Prince of Persia : Rival Swords

Prince of Persia: Rival Swords is the PlayStation Portable edition of Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones, Ubisoft's action-adventure finale to the Sands of Time trilogy. Developed and published by Ubisoft, it arrived for PSP in North America on April 3, 2007. Rival Swords brings the 2005 Babylon-set adventure to Sony's handheld under a different title; it should not be confused with a new story or with the separately adapted Wii version, which also uses the Rival Swords name but features motion controls.

Set after Prince of Persia: Warrior Within, the story follows the Prince and Kaileena, the Empress of Time, as they return to Babylon hoping for peace. Instead they find the city under attack and the Vizier alive in the altered timeline. When Kaileena is killed with the Dagger of Time, the Sands are unleashed again, the Vizier becomes a monstrous immortal threat, and the Prince is infected by the same corruption. His journey through the occupied city eventually reunites him with Farah, who has no memory of their earlier adventure in this changed history.

Rival Swords combines environmental platforming, puzzle-solving, and close-quarters action. The Prince runs along walls, leaps between vertical surfaces, climbs structures, swings from poles, avoids traps, and navigates Babylon's rooftops, sewers, palace, and gardens. Chariot sequences break up the on-foot exploration with high-speed rides that require dodging hazards while dealing with enemies.

Combat keeps the acrobatic, free-form style of the series. The Prince fights with the Dagger of Time and can pick up secondary weapons for temporary dual-wielding, while sand powers provide limited time manipulation and stronger attacks as the Dagger is upgraded. The Speed Kill system gives stealth a distinctive rhythm: after approaching an unaware enemy, players must strike in time with its prompts to complete an instant takedown. Boss encounters also make use of that timed-input mechanic.

The Sands infection introduces the Dark Prince, a hostile inner voice that periodically takes physical control of the hero. These sequences replace normal weapon options with the Daggertail, a bladed whip that can attack at range, pull objects from walls, and help cross gaps. The Dark Prince steadily loses health, so collecting Sand is essential to stay alive; water restores the Prince's normal form. This alternating moveset links the game's internal conflict directly to both traversal and combat.

The PSP release expands the single-player version with extra chariot material and altered sand-gate challenges, including obstacle-course trials used to disable gates. It also adds dialogue that provides more story context. Rival Swords softens the original game's graphic violence presentation, using stylized sand and smoke effects during takedowns while retaining the timing-based action.

Beyond the campaign, PSP owners can use local wireless multiplayer for two-player races. One player controls the Prince and the other a separate Dark Prince as they sprint through platforming routes, choose among alternate paths, and trigger traps to disrupt the opponent. Together with the portable conversion and its added content, these modes make Prince of Persia: Rival Swords the distinct PSP-focused version of The Two Thrones.