Game:Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands

Platform:Xbox 360, PS3

Game length: 8-10 hours

Completed? Completed the game on normal one and a half times. Beat both arena modes.

Lead Reviewer: Shawn

The Prince of Persia series (PoP from here on out) is one that has gone through many changes as it has progressed, but one thing has always been consistent – excellent platforming. While many consider Prince of Persia: Sands of Time to be one of the best games ever made, the follow ups to it left most fans wanting more. PoP: Warrior Within bettered the combat, but weird design decisions to make the game “edgy” were frowned upon. PoP: Two Thrones was a good game, but ultimately one that wasn’t exceptional and it played things a bit too safe. PoP 2008 was a reboot for the franchise, which opened up the game world and overhauled the combat completely… while splitting the fanbase in two at the same time.

Ubisoft is trying to satisfy fans, or arguably cash-in on the upcoming movie, with the release of Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands. A return to the story and gameplay style of the original Sands of Time trilogy is what you’ll find here, with most of the advancements from PoP 2008 nowhere to be found. The hype and marketing for the game are exceptionally low for a title of its caliber, which leaves many to believe that it’s just a cash-in for the movie releasing this weekend. Is this true? Well, no, it’s not.

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+ Platforming and Level Design Done Right – The platforming found in Forgotten Sands is easily some of the best in the series. Every section feels smooth and has a great transition from each obstacle, which just showcases how much thought went into the level design. While some of the puzzles may not be very difficult, they are placed well and always seem to appear at an opportune moment. There is a great balance between the different types of platforming you’ll be doing, so boredom doesn’t become an option. You’ll come across your standard pole swinging, wall running, and avoiding spikes, as well as a few new surprises.

+ Liquid to Solid – The most used mechanic in Forgotten Sands focuses on the ability to freeze water. Considering the game takes place in a crumbling palace, there are many areas where you can use this to your advantage. Broken pipes and waterfalls seamlessly become part of the platforming environment, almost as if it’s second nature. There is some fantastic use of the water ability that I’m not going to spoil here, but this was a solid creative decision by Ubisoft.

+ Warrior Within – While shallow, the combat is simple and enjoyable if you use all of the moves available in the Prince’s arsenal. If you choose, you can hit the attack button over and over again to win, but where’s the fun in that? The Prince can perform regular, charged, aerial, finishing and elemental attacks, and combining them all together leads to a decently fun combat system. It’s not much better than average, but it’s a nice break between long platforming sections.

+ Surviving the Elements – The inclusion of elemental attacks for the Prince to use add a nice variety to the combat system that wouldn’t exist otherwise. Whether you are sending a whirlwind from the ground to knock down enemies, or rolling through big groups with a trail of fire behind you, it’s satisfying enough. Making them strong enough to be fun is not, however..

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- Level Up? – The Forgotten Sands uses an experience system for you to rank up the different powers the Prince possesses. Whether you use them on his elemental attacks, his health bar, or his strength, it doesn’t feel rewarding… well, not until you max something out, but by that point you’ll be near the end of the game.

- Extra! Extra! – Your first playthough of Forgotten Sands won’t take you more than seven or eight hours, which is fine. However, an extra arena type mode was included that feels a bit out of place. Not so much because it’s not fun, but because after you play it once there really is no reason to go back into it. There is no unlockable hard mode, or much else to speak of. One of the positives here is that all of your upgrades carry over to a new playthrough, so if you want to play again, you’ll have all your special moves right from the start.

- Kicking the Reboot to the Curb – In 2008, Ubisoft released their next-gen vision of Prince of Persia to mixed reactions. Most agreed that the art style was incredible, but many had an issue with the new fighting game-like combat system and open world platforming. I for one loved it despite its flaws, and I was hoping my next venture into the Prince of Persia world would be a definitive version of the reboot. Clearly, this wasn’t meant to be. Hopefully this return to the old style will tide fans over for awhile, so we can get another proper new entry.

Conclusion

I honestly can’t say enough good things about Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands. I had a very hard time putting my controller down every time I played it. The platforming found here is unmatched by any of the other games in the series, and the pacing is fantastic. Combat breaks up the platforming well enough to avoid becoming monotonous, but the leveling system could have used a bit of tweaking before release. If you consider yourself even a slight fan of the original Sands of Time trilogy, you need to play this game. It really is an enhanced version of the gameplay you know and love, with some of the best features you’ll find in the series. You may just want to wait until it hits the $40 price point.


Score

8.5 –