Developer(s) Ubisoft Quebec Director(s) Mario Lord Programmer(s) Marc Parenteau | Publisher(s) Ubisoft Producer(s) Valérie Hénaire | |
Designer(s) Alexandre Pedneault
Yanick Piché | ||
Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands is an action-adventure video game developed by Ubisoft Quebec for the Wii. The game is the eighth installment to the Prince of Persia franchise, and takes place in the seven-year gap between Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time and Prince of Persia: Warrior Within. The game was released in North America on May 18, 2010, and Europe on May 20, 2010.
Contents
Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands' plot centers on the unnamed Prince character as he asks a genie for a kingdom of his own. The genie instead leads him to a cursed kingdom, expecting that he can lift the curse, and offering him the kingdom if he does so. The player assumes the role of the Prince character, and receives aid from the genie Zahra. The game features a separate storyline and gameplay features than the other installments in the franchise or versions of Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands, such as new powers for the player to manipulate, and new gameplay. The game also features many bonus unlockable features, such as developer diaries, concept art galleries, additional player and weapon skins, and additional bonus challenges, including the original 1989 version of Prince of Persia.
Gameplay
In Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands, the player wields three powers: a "spirit hook", serving as a wall grip to ascend areas where there are no ledges or grips; a whirlwind pillar to elevate the player; and a protective sphere to avoid falling or getting caught in traps. These three magical powers serve in navigation sequences, during combat, and to solve puzzles. In the game, the player must combine the three powers to prevail.
Combat in the Wii version makes use of the Wii's motion sensing capabilities. Swinging the Wii Remote will cause the Prince to swing his sword, and the same gesture with the Nunchuk will make him punch. Both controllers can also be shaken simultaneously to unleash a powerful spin attack. The rest of the maneuvers (such as jumping or blocking) use buttons, as Ubisoft Quebec did not want to make the game exhausting by over-using motion controls. Occasionally, certain foes will have a blue aura surrounding them, meaning they are the "leader" of the group of enemies. If the player kills this leader, the other enemies will flee, and the player wins the fight. Enemies in combat can also be frozen by the player for a brief period of time. The Wii version also features cooperative multiplayer gameplay, allowing a second player to aid the first by temporarily freezing obstacles or enemies, allowing the first player safe passage. Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands also includes the Mac OS version of the original Prince of Persia, played using the Wii Remote.
Plot
The Game begins in the middle of the action as the Prince tries to flee the collapsing Izdihar, with the fairy-like genie Zahra, at his side, but the kingdom is sinking too quickly into the sands, and Zahra merges with the Prince in order to ensure his escape. He takes a leap of faith off a tower, putting his trust in the Genie. He passes out.
The story proper begins in flashback as Zahra is leading the Prince through a jungle to what she says will be the kingdom and princess he's been longing for. When they reach a clearing, with no kingdom in sight, Zahra prompts the Prince to kiss an angelic enchanted statue. This forms a magical union between Zahra and the Prince, protecting both from death, and allowing the Prince to see as Zahra sees. A gateway suddenly appears, and Zahra explains that it is the entrance to the kingdom of Izdihar. Zahra leads the Prince to Izdihar, and tells him that it is the kingdom he has been seeking. However, Izdihar is deserted, covered in poisonous vines, and decaying. The Prince suddenly sees a sword in a stone, and pulls it out, which frees a witch, who flees into the sky. A large monster then arrives, and the Prince uses the sword to stab it, but the blade breaks from the hilt, and the monster escapes with the blade still impaled in its body. Zahra explains that by removing the sword, the Prince unwillingly released a great evil, the Haoma, which has ravaged much of Izdihar, and eradicated its people. The sword had been used to contain the Haoma witch and stop the spread of the poisonous Haoma vines through the kingdom. With the witch free, the Haoma could now continue its devastation of Izdihar. Zahra states that the only way to vanquish the Haoma is to reforge the sword.
The Prince therefore sets out chasing after the monster, to reclaim the blade, and set right his mistake of releasing the Haoma witch. Along the journey through Izdihar, Zahra explains that it was once populated by her kind, until the Haoma arrived. As the only survivor, Zahra vowed to avenge her people and vanquish the Haoma. To achieve this, she allowed herself to be sold to the Prince in a marketplace, because she knew that he possessed the prowess and ambition to vanquish the Haoma.
In a final confrontation with the monster, the Prince is victorious. As it is dying, the monster reveals itself to be the Haoma-cursed form of the former king of Izdihar. With his last breath, the king asks the Prince to save his daughter, the princess Nasreen, and vanquish the Haoma from Izdihar. With renewed vigor, and both pieces of the sword in his possession, the Prince sets out to reforge it, by completing four obstacle trials set by the gods. With the magical sword restored, the Prince pursues the Haoma Witch. He finds her, defeats her, and kills the Haoma by striking at its heart. This causes the Witch to transform back into the princess Nasreen, who had been possessed by the Haoma. The withering Haoma vines grab the princess, and to save her, the Prince gives her a kiss, transferring his and Zahra's power over death to her. The now-immortal princess falls off a ledge, Izdihar begins to crumble, and the Haoma dies. The Prince tries to flee the collapsing Izdihar(a repeat of the opening level), with Zahra still at his side, but the kingdom is sinking too quickly into the sands, and Zahra merges with the Prince in order to ensure his escape. He takes the leap of faith and passes out.
This fusion brings the Prince into Zahra's spiritual realm. Zarha's disembodied voice begs the Prince to stay with her, and to always remember her and Izdihar. The Prince wakes up alone in the clearing where Zahra first asked him to kiss her through the angelic enchanted statue. The statue is now shattered, and the story ends with the Prince sadly leaving, setting out into the desert, his heart filled with memories of Zahra, the princess Nasreen, and the forgotten sands of Izdihar.
Reception
Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands received "generally favorable reviews," scoring a 77 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic, based on 24 reviews.