Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands (Wii)
Encyclopedia
Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands is an action-adventure
video game developed by Ubisoft Quebec
for the Wii
. The game is the eighth installment to the Prince of Persia
franchise, and is an interquel, taking place in the seven-year gap between Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
and Prince of Persia: Warrior Within
. The game was released in North America
on May 18, 2010, and Europe
on May 20, 2010.
Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands plot centers on the unnamed Prince character as he asks a genie for a kingdom of his own. The genie instead leads him to a cursed kingdom, expecting that he can lift the curse, and offering him the kingdom if he does so. The player assumes the role of the Prince character, and receives aid in from the genie Zahra. The game features a separate storyline and gameplay features than the other installments in the franchise or versions of Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands, such as new powers for the player to manipulate, and new gameplay. The game also features many bonus unlockable features, such as developer diaries, concept art galleries, additional player and weapon skins, and additional bonus challenges, including the original 1989 version of Prince of Persia.
Combat in the Wii version makes use of the Wii
's motion sensing capabilities. Swinging the Wii Remote will cause the Prince to swing his sword, and the same gesture with the Nunchuk will make him punch. The rest of the maneuvers (such as jumping or blocking) use buttons, as Ubisoft Quebec
did not want to make the game exhausting by over-using motion controls. Occasionally, certain foes will have a blue aura surrounding them, meaning they are the "leader" of the group of enemies. If the player kills this leader, the other enemies will flee, and the player wins the fight. Enemies in combat can also be frozen by the player for a brief period of time. The Wii version also features cooperative multiplayer gameplay, allowing a second player to aid the first by temporarily freezing obstacles or enemies, allowing the first player safe passage. Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands also includes the Mac OS
version of the original Prince of Persia, played using the Wii Remote.
The Prince therefore sets out chasing after the monster, to reclaim the blade, and set right his mistake of releasing the Haoma witch. Along the journey through Izdihar, Zahra explains that she and all the genies once lived here, but were killed by the Haoma. The genies vowed to vanquish the Haoma, but was the only one to escape, and it falls on her to make sure the vow is fulfilled. For this, she allowed herself to be sold to the Prince in a marketplace, because she knew that he was seeking a kingdom, a princess, and immortality, to prove himself to his father. She believes that the Prince possesses the prowess and ambition to vanquish the Haoma, fulfilling her people's promise.
In a final confrontation with the monster, the Prince is victorious. As it is dying, the monster reveals itself to be the Haoma-cursed form of the former king of Izdihar. With his last breath, the king asks the Prince to save his daughter, the princess Nasreen, and vanquish the Haoma from Izdihar. With renewed vigor, and both pieces of the sword in his possession, the Prince sets out to reforge it, by completing four obstacle trials set by the gods. With the magical sword restored, the Prince pursues the Haoma Witch. He finds her, defeats her, and kills the Haoma by striking at its heart. This causes the Witch transform back into the princess Nasreen, who had been possessed by the Haoma. The withering Haoma vines grab the princess, and to save her, the Prince gives her a kiss, transferring his and Zahra's power over death to her. The now-immortal princess falls off a ledge, Izdihar begins to crumble, and the Haoma dies. The Prince tries to flee the collapsing Izdihar, with Zahra still at his side, but the kingdom is sinking too quickly into the sands, and Zahra merges with the Prince in order to ensure his escape.
This fusion puts the Prince in Zahra's spiritual realm. Zarha's disembodied voice begs the Prince to stay with her, and to always remember her and Izdihar. The Prince wakes up alone in the clearing where Zahra first asked him to kiss her through the angelic enchanted statue. The statue is now shattered, and the story ends with the Prince sadly leaving, setting out into the desert, his heart filled with memories of Zahra, the princess Nasreen, and Izdihar.
, based on 24 reviews.
The Wii exclusive version also was well received, scoring an 8.0 from IGN
, 8.0 from Nintendo Power
's June 2010 issue and 84% from Official Nintendo Magazine. Particular praise was given by all three magazines to Graphics, Sound, complex level design and the "Sand Power" move set, while the combat system was generally considered too basic, and the game camera occasionally annoyingly constrictive.
Action-adventure game
An action-adventure game is a video game that combines elements of the adventure game genre with various action game elements. It is perhaps the broadest and most diverse genre in gaming, and can include many games which might better be categorized under narrow genres...
video game developed by Ubisoft Quebec
Ubisoft Quebec
Ubisoft Quebec is Canadian video game developer Ubisoft's North American studio located in Quebec City, Quebec. Founded as a subsidiary of Ubisoft in June 2005, initially developing low-profile projects, the studio now has over 300 employees...
for the Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
. The game is the eighth installment to the Prince of Persia
Prince of Persia
Prince of Persia is a platform game, originally developed by Jordan Mechner and released in 1989 for the Apple II, that represented a great leap forward in the quality of animation seen in video games....
franchise, and is an interquel, taking place in the seven-year gap between Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is a third-person action-adventure computer and video game published by Ubisoft. It was released on November 21, 2003 and is a reboot of the landmark video game series Prince of Persia, created by Jordan Mechner in 1989.The Sands of Time, developed internally at...
and Prince of Persia: Warrior Within
Prince of Persia: Warrior Within
Prince of Persia: Warrior Within is a video game and sequel to Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. Warrior Within was developed and published by Ubisoft, and released on December 2, 2004 for the Xbox, PlayStation 2, GameCube, and Microsoft Windows. It picks up where The Sands of Time left off,...
. The game was released in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
on May 18, 2010, and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
on May 20, 2010.
Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands plot centers on the unnamed Prince character as he asks a genie for a kingdom of his own. The genie instead leads him to a cursed kingdom, expecting that he can lift the curse, and offering him the kingdom if he does so. The player assumes the role of the Prince character, and receives aid in from the genie Zahra. The game features a separate storyline and gameplay features than the other installments in the franchise or versions of Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands, such as new powers for the player to manipulate, and new gameplay. The game also features many bonus unlockable features, such as developer diaries, concept art galleries, additional player and weapon skins, and additional bonus challenges, including the original 1989 version of Prince of Persia.
Gameplay
In Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands, the player wields three powers: a "spirit hook", serving as a wall grip to ascend areas where there are no ledges or grips; a whirlwind pillar to elevate the player; and a protective sphere to avoid falling or getting caught in traps. These three magical powers serve in navigation sequences, during combat, and to solve puzzles. In the game, the player must combine the three powers to prevail.Combat in the Wii version makes use of the Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
's motion sensing capabilities. Swinging the Wii Remote will cause the Prince to swing his sword, and the same gesture with the Nunchuk will make him punch. The rest of the maneuvers (such as jumping or blocking) use buttons, as Ubisoft Quebec
Ubisoft Quebec
Ubisoft Quebec is Canadian video game developer Ubisoft's North American studio located in Quebec City, Quebec. Founded as a subsidiary of Ubisoft in June 2005, initially developing low-profile projects, the studio now has over 300 employees...
did not want to make the game exhausting by over-using motion controls. Occasionally, certain foes will have a blue aura surrounding them, meaning they are the "leader" of the group of enemies. If the player kills this leader, the other enemies will flee, and the player wins the fight. Enemies in combat can also be frozen by the player for a brief period of time. The Wii version also features cooperative multiplayer gameplay, allowing a second player to aid the first by temporarily freezing obstacles or enemies, allowing the first player safe passage. Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands also includes the Mac OS
Mac OS
Mac OS is a series of graphical user interface-based operating systems developed by Apple Inc. for their Macintosh line of computer systems. The Macintosh user experience is credited with popularizing the graphical user interface...
version of the original Prince of Persia, played using the Wii Remote.
Plot
The story begins as Zahra, a fairy-like genie, is leading the Prince through a jungle to what she says will be the kingdom and princess he's been longing for. When they reach a clearing, with no kingdom in sight, Zahra prompts the Prince to kiss an angelic enchanted statue. This forms a magical union between Zahra and the Prince, protecting both from death, and allowing the Prince to see as Zahra sees. A gateway suddenly appears, and Zahra explains that it is the entrance to the kingdom of Izdihar. Zahra leads the Prince to Izdihar, and tells him that it is the kingdom he has been seeking. However, Izdihar is deserted, covered in poisonous vines, and decaying. The Prince suddenly sees a sword in a stone, and pulls it out, which frees a witch, who flees into the sky. A large monster then arrives, and the Prince uses the sword to stab it, but the blade breaks from the hilt, and the monster escapes with the blade still impaled in its body. Zahra explains that by removing the sword, the Prince unwillingly released a great evil, the Haoma, which has ravaged much of Izdihar, and eradicated its people. The sword had been used to contain the Haoma witch and stop the spread of the poisonous Haoma vines through the kingdom. With the witch free, the Haoma could now continue its devastation of Izdihar. Zahra states that the only way to vanquish the Haoma is to reforge the sword.The Prince therefore sets out chasing after the monster, to reclaim the blade, and set right his mistake of releasing the Haoma witch. Along the journey through Izdihar, Zahra explains that she and all the genies once lived here, but were killed by the Haoma. The genies vowed to vanquish the Haoma, but was the only one to escape, and it falls on her to make sure the vow is fulfilled. For this, she allowed herself to be sold to the Prince in a marketplace, because she knew that he was seeking a kingdom, a princess, and immortality, to prove himself to his father. She believes that the Prince possesses the prowess and ambition to vanquish the Haoma, fulfilling her people's promise.
In a final confrontation with the monster, the Prince is victorious. As it is dying, the monster reveals itself to be the Haoma-cursed form of the former king of Izdihar. With his last breath, the king asks the Prince to save his daughter, the princess Nasreen, and vanquish the Haoma from Izdihar. With renewed vigor, and both pieces of the sword in his possession, the Prince sets out to reforge it, by completing four obstacle trials set by the gods. With the magical sword restored, the Prince pursues the Haoma Witch. He finds her, defeats her, and kills the Haoma by striking at its heart. This causes the Witch transform back into the princess Nasreen, who had been possessed by the Haoma. The withering Haoma vines grab the princess, and to save her, the Prince gives her a kiss, transferring his and Zahra's power over death to her. The now-immortal princess falls off a ledge, Izdihar begins to crumble, and the Haoma dies. The Prince tries to flee the collapsing Izdihar, with Zahra still at his side, but the kingdom is sinking too quickly into the sands, and Zahra merges with the Prince in order to ensure his escape.
This fusion puts the Prince in Zahra's spiritual realm. Zarha's disembodied voice begs the Prince to stay with her, and to always remember her and Izdihar. The Prince wakes up alone in the clearing where Zahra first asked him to kiss her through the angelic enchanted statue. The statue is now shattered, and the story ends with the Prince sadly leaving, setting out into the desert, his heart filled with memories of Zahra, the princess Nasreen, and Izdihar.
Reception
Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands received "generally favorable reviews," scoring a 77 out of 100 on review aggregator MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, based on 24 reviews.
The Wii exclusive version also was well received, scoring an 8.0 from IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
, 8.0 from Nintendo Power
Nintendo Power
Nintendo Power magazine is a monthly news and strategy magazine formerly published in-house by Nintendo of America, but now run independently. As of issue #222 , Nintendo contracted publishing duties to Future US, the U.S. subsidiary of British publisher Future.The first issue published was...
's June 2010 issue and 84% from Official Nintendo Magazine. Particular praise was given by all three magazines to Graphics, Sound, complex level design and the "Sand Power" move set, while the combat system was generally considered too basic, and the game camera occasionally annoyingly constrictive.