The Prince's main contextual move is wall-running, an action where he runs up onto and along a wall for a set distance, either to land on or jump off to a platform. ĭuring exploration, the Prince navigates areas filled with traps: these traps include spike pits, arrow traps, wall-mounted blades and saws, and spinning spiked stakes. Monsters will attack her, and if she is killed, the game ends. During several points in the game, the Prince is assisted by his companion Farah, who fires a bow at enemies, though her arrows can also hit the Prince if he strays into her line of fire. Collecting Sands increases the Prince's power, and drinking from hidden magic fountains increases the Prince's maximum health. The Prince restores health by drinking water from pools and fountains. His health and power metre are represented in the top left-hand corner of the screen. The Prince can be moved in all directions, and he is able to manipulate large objects such as blocks and levers connected to mechanisms. The camera's view changes to different positions triggered by entering certain areas or performing actions. Environments are seen through a controllable third-person view. The player controls the main protagonist, an unnamed Prince from a kingdom in Persia. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is an action-adventure puzzle-platformer. Shown are the battle interface and the Dagger's available Sand chambers. The Prince in combat with Sands Monsters. A remake of the game was announced at Ubisoft Forward 2020 and is scheduled to release for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in 2022. As of 2014, the game has sold over 14 million copies worldwide, across all platforms. Further games set in the Sands of Time continuity have been developed, and it is generally cited as the reason for the Prince of Persia series' return to fame. Its success prompted the development of a sequel, Prince of Persia: Warrior Within, which was released in November 2004. Sales of the title were initially slow, but it eventually became a commercial success. Upon release, it received critical acclaim, was nominated for, and won numerous awards and has been recognized by many as one of the greatest video games ever made. In 2004, a version for mobile phones was developed and published in North America by Gameloft. Production was troubled, with the team facing problems with the engine structure and delays with environment assets, while also managing to create an effective tester network to seek out the game's bugs. The game used Ubisoft's Jade engine, originally designed for Beyond Good & Evil, another game published by the company. Mechner's script drew inspiration from the Shahnameh, with the main focus on creating a simple narrative that worked with the pace of gameplay. After the initial story draft was scrapped as it was too complex, the team began with four guiding concepts, including the ability to rewind time: this idea grew into the Dagger, the Sands, and the various powers related to them. After Mechner was brought on board, production began in June of that year. A key mechanic in the game is using the Dagger to rewind time if the Prince makes a mistake platforming, and using it to kill and freeze enemies.Ĭoncept work began in spring of 2001, after Ubisoft acquired the Prince of Persia catalog. The gameplay revolves around the Prince's platforming abilities, broken up by fights with the creatures created by the Sands. Together with Farah, a young Princess who knows the power of the Sands, the Prince works to correct his mistake and foil the Vizier's evil plans. Visiting the palace of the Sultan of Azad to present the Sands as a gift, the Vizier tricks the Prince into releasing the Sands, transforming the people of Azad into savage monsters under his control. During the attack, the Prince obtains an artifact called the Dagger of Time, while his father's army captures an hourglass containing the mysterious Sands of Time. The game follows an unnamed Prince whose father sacks an ancient city at the instigation of a traitorous Vizier.
Mechner served as creative consultant, designer, and scenario writer for The Sands of Time. The Sands of Time is a reboot of the Prince of Persia series, created by Jordan Mechner.
Revealed in March 2003, it was released across Game Boy Advance, PlayStation 2, GameCube, Xbox and Microsoft Windows in November 2003. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is an action-adventure video game developed and published by Ubisoft.