What's the best way to drive fans away from a beloved franchise? Simple: follow it up with two horrendously misjudged sequels, eschewing the charms of the original in favour of boardroom-decreed, focus-tested drivel. So, as Ubisoft, what's the best way to win those fans back? Easy ? you make this game.
It's not often you splurge out the positives at the top of a review but, quite simply, this newest Prince of Persia gets so much absolutely right and so little even remotely wrong, it would be doing a disservice not to start reeling them off now.
Prince of Persia is a visual tour de force and just the very tip of what makes the game such a gloriously refreshing experience. From its fluid animation to diverse, sprawling environments, Prince of Persia absolutely revels in attention to detail
It's still unashamedly a platform game though ? and the series' trademark physics-defying acrobatics are back with aplomb, albeit in their most giddyingly fluid, dynamic form yet. The biggest change from its predecessors, and the one that might irk traditionalists most, however is a reduced focus on path-finding and puzzle-solving ? with routes around the game world entirely linear in isolation and clearly telegraphed. Instead, Prince of Persia features a design that facilitates quick thinking and lightning responses
With four basic moves at your disposal ? magic, attack, acrobatic and gauntlet ? it's possible to string vast combos together, provided you get your timing right. It's a deep system, with countless possible permutations of attack, and encourages experimentation. It's immensely satisfying piecing together your own combos
Ultimately, the only thing holding Prince of Persia back from absolute greatness is its very traditional core. Unlike this season?s heaviest hitters, it doesn?t seek to redefine anyone's notion of gaming, it simply wants to be fun - and there's something reassuringly familiar about the overall experience. However, that doesn?t detract from the simple fact that Ubisoft has delivered an incredibly polished, tremendously enjoyable and utterly lovable experience here. It takes all the best elements of previous franchise entries then expands and refines them to create an absolutely unforgettable adventure. It?s magical in every sense of the word and, after all those years in the wilderness, it?s good to have the old Prince back.
