Prince of Persia

At the tail end of the original Xbox’s lifecycle came the third (and final) chapter in Ubisoft Montreal’s re-imagined Sands of Time trilogy, The Two Thrones. With its God of War–like boss fights and slightly moody protagonist, Thrones was a fitting denouement of a story arc that was all bloom-lit, time-rewinding brilliance at best, and Godsmack-soundtracked brooding at worst.

But the gameplay itself never faltered — it always showcased the series’ intense mix of sword-clattering combat and exhilarating platform acrobatics. But that was then, and this is now. In the hands of Thrones producer Ben Mattes, the new Prince of Persia seeks to travel a different path, in both its artistic direction and its pseudo–open world ambitions. While the new Prince isn’t GTA Arabia, Mattes tells us it’s definitely more “free roaming, [but] not a sandbox.”

So, how does it work? First, you have to understand where this new Prince is coming from. No longer tied to the mechanics of time-rewinding, you’ll now find yourself playing as a new Persian royal whose world is shaped and dictated by both magic and a mythological clash of two gods — the God of Light, Ormazd, and the God of Darkness, Ahriman. When you arrive on the scene, the latter has the upper hand and your realm has been shrouded in shadow, thanks to Ahriman’s need to release a physical manifestation of his beloved darkness called the Corruption — a soupy, inky smog that covers the land and poisons you if you touch it.

The Corruption actively shapes your adventure as its blankets certain parts of the world in which you travel. Think of it this way: Would you rather go through an area with a lighter density of Corruption, or put your skills to the test by battling the enemies and obstacles crowding another area? More likely, the path less embattled is the better choice for those just starting out. And once you clear a certain area of its Corruption, it’ll flood with Ormazd’s “light,” giving you permanent, sun-soaked passage to a new environment.

Getting around the Corruption is no easy feat, of course. Your acrobatics come in handy for jumping, grappling, spinning, and clambering around it while fending off the creatures it spawns. The living, morphing feel of the darkness will often change and adjust to reveal new pathways you can take — but this all requires you to revisit areas you hadn’t previously cleared. And as for the Prince himself? Well, he certainly doesn’t look like the emo, grizzled sword-wielder he was at the end of Two Thrones (though he’s no less a warrior). Instead, Ubi opted for a much more fantasy-like approach — giving the Prince a much more stylistic, fluid look, while granting you the use of a grapple-happy gauntlet for sliding down walls and other vertical surfaces.

As for allies, that’s where lovely magic-wielder Elika comes in. She’s your compass through the game in a way, but she’s also your right-hand (wo)man in battle. Mattes wants her integration into the gameplay to be absolutely seamless, but he didn’t go into much more detail than this. But let it be known that while you won’t have a second set of controls for directing Elika around, her involvement in the story and gameplay is essential, and something Ubisoft Montreal hopes will “revolutionize the supporting character in an action-adventure game.”

From a brief glimpse of the Prince’s rebirth, we think the new direction is not only welcome, but intriguing and exciting, too. Bring on the magic and corruption!