Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands - Xbox 360

    Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands is an Action/Platforming game developed and published by Ubisoft. The game launched in 2010 on multiple platforms, though all other versions than the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360's follow their own independent story lines. While the game follows up the storyline that was begun in the Playstation 2, and first modern Prince of Persia game: The Sands of Time, it makes a departure from the canon that was set by that trilogy. Still relying on the Prince's acrobatics and parkour style of getting around town, The Forgotten Sands makes for a much more fitting continuation of the series than 2008's Prince of Persia's deviation from the norm.

    The Forgotten Sands begins with the prince riding across the desert on his way to visit his brother, Malik. Malik is older and more mature than the prince, so the two brothers' father sent him to learn leadership from Malik, as he presides over his own kingdom. When the prince reaches Malik's walls, he is surprised to find an army attacking his brother's realm. The prince struggles to meet up with his brother amid the chaos and help to hold the walls. When he finally gets within yelling distance, Malik tells the prince to meet him in the royal treasury. Upon finally fighting his way to the gold-strewn vaults, the prince learns that his brother seeks to use an ancient, magical army against the invaders to save his people. Malik pulls the royal seal out of his robe and unlocks an ancient container filled with enchanted sand. As the sand spews out onto the ground, skeletal monstrosities begin to form and push up through the waves of sand. These creatures waste no time in brutally murdering every one of Malik's soldiers in the room.

When does trying to harness the power of an ancient army EVER go well?

    Now, with an ancient evil wreaking havoc on Malik's kingdom, the prince finds himself responsible for rescuing not only his brother, but the entire world from the evil that was released. On his way out of the vaults, the prince meets up with an ancient Djinn, Razia. Razia explains that the army locked in the vault was not kept there for use later when the kingdom was in need, but was actually imprisoned by the great king Solomon due to its pure evil and potential for destruction. At the army's head is Ratash, an Ifrit of great power. Razia fears that Ratash and his army will destroy the world, and gives the prince the power of the Djinn to give him an edge against the Ifrit's innumerable minions.

    The Forgotten Sands keeps the platforming and puzzles that made up the majority of each previous Prince of Persia game. The prince can wall-run, jump, and utilize multiple other physical maneuvers to progress through the game's stages. Some of these platforming sequences are very cool, stressing even the bravest players as the prince flies hundred of feet in the air between platforms. Puzzles rear their ugly heads throughout the game, forcing the prince to use his head more than his sword.

So uhh, I can't just kill it?

    Other than jumping and swinging throughout Malik's ruined kingdom, the prince also comes into contact with many of Rathash's creatures. Combat is one of my complaints with the game, as hordes of enemies are incredibly easy to defeat by just utilizing normal swordplay. The prince gains powers, thanks to his Djinn friend, which allow him to harness the elements in attacks against his enemies. Unfortunately, I rarely found myself using these powers, as it was simple enough to just mindlessly hack and slash my way through the ancient sand army.

    Though the combat is underwhelming, the scenery in The Forgotten Sands can be breathtaking. As the prince delves into the deepest parts of Malik's kingdom, he enters many beautiful and interesting areas. Hanging gardens, an orrery, a clock-like tower of gears, and many more intricate and beautiful areas keep players interested in continuing the journey.

At some point you have to wonder...who built these things!?

    The Forgotten Sands uses what I would call an outdated camera angle in that it is fixed depending on where your character is on screen. This leads to many instances in which you are attempting to make a jump, only to have the camera switch and obscure your chosen destination, causing failure and death.

    The Forgotten Sands is also fairly short. Coming in at just around 8 hours to complete the story, the prince doesn't stick around long enough to satisfy. In fact, the game feels like the introduction to something bigger, rather than a full adventure. After the main game is beaten, a "challenge" mode is unlocked which consists only of 8 waves of enemies coming at the prince. Just as in the main game, these waves of enemies are way too easy and the 8 waves can be easily defeated in around 5 minutes.

It would only be easier if the enemies killed themselves...

    Even with the problems with the game, Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands is an enjoyable, if short, romp through Malik's kingdom. The platforming is satisfying, even if the combat isn't. The Forgotten Sands is definitely more of a Prince of Persia game than some of the previous entries in the series. If you were a fan of the series, and were disappointed with 2008's Prince of Persia, this is definitely the game for you.

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