Scenes from the latest version of Prince of Persia

I have been interested in the Prince of Persia franchise since the 2003 release of The Sands of Time. But 2008’s Prince of Persia almost took away the players’ ability to fail.

The classic game definitely needed to reinvent itself and has come up with re-inventions of HD visuals, a new grasp of powers and thankfully bringing back the “turn back the clock” power which the titular Price of Persia reboot had taken away from gamers.

With a simpler rehash of previous the Prince of Persia mechanics, the Forgotten Sands finds a balance between rewards and punishments along with some an amazing new combat system and new mechanics towards the end, its easy an easy recommendation to others despite the unfinished game visuals and a rather boring story line.

The release of Prince of Persia Forgotten Sands may coincide with the released Disney picture but don’t expect the movie to reveal much.

After his Technicolor identity crisis in 2008, the prince is back to being tradition. The result: He’s close to what you would expect.

During a visit to his brother in order to learn a thing or two about handling his kingdom, he arrives to find his kingdom at war. He immediately gets involved in the war and starts whipping-out guards and trenching across the palace’s crumbled.

The story focuses on the rivalry between the prince and his brother. At one point in the game they got along perfectly but their relationship started crumbling once the demon over the mind of his brother.

The prince constantly narrates the ongoing events throughout the game but this is inserted some light-hearted moments. Thankfully, the prince appears to be the good-natured fellow borrowed from the Sands of Time.

Unfortunately its not the only thing borrowed from Sands of Time, the opening sequence of breaking into the castle under attack borrows heavily from its predecessor. It does break free from the inspiration but that doesn’t excuse the forgettable introduction.

There are two major differences in the gameplay of the Sands of Time & the Forgotten Sands.

The platform has changed a bit and you have to rely on correct timing while using the button than for the timing of external objects. You may have to proceed quickly and even freeze waterfalls & recall ancient structures at the same time.

These trap-like segments are generally the toughest in the game but are placed strategically and are often short in length.

One issue that has still not been resolved in the new Prince of Persia game is related to the camera. Although it hinders less and probably unfairly helps the player, it still gets caught on itself.

The camera locks in position for certain jumps and leaps that have been pre-set by the level designers.

Also in the tradition of Sands of Time, combat is The Forgotten Sands' low point; though the battles never gets quite as tedious as they do in Sands, fighting hordes of enemies comes across as nothing but needless padding in an otherwise focused game.

There are times where the game looks great with a dynamic lighting and a wide array of colours and at other times the game looks dull and dated.

Ultimately, The Forgotten Sands feels like an HD remake of the original Sands of Time.

Having played both, I can safely say that Ubisoft's latest installment in the franchise definitely benefits from seven years of gaming evolution.

It’s a great installment for newcomers to the Prince of Persia series but those who have been a fan of Prince of Persia Sands of Time would like to forget this one and wait for the next release.

Buyers are advised to be aware. If you are up to picking it up for your PC, just remember that Uplay has once again used as copy protection which includes storing your saves elsewhere. This means that you have to stay online to play the game.

play on

Rating: 7.8 /10

Minimum System Requirements

Operating System: Microsoft Windows XP (SP3)/ Windows Vista (SP2)/ Windows 7
Processor: Intel Pentium D at 2.6 GHz / AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+
Video Card: 256 MB VRAM – DirectX 9.0 compatible video card with Shader Model 3.0 support
Memory: 1 GB RAM (XP) / 2 GB RAM (Vista / 7)
Hard Disk: 8 GB of free Hard Drive space
Sound: DirectX 9.0 compatible Sound Card
Direct X: 9.0c
Controls: Windows compatible Keyboard & Mouse / Controller
Installation: DVD-ROM Drive
Platform(s): PC / XBOX 360 / PS3

(The author is a BCA student and can be contacted at sgtswagatam.m@gmail.com)