Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands Review

August 21, 2022

The Prince of Persia franchise dates way back to the early days of computer games as a whole, when the first Prince of Persia came out as a 2-dimensional platformer game, and remained in the hearts of many gamers as one of the best and most inspiring games ever made. Years later, the series continue to attract new players, and each new game manages to set some precedent in the development of the series. The Forgotten Sands is no exception, as it once again shows us that the PoP series is far from exhaustion.

Gameplay

The story continues from the pervious game in the series, The Sands of Time. Depending on the platform you're playing on, the game will have a slightly different storyline – those playing on either the PC, Xbox 360 or PS3 will get one version of it, while those who choose to enjoy the game on mobile devices will see the story from a somewhat different angle.

A major new addition to the gameplay comes in the form of elemental powers for the main character. This means that, as the game progresses, you'll get the ability to control the four elements – fire, water (shown as ice in the game), wind and earth, and bend them to your will. While this opens up the doors to some great new combat situations, it also broadens the game's puzzle aspect by creating new ways for you to tackle your problems.

For example, if you happen to pass by a waterfall, you could use your ice powers to freeze it and climb on the newly-formed solid column. Things like that have been scattered all around the levels and sometimes they're not so obvious, and will give you a sense of satisfaction for managing to find them.

Graphics and System Requirements

The engine used is the same that powers the Assassin's Creed series, and if you've played any of the games in that franchise you'll know what to expect – shiny effects, lots of particle systems used for the finer visual elements like dust and blood, and last but not least, highly fluid animations. As in the Assassin's Creed games, hundreds of unique animations have been recorded for the main character and the final result is a huge variety of styles you can see the Prince move around in.

It is a bit of a strain on the computer, bear in mind – especially on the graphics card. Just make sure you've got at least an 8800GT or X1600 if you're an ATi user, and you should be able to run it with acceptable (and probably even good) framerates.

Other

We should note this separately – if you own a Wii, be prepared for a completely different game than the one available for the other three platforms. Not just in its gameplay (as it obviously utilizes the Wii remote's functionality), but also in the storyline. If you own a Wii and another console (or a PC), we advise you to get both versions of the game so you can fully experience it from all angles.

Conclusion

A solid story wrapped in great gameplay, The Forgotten Sands continues the Prince of Persia series with tremendous success.