It's not just my personal opinion, from a purely objective standpoint The Sands of Time is the undeniable peak of the franchise. What allows it to stand as the crown jewel of the Prince of Persia property, though? Sure, you could cite things such as its cultural impact or the lasting influence it's had on the gaming industry. For me however, it's the way it perfectly captures the feel of a Hollywood blockbuster classic. Something it manages to do even better than the likes of Uncharted, which was/is a series so clearly inspired by this it outright lifted over half of its gameplay mechanics from it! No wonder Disney tried to make this their next Pirates of the Caribbean.
This tale has it all: action, adventure, romance, and even a little bit of horror (those sand creatures really freaked me out as a kid). Yet it's the strong element of fantasy magic and the bond between its two leads that elevate it to something truly special. The interactions and budding relationship between the incredibly sweet Farah and the strangely lovable snot of a prince (that personality shift in WW feels less unnatural after replaying this) are the heart and soul of the adventure, even more so than the thrills and exciting set pieces. It's a dynamic that Ubisoft tried to recapture with the 2008 reboot, but couldn't quite manage the same charm. So sorry Mario and Peach, but another pairing has my vote for the best video game couple.
Making it all playable is the most iconic and phenomenal parkour platforming system in the entire medium that seemingly everyone, not just Naughty Dog, has borrowed from since its inception. Oh boy, and let me tell you not a single second of it is any less exhilarating today than when the game first released. The combat is really the only area outside of naturally the graphics and sound design (which are both still pretty dang good) that shows any age. Mostly due to the limited enemy variety and lack of any true combos. Luckily, the intensity of the majority of battles hasn't faded much. Enemies just keep coming like the zombies they technically are. Their numbers never reach the amount of, say, The Forgotten Sands onscreen at one time, but the relentless waves in which they come paired with the need to absorb them into your secondary dagger so they don't resurrect can lead to a decent challenge when the different types start mixing together at once. I love the animation that plays of the Prince sheathing his blades to let you know when the fighting is over.
Of course, no SoT review would be complete without at least some mention of its OTHER most defining aspect alongside the wall-running and jumping - the ability to control time. Being able to quickly reverse a deadly mistake if you have enough sand stored in your dagger? Legendary. No PoP installment can go without it since, and believe me they tried. Another quality that combined with everything else I've written about comes together to create an experience that's about as perfect as a game can be. If you've somehow never played this before, then you truly should because you've been missing out on nothing short of a significant piece of gaming history, a timeless classic, and an absolute masterpiece. Everybody else? Replay it again. This triumph and you both deserve it.
10/10
This tale has it all: action, adventure, romance, and even a little bit of horror (those sand creatures really freaked me out as a kid). Yet it's the strong element of fantasy magic and the bond between its two leads that elevate it to something truly special. The interactions and budding relationship between the incredibly sweet Farah and the strangely lovable snot of a prince (that personality shift in WW feels less unnatural after replaying this) are the heart and soul of the adventure, even more so than the thrills and exciting set pieces. It's a dynamic that Ubisoft tried to recapture with the 2008 reboot, but couldn't quite manage the same charm. So sorry Mario and Peach, but another pairing has my vote for the best video game couple.
Making it all playable is the most iconic and phenomenal parkour platforming system in the entire medium that seemingly everyone, not just Naughty Dog, has borrowed from since its inception. Oh boy, and let me tell you not a single second of it is any less exhilarating today than when the game first released. The combat is really the only area outside of naturally the graphics and sound design (which are both still pretty dang good) that shows any age. Mostly due to the limited enemy variety and lack of any true combos. Luckily, the intensity of the majority of battles hasn't faded much. Enemies just keep coming like the zombies they technically are. Their numbers never reach the amount of, say, The Forgotten Sands onscreen at one time, but the relentless waves in which they come paired with the need to absorb them into your secondary dagger so they don't resurrect can lead to a decent challenge when the different types start mixing together at once. I love the animation that plays of the Prince sheathing his blades to let you know when the fighting is over.
Of course, no SoT review would be complete without at least some mention of its OTHER most defining aspect alongside the wall-running and jumping - the ability to control time. Being able to quickly reverse a deadly mistake if you have enough sand stored in your dagger? Legendary. No PoP installment can go without it since, and believe me they tried. Another quality that combined with everything else I've written about comes together to create an experience that's about as perfect as a game can be. If you've somehow never played this before, then you truly should because you've been missing out on nothing short of a significant piece of gaming history, a timeless classic, and an absolute masterpiece. Everybody else? Replay it again. This triumph and you both deserve it.
10/10
2 Comments
@molochthagod I know what you mean about the visual language. This was far more cinematic than I even remembered. It’s like the devs knew this is the first time ever players would be doing a lot of this stuff and wanted to make sure it hit all the senses right to remain with them for as long as possible.
I’m curious to see how I’ll feel about the third game again. On paper it has the potential to surpass this given how it takes the best elements of WW and places them in SoT’s framework. Yet, I always preferred this one for some reason. It will be neat to see why or possibly have my opinion changed.
I’m curious to see how I’ll feel about the third game again. On paper it has the potential to surpass this given how it takes the best elements of WW and places them in SoT’s framework. Yet, I always preferred this one for some reason. It will be neat to see why or possibly have my opinion changed.
molochthagod
4 months ago
I remember the first time I leapt over an enemy in slow-motion. The first time I did a wall-run. The first time i drank water from one of those little fountains. There is truly something so iconic about this game's visual language that made these moments imprint themselves in my memory. Something I can't say about almost any other game. I've always thought the third game was my favorite, but actually reading your review made me think about Sands of Time from a new perspective, and I agree, it is the peak of the series.