About the game
Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands is the name of a group of 2010 action-adventure games developed and published by Ubisoft, with each version made by a different internal team. The main version was made for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Windows. Other versions were made for Nintendo DS, PlayStation Portable, mobile and web browsers, and a notable version for the Wii. It is set in the continuity of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, between that game and Warrior Within.
In the main version you control an unnamed Prince in 3D environments, using acrobatics such as climbing, wall running, wall jumping and swinging from poles, plus magic. The basic power is a limited rewind that resets time after a mistake. Water powers freeze flows to make walls and poles, an Earth power restores broken parts of the level, and Wind and Fire powers are used in combat. Killing enemies earns experience points to upgrade powers and health. Fights have you dodging and rolling through groups of enemies.
Development began alongside the 2008 series reboot, to match the movie adaptation of The Sands of Time. After the film slipped, the idea was reworked as a return to the Sands of Time continuity. The PS3, Xbox 360 and Windows versions were co-developed by Ubisoft Montreal and Ubisoft Singapore with a team of fifty to sixty people. They run on Anvil, the engine used for the 2008 game and for Assassin's Creed, and use Havok for physics. Because the team was small, the Prince has no AI partner. Yuri Lowenthal returns as the Prince's voice, and Steve Jablonsky is the lead composer.
The mobile and browser versions came out on May 11, 2010. The console versions followed in North America on May 18, Australia and mainland Europe on May 20 and the UK on May 21, and Ubisoft published the PS3, Xbox 360 and PSP versions in Japan on June 26. A limited collector's edition for PS3 and Xbox 360 came with a disc of extras and a free copy of Prince of Persia Classic. The Windows version was delayed to June.
The game received mixed to positive reviews for most platforms, with the PSP and DS versions doing worst, and was generally seen as weaker than the earlier games. Rewards in the main version were tied to Ubisoft's Uplay, including experience boosts and costumes such as Ezio from Assassin's Creed, and Uplay support for the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions ended in 2017. The Xbox 360 version became backward compatible on Xbox One in June 2019. The series then went quiet until Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown in 2024.
The text above is adapted from Wikipedia and licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
What critics said
Metacritic 74 out of 100 (Xbox 360). Individual reviews: Destructoid 8.5/10, Edge 6/10, Eurogamer 6/10, Game Informer 8/10, GamePro 4.5/5, GameSpot 7.5/10, GameTrailers 7.8/10, GameZone 6/10.
Good to know
- Each platform got a different game under the same title. The Xbox 360, PS3 and Windows versions share one story and gameplay, and the Wii, PSP, DS, mobile and browser versions are separate.
- The Prince has no AI companion, because the small team could not make one in time.
- The Xbox 360 version became backward compatible on Xbox One in June 2019.
- The Uplay rewards in the console versions, including a costume of Ezio from Assassin's Creed, stopped working when Uplay support for PS3 and Xbox 360 ended in 2017.
- The Windows version was delayed to June 2010 to be tuned for a wide range of PCs.
- The title was first hinted at when series creator Jordan Mechner registered a trademark for it.
Made by
Director Jean-Christophe Guyot, Director Mario Lord, Producer Graeme Jennings, Producer Joel Vignola, Producer Abderrazzak El Kaouni, Artist Wilson Mui, Writer Ceri Young, Composer Steve Jablonsky, Composer Penka Kouneva.
