PoP: The Sands of Time - Speed Run Tips | Forums

[ThermoDragon]

Hello!

I just wanted to offer some advice to help those trying to improve their time on The Sands of Time.

- Vaulting Attack + Retrieve - Possibly the best move in the game. When you leap over an enemy, instead of knocking him to the ground with two sword slices you hit the Attack button once, followed by the Dagger button. You'll absorb the enemy as you land, taking him out in one hit, and you won't leave yourself vulnerable to attack while retrieving.

This method works on the Sand Creatures wielding hand axes, spiked clubs, chains, or sickles. It also works on the red guards. You can use it on a weakened hammer-carrying creature, but it's not reliable so stick with the normal vaulting attack for these guys. The blue guards, women, and armored soldiers all block the retrieve, so your best bet to take them out quickly is a wall rebound attack.

- Sometimes, it's better to run - When you come across flocks of birds waiting for you on a bridge, like about halfway through the game and again before you reach the Tower of Dawn, you can run past them into the next building. Another good place to avoid birds is in the Cliffs and Waterfall area. When you get to the waterfall, just keep going and cross the bridge as quickly as possible. Most of the hallways with scarabs can also be skipped. In fact, you can avoid most of the animals in the game by running.

- Quick swinging - When swinging across series of poles, you don't have to flip 360 degrees around each one. Just jump from the first pole to the next, and jump from that pole on the same swing before you go around full circle. You'll have enough momentum to keep going.

- Save often - If you really want a good time, you should be prepared to redo any rooms if you make any mistakes that cost more than a few seconds. To get the acrobatic puzzles right the first time, you need to be familiar with the layout of all the rooms, so it helps if you've gone through the game a few times.

- Minimum items - Don't get any life fountains; they take too long. Occasionally you may want to pick up a Sand Cloud to refill your Power Tanks before a major battle, but as long as you don't get more than 7 during the game you won't get another Sand Tank and lose your Haste ability. Also, by keeping only 4 tanks you can refill your Power Tanks every 8 enemies, which means you can use Haste in almost every fight towards the end.

Anyway, if you keep these things in mind, you can finish the game in 3 hours or less! In case you're wondering, here are some target times you should be aiming for if you want a 3 hour game:

10% - 0:20
21% - 0:40
43% - 1:18
55% - 1:38
69% - 2:02
81% - 2:31
90% - 2:45
95% - 2:54

I hope this helps some people!

[ThermoDragon]

Hello!

I just wanted to offer some advice to help those trying to improve their time on The Sands of Time.

- Vaulting Attack + Retrieve - Possibly the best move in the game. When you leap over an enemy, instead of knocking him to the ground with two sword slices you hit the Attack button once, followed by the Dagger button. You'll absorb the enemy as you land, taking him out in one hit, and you won't leave yourself vulnerable to attack while retrieving.

This method works on the Sand Creatures wielding hand axes, spiked clubs, chains, or sickles. It also works on the red guards. You can use it on a weakened hammer-carrying creature, but it's not reliable so stick with the normal vaulting attack for these guys. The blue guards, women, and armored soldiers all block the retrieve, so your best bet to take them out quickly is a wall rebound attack.

- Sometimes, it's better to run - When you come across flocks of birds waiting for you on a bridge, like about halfway through the game and again before you reach the Tower of Dawn, you can run past them into the next building. Another good place to avoid birds is in the Cliffs and Waterfall area. When you get to the waterfall, just keep going and cross the bridge as quickly as possible. Most of the hallways with scarabs can also be skipped. In fact, you can avoid most of the animals in the game by running.

- Quick swinging - When swinging across series of poles, you don't have to flip 360 degrees around each one. Just jump from the first pole to the next, and jump from that pole on the same swing before you go around full circle. You'll have enough momentum to keep going.

- Save often - If you really want a good time, you should be prepared to redo any rooms if you make any mistakes that cost more than a few seconds. To get the acrobatic puzzles right the first time, you need to be familiar with the layout of all the rooms, so it helps if you've gone through the game a few times.

- Minimum items - Don't get any life fountains; they take too long. Occasionally you may want to pick up a Sand Cloud to refill your Power Tanks before a major battle, but as long as you don't get more than 7 during the game you won't get another Sand Tank and lose your Haste ability. Also, by keeping only 4 tanks you can refill your Power Tanks every 8 enemies, which means you can use Haste in almost every fight towards the end.

Anyway, if you keep these things in mind, you can finish the game in 3 hours or less! In case you're wondering, here are some target times you should be aiming for if you want a 3 hour game:

10% - 0:20
21% - 0:40
43% - 1:18
55% - 1:38
69% - 2:02
81% - 2:31
90% - 2:45
95% - 2:54

I hope this helps some people!

[Pride_Of_Persia]

Thanks for the Tips! I'm trying to improve my time record for PoP:SoT!