Prince of Persia: Rival Swords

About

Prince of Persia Rival Swords is a fast-paced action game built around platforming and combat. You control the prince as he navigates temple ruins and cityscapes, dodging traps and fighting enemies with a mix of acrobatics and weapons. The core gameplay mirrors The Two Thrones but adds quick time events and tight controls suited for handheld play. US versions include extra challenges like chariot races and split-screen racing modes where two players compete to finish levels fastest. The bonus content extends the experience beyond the main story. Nine extra levels are unlocked via sand gates, some repeating to grant new sand powers similar to Sands of Time. Three levels tie directly to the plot, showing the vizier’s research into Zurvan temples. Destroying a statue piece by piece in these levels visually represents the villain’s weakening, offering a meta-narrative link to the final battle. Some players have found the repetitive level layouts in the bonus content less engaging, but the added multiplayer and lore details make it stand out for completionists.

Storyline

The game follows the same story-line as Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones. However, we get some extra insight into the story during the bonus levels. Unlike in the main version, prince is indeed able to use the sand gates for teleportation across the city. Each sand gate takes to a bonus levels, making for a total of 9 bonus levels. 3 out of those 9 levels go to the exact same place which is similar to the Life Upgrade sections seen in Prince of Persia: Sands of Time, each time they are visited, the prince is given a new sand power. Out of the remaining bonus levels, 3 bonus levels are directly connected to the story. It is revealed that the vizier has uncovered the secrets of the lost temples of Zurvan. In each of these levels there is a statue of Zurvan which is destroyed piece by piece as the prince completes each bonus level. The damage done in previous bonus levels is mirrored in the statue of present in the current level and gets destroyed when the prince completes the final bonus level. The damage of the statue symbolically indicates the downfall of Zurvan/Vizier and exactly shows how the final boss fight is going to be.