Ubisoft’s Prince of Persia trilogy is needlessly difficult to play on modern hardware. Sands of Time is backward compatible with Xbox One and Series consoles, but Warrior Within and Two Thrones are not. You can play all three on PC, but there are no controller prompts, and playing a third-person action-adventure game with an emphasis on parkour using a mouse and keyboard is like trying to solve a Rubix Cube with foam hands.
Of course, Sands of Time is getting a remake, though development has been rocky, swapping developers and restarting production after its reveal was met with a resounding ‘eh’. But it’s just one part of the story, and Ubisoft would be remiss not to bring its sequels up to date alongside it.
Warrior Within is 19 years old. You’re welcome.
Sands of Time is like Ico but with the ability to reverse time, which after playing Ico and falling off cliffs an embarrassing amount, is an amazing quality-of-life addition. Warrior Within is as if Kratos barged in and chopped the head off the last Prince and took his place. Gone is the pastel palette and soft-spoken story of the lengths we go to for love, as we’re now storming a temple, altering history to the guitar riffs of an omnipresent metal band forever pumping blood into the veins of our protagonist. All in a bid to survive against a demonic-like stalker hunting us across time.
It’s a harsh shift in tone, one that was controversial even among developers. Being an emo with long black hair who loves everything metal and rock, I gravitate more towards Warrior Within (which was also my introduction to the series as a kid, thanks Dad). But a lot of people don’t, seeing Sands of Time as the purest Prince of Persia title in that initial trilogy, evident by the fact that Ubisoft has long since shed the unashamedly edgy atmosphere of its sequels.
But to disregard those sequels is to disregard two PS2 classics deserving of the same care as Sands of Time. They had their fans, were reviewed incredibly well, and elevated the combat and parkour to new heights, paving the way for the spin-off-turned-incredibly-successful-series Assassin’s Creed. They played a pivotal role in Ubisoft’s history, and to leave them to the side, unplayable unless you can stomach wonky controls or fork out for old hardware, would be the equivalent of going back in time to destroy the Hour Glass.
Prince Of Persia Sands Of Time Remake Just Passed An “Important Milestone”
Ubisoft has shared a new update on the Sands of Time remake’s development in time for the game’s 20th anniversary.
The Sands of Time remake offers an opportunity to bring them back, even if it’s just in the form of ports, letting fans see a totally different side to the series, one that involves a kick-ass metal score that makes every fight feel like a Linkin Park music video.
We have to navigate the Sands of Time remake’s rocky development first But once that hurdle is crossed, Ubisoft will have opened the floodgates to bringing Prince of Persia back in all of its varied forms.
A new 2D game alongside the beloved 3D trilogy? It’s the perfect storm for resurrecting a long-dormant series, and you can’t tell the story of Sands of Time without delving into the Prince’s desperation to survive and the aftermath of his actions, returning home to find that first game turned on its head as the timeline twisted to unrecognisable lengths.
Prince Of Persia: The Lost Crown Was Worth Braving Gamescom’s Public Halls For
I would say that I’d go to hell and back for The Lost Crown but I basically already have.
Leave a Reply