Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands

Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands is a multi-platform video game produced by Ubisoft, which was released on May 18, 2010, in North America and on May 20 in Europe. The games mark a return to the storyline started by Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands is the title of four separate games with different storylines. It was released for PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, Wii, Xbox 360, Nintendo DS, and Microsoft Windows, and is currently the last Prince of Persia game to be available on a home video game system, as no further titles were released on the next generation of video game systems that followed.

For the game for the Wii, see Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands (Wii).
Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands
Developer(s)Ubisoft Montreal
Ubisoft Quebec (Nintendo Wii, Playstation Portable)
Ubisoft Casablanca (Nintendo DS)
Publisher(s)Ubisoft
Director(s)Jean-Christophe Guyot
Producer(s)Graeme Jennings
Designer(s)Thomas Simon
Programmer(s)Alain Dessureaux
Writer(s)Ceri Young
Composer(s)Xbox 360, PS3, PC
Steve Jablonsky[1][2]
Wii, NDS, PSP
Tom Salta[3][4][5]
SeriesPrince of Persia
EngineAnvil / Jade
Platform(s)PlayStation 3
Xbox 360
Wii
Microsoft Windows
Nintendo DS
PlayStation Portable[6]
ReleaseXbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, Nintendo DS, PlayStation Portable:
Microsoft Windows:
Genre(s)Action-adventure
Mode(s)Single-player

The PlayStation Portable and Wii versions were developed by Ubisoft Quebec; the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows versions were handled by Ubisoft Montreal with the help of Ubisoft Singapore; and the Nintendo DS version was made at Casablanca.

Synopsis

Setting

The Forgotten Sands returns to the storyline established by Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, and concluded by Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones.[9] On December 14, 2009, Ubisoft UK released the first details of the story on their official video portal.[10]

The game takes place in the seven-year gap[11] between Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time and Prince of Persia: Warrior Within. (Other than the DS version, which takes place after Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones.) The Prince character is supposed to be a cross between the character models in these two games. He is again voiced by Yuri Lowenthal.[12]

Plot

Note: This plot is the one found in the PS3, Xbox 360 and PC versions of the game.

The Prince is riding through a desert on his horse, on a quest to see his brother, Malik, and learn about leadership from him. When the Prince arrives at Malik's kingdom, he finds it under attack by an army which is attempting to breach the treasure vaults for a great power known as "Solomon's Army". The Prince charges in to the city, and tracks Malik to the treasure vaults. Here, Malik says that he is fighting a losing battle and proposes to rely on a last resort or be forced to retreat. The Prince strongly objects, but Malik releases Solomon's Army using a magical seal. Solomon's Army is an assortment of different creatures, all made of sand. The Prince and Malik both manage to obtain halves of the seal used to keep the army contained, protecting them from being turned into sand statues, which is the fate of the rest of the kingdom.

Malik is separated from the Prince, who finds a portal to the domain of Razia, a Djinn of the Marid race. Razia tells the Prince that the only way to re-imprison Solomon's Army is to reunite both halves of the seal. Razia gives the Prince special powers and sends him to find Malik, and the other half of the seal. When the Prince finds Malik, he is not interested in stopping Solomon's Army, but instead wants to destroy it and use its power to become a more powerful leader. This is explained by Razia: whereas the Prince is using the power gifted to him by Razia, Malik is using power taken directly from those he defeats. The Army's sand is gradually affecting his mind, making him susceptible to Ratash's influence. The Prince again sets out to find Malik, but this time to forcibly take his half of the seal. When he finds him, Malik is stronger and manages to escape. Pursuing Malik again, the Prince finds Ratash, Ifrit leader of the Army, searching for the seal. After the Prince outruns him, he concludes Ratash must now be chasing Malik, and so sets out to aid him. The Prince arrives in the throne room to find Malik and Ratash fighting, and he aids Malik. The Prince and Malik seem to kill Ratash, and Malik absorbs his power, shattering his half of the seal. Malik then runs off, seemingly in a hysterical fit, using some of Ratash's powers to escape.

The Prince pursues him, and again finds Razia. Razia explains that Ratash cannot be killed by any ordinary sword, and that what actually happened was quite different from what the Prince saw: Ratash has actually killed Malik, and possessed his body. The Prince doesn't believe this, and sets out to find the Djinn Sword, hidden in the ancient city of Rekem, which Razia says can kill Ratash. Along the way, the Prince chases Malik, now being used by Ratash to retake the Ifrit's original form. The Prince loses a battle to Ratash and, convinced his brother is truly dead, finds the Djinn Sword. Razia soon bonds with the sword, giving it the power needed to destroy Ratash. The Prince again searches for Ratash. When he finds him, Ratash is now gigantic, literally fed by the sandstorm which has come over the palace. The Prince uses the sword to kill Ratash, and, when the sandstorm subsides, he finds Malik dying. Malik says to tell their father that Prince will be as mighty a leader as Solomon, then dies. In an epilogue, the Prince tells of how he took the sword back to Rekem, where he thought Razia would want to rest, and how he must now set out to inform his father of Malik's death.

Gameplay

Forgotten Sands is available on all major gaming platforms and features "...many of the fan-favorite elements from the original series as well as new gameplay innovations," according to a press release from Ubisoft. The DS, PSP and Wii versions were developed separately and feature different gameplay than the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Windows versions.[6] With Ubisoft's feature Uplay, players may unlock Ezio, the main character from Assassin's Creed II.

In the PS3/Xbox 360/PC game, throughout the game the Prince learns new powers. The biggest new feature is the addition of elemental powers,[11] which behave as power-ups, enhancing the Prince's ability in battles and allowing him to access unreachable areas. There are four core powers in the game: Fire, Ice, Wind and Earth. Each of them translates to a different power during combat, such as the ability to "solidify" water fountains and turn them into climbable columns.[11] Besides these core powers, there are also minor powers, that can be purchased to enhance the Prince's abilities from Razia.[13] These minor powers include a shield and the power to summon small tornadoes.[11] The combat in the game is similar to combat mechanics found in The Sands of Time. The Prince will be able to fight multiple enemies in one battle, up to 50 at once.[11] An important part of the combat is "crowd control" and evading enemies, as well as combos.[11] The Prince cannot block during combat and there are no quick time events.[14]

Development

Digital rights management

The Forgotten Sands uses an enhanced version of Ubisoft's digital rights management system (DRM), requiring the user to be connected to Ubisoft's servers in order to play. This new version loads part of the game's content from the server and will not allow the player to continue if a connection to the server does not exist. On 28 June 2010 the DRM was cracked by replacing the code with offline equivalents.[15] The requirement of a permanent internet connection while playing was finally dropped. Versions download directly with the Uplay launcher and with the steam client do not require a constant internet connection to play single-player.

Marketing and release

A trailer for The Forgotten Sands was premiered worldwide on the 2009 Spike Video Game Awards.[9] To promote the game, a Flash minigame was posted on Newgrounds and several other popular gaming sites.

While not a direct video game adaptation or containing elements of the film, the game's release coincides with the May 2010 release of Disney's film adaptation of the video game, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Ben Kingsley.

A Digital Deluxe Edition of The Forgotten Sands is also available on Steam. It includes two new skins, a new exclusive map for survival mode, the game's OST, as well as a free copy of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. A free copy of Prince of Persia: Warrior Within was given to those who pre-ordered The Forgotten Sands on Steam. Another combo of the Deluxe Edition also includes the Official Strategy Guide from Prima.[16]

Reception
Reception
Aggregate scores
AggregatorScore
GameRankings(PC) 78.22%[17]
(Wii) 76.53%[18]
(X360) 75.52%[19]
(PS3) 74.82%[20]
(PSP) 61.75%[21]
(DS) 57.33%[22]
Metacritic(Wii) 77/100[23]
(PC) 75/100[24]
(PS3) 75/100[25]
(X360) 74/100[26]
(PSP) 65/100[27]
(DS) 57/100[28]
Review scores
PublicationScore
Destructoid8.5/10[29]
Edge6/10[30]
Eurogamer(Wii) 7/10[31]
(X360) 6/10[32]
Game Informer8/10[33][34]
GamePro[35]
GameRevolutionB−[36]
GameSpot7.5/10[37][38][39]
(PSP) 6.5/10[40]
GameTrailers(X360) 7.8/10[41]
(Wii) 7.6/10[42]
GameZone6/10[43]
Giant Bomb[44]
IGN8/10[45][46][47][48]
(PSP) 6/10[49]
(DS) 4.5/10[50]
Joystiq[51]
Nintendo Power8/10[52]
OXM (US)7.5/10[53]
The A.V. ClubB[54]
The Daily Telegraph7/10[55]

The game was met with mixed to positive reviews upon release. GameRankings and Metacritic gave it a score of 57.33% and 57 out of 100 for the DS version;[22][28] 74.82% and 75 out of 100 for the PlayStation 3 version;[20][25] 61.75% and 65 out of 100 for the PSP version;[21][27] 75.52% and 74 out of 100 for the Xbox 360 version;[19][26] 76.53% and 77 out of 100 for the Wii version;[18][23] and 78.22% and 75 out of 100 for the PC version.[17][24]

Other versions

Wii
Main article: Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands (Wii)

Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands was released for the Wii on May 18, 2010 in North America, and May 20, 2010 in Europe. It was developed by Ubisoft Quebec for the Wii. The game features a completely different storyline and setting from other versions, as well as gameplay mechanics, as the game makes use of the Wii's motion control as well as conventional buttons. While other versions of Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands feature powers such as water or time manipulation to aid the player, the Wii version has its own unique set of powers: It features a "Spirit Hook", which serves as a grip which the player can deploy in certain areas on walls; a "Whirlwind", which acts like an elevator the player can deploy in certain places on the ground; and a "Magic Sphere", which the player can deploy in midair to act a safety net, breaking the player's fall and suspending them there.

The Wii version of the game also features local multiplayer, in which a second player can aid the first player by freezing on-screen enemies or traps for them, or helping to unlock secret areas. Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands for the Wii also features some bonus content, such as unlockable in-game character skins, art galleries, developer diaries, bonus levels, and the original 1992 version of Prince of Persia. The game is popularly referred to as having last generation graphics and dull combat, but was generally praised for its unique and creative gameplay mechanics as well as its overall strong production values, including its unique storyline.

PSP

The PSP version is a side-scrolling 2.5D platformer that roughly follows the same style as the other versions. It has a different storyline involving freeing the Sisters of Time, a different setting and antagonist.

The game features a plot in which the prophecy is written that a member of Prince's royal family will bring an end to an evil fire spirit Ahihud's dark reign over hidden mystic land. To ensure his survival, the evil spirit's minions hunt down those with the royal blood of Persia. Prince escapes his tower, where he is kept protected by his father, and pursues a mysterious guiding light, which turns out to be Helem, a spirit of Time who promises to help the Prince defeat his enemy. Together, they journey to a mysterious, hidden kingdom which is revealed to be the holy site where the first god came to create universe. The kingdom is fully under control of Ahihud, who aims to devour the land's magical energy, the Elixir. The player has to confront Ahihud's sand monsters, collects Elixir to boost his own strength and vitality, and find portals to spirits realm, where Helem's sisters are to be freed. Each freed Sister of Time grants Prince a new ability to control time, like freezing a selected spot or creature, or hasting it. After making his way through the mystic land, Prince defeats Ahihud's two most powerful servants, the gigantic guardian of the palace and the sand assassin, who was created to hunt down Prince's relatives. In the end, Prince is able to kill Ahihud in his own domain in spirits realm, fulfilling the prophecy and restoring the mystic land to its former glory.

Nintendo DS

Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands for the Nintendo DS is a handheld 2D side-scroller installment to the franchise, in a similar fashion to the series' previous DS installment, Prince of Persia: The Fallen King.[50] The game is entirely stylus-controlled, featuring no button use. To maneuver, the player must hold the stylus in the direction relative to the Prince character where the player wants to move. To climb, the player must hold the stylus part way up a wall, to jump, the player holds the stylus at the other end of the gap. Combat in the game is stylus-controlled as well. To defeat enemies, the player must slash them. This is done by moving the stylus diagonally across the enemy the player intends to attack.[56] The player can also manipulate the power of the sands with the stylus; if the player rubs a streak of sand with the stylus, it becomes a pillar of sand, which the player can use to jump across gaps.

The player also has the advantage of sand "powers": If the player dies, they can tap an hourglass symbol on the touchscreen and rewind time to the last time they were safe. The player can also slow down time if there are any obstacles that are moving too fast for the player to traverse. The player has a limited number of times they are able to use these powers, as they have a set number of sand orbs, which allow them to manipulate these powers. Should the player face death without rewinding time, they will revert to their last obtained checkpoint.[50] Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands for the DS also features an economic system, allowing players to collect ruby throughout their adventure for various feats, and in between levels, exchange the ruby with the merchant for additional power-ups, such as additional in-game costumes, weapon upgrades, health bar extensions, and additional sand orb slots. There are also sessions of the game in which the player rides a horse, using the stylus to steer the horse left or right to evade obstacles.

The plot of the DS version centers on the Prince character being abducted by a cult. This cult brings the Prince to an ancient temple in India and uses his sword, which houses the Djinn queen Razia, to obtain a blood sacrifice from him. Using the Prince's royal blood and Razia's Sand powers, the cult liberates an evil force locked in the temple, erasing the Prince's memory and stealing Razia's powers in the process. The temple collapses as the evil is freed, and the Prince falls into a pit. At the bottom, Razia's spirit leads the Prince to his weapon, and tells him that the ceremony he was abducted for is the reason why he doesn't remember anything. She informs him further that he is a prince, and that he and Razia are longtime friends, which the Prince believes. He decides to follow her instructions warily, as he doesn't remember anything himself. They escape from the bottom of the collapsed temple and Razia tells the Prince that their quest must be to hunt down and kill the three members of the cult who abducted them.

The three cultists stole the Prince's memories and Razia's Sand powers during the ceremony and therefore mutated into gigantic Sand monsters. Razia says killing them will give the Prince back his memories, and Razia her powers. The Prince and Razia then set out across India to hunt down and kill the three cult members, which they succeed in doing. With all their powers and memories restored, they now set out to hunt down and kill the resurrected leader of the cult, who is slowly conquering the world, starting with the conquest of Babylon. They succeed in killing him, but at the cost of Razia's life. The Prince throws the sword in which Razia resided off of the top of a tower in Babylon, and it dissolves in the desert sand.

gollark: IIRC yeß.
gollark: If a thing works differently in real life to ingame, people frequently decide that the real-life version must be better, even though this is not necessarily the case because the setting is completely different.
gollark: But don't fall into the trap of blindly copying some real-life thing into Minecraft like *so many* people do with "OS"es.
gollark: I think what might work better is some sort of loan thing?
gollark: There are *shops* (and groups of shops) which do, but they're not organized like companies.

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