Now that we’ve become used to the concept of the franchise reboot, Ubisoft has thrown a curveball with what can best be described as a deboot. 2008’s unsubtitled Prince of Persia was a reboot, adding a female djinn who saved you from ever dying and a complex fighting mechanic; The Forgotten Sands dumps both and returns to the Prince of Persia format of yore.
This time around the nameless prince, visiting his brother Malik’s city, walks into a full-scale invasion, thwarted when Malik releases King Solomon’s zombie army, which then proceeds to swamp the city, while Malik becomes possessed by their demon leader.
Cue classic Prince of Persia platform-style action: the prince can run along and up walls, swing from poles, slide down banners using his knife as a brake and so on, which is just as well as he must get to countless seemingly inaccessible places.
Mechanical puzzles abound, most of which are very good indeed (that is, challenging but not baffling), the level design and graphics (at least on the next-gen consoles) are simply stunning.
The prince’s swordfighting has been dumbed down since his last outing, but he still has some nifty moves and the more enemies he kills, the more special attacks and upgrades he gains.
As the game progresses, the gameplay cleverly acquires extra dimensions, with the prince becoming able to freeze water (turning jets into poles on which he can swing), leap great distances using enemies or vultures as a sort of magnet and rebuild missing bits of the environment.
The classic Prince of Persia blades, spiked poles and traps are present and correct, leaving you thankful that the prince, as ever, can rewind a period of time (using the energy that his special attacks also consume).
Disappointingly, the boss battles are too easy and consequently utterly lame, and you don’t have to use much strategy when fighting, although there are enemies that summon extra zombies (so must be dealt with first).
The storyline is a bit flat and the prince somewhat lacking in personality, but the focus of the game — death-defying athleticism that out-Laras Lara Croft — is so well executed that you feel inclined to gloss over such flaws. It also bucks the trend towards short single-player experiences, which is just as well as it has no multiplayer element.
With no credible new Tomb Raider instalment on the horizon, The Forgotten Sands provides action-adventure game fans with the fix they will have been craving. It’s a judicious mix of the inventive and the familiar. — Guardian News & Media 2010