrough that shows you exactly what to do, complete with explanatory text. GameFAQs hosts text walkthroughs that also include more tips and tricks.