no no no it’s not like that. The idea of flashbacks to tell an entire story is used many times in movies and books, but very rarely in games. But there are so many ways to tell a story, so even the wrong way might be considered. What if the story takes a sudden turn and the main character dies? Well, he has no choice but to interrupt the flashback, breaking the fourth wall by talking directly to us and rewinding the story back to before that untimely demise.
It’s one of the compelling narrative devices that drove the return of the 2003 Prince of Persia series sands of time. I’m here to review what made this comeback so special and still worth re-playing some 20 years later.
First, let’s pause for a moment and go back to the late 80s. What made the original 1989 Prince of Persia so special? Is it a gripping narrative? Or perhaps a faithful recreation of an ancient Persian palace? No, those are definitely not the right choices. Instead, they’ll be high-paced action games, with Prince’s incredibly smooth movements and beautiful graphics. Well, for now.
Still, let’s not forget that The Sands of Time isn’t Prince’s first foray into the 3D space. In 1999, Red Orb brought us Prince of Persia 3D: Although mostly forgotten today, it was well received by critics as a Tomb Raider puzzle alternative. But the public doesn’t seem to like the slow pace and clunky combat mechanics. In 2001, after picking up the franchise (12 years after the original debut), Ubisoft wondered: How can we get people to care about Prince of Persia again?
The Sands of Time builds on the original’s strengths, while also developing new features that were meaningful to 2003 audiences. It won’t be a simple cosmetic upgrade or jumping on the bandwagon of another successful action franchise. Of course, The Sands of Time does have beautiful graphics, as well as our protagonist’s fluid movements. But, after 36 months of work, the most significant twist on the series’ tried-and-true gameplay is the time rewind mechanic. To think it came from a project that didn’t even have an art director after almost 12 months of development!
While the first few minutes may seem like a normal 3D action title, it takes a complete change of pace into a completely different action-platformer vibe when the prince smashes the hourglass and finally masters the time-rewind mechanic. You can now go back before encountering untimely death, or simply repeat a jump or recover health slightly from combat. The game doesn’t limit your possibilities; rewind can be used in any situation (as long as there’s enough sand, of course).
Traveling back in time is not only a neat game mechanic, but also a central narrative theme. With a story based on flashbacks and the idea of going back in time to warn the princess of a vizier’s betrayal, a wiser prince looks back at the actions of his younger, more reckless self. The story serves the action entirely, as the gameplay never pauses to let the characters do the talking.
Original Prince of Persia author Jordan Mechener, who served as a screenwriter for the project, recalls that the original plot was much more complex, featuring nine different characters with opposing political affiliations and goals. These ideas are eventually dropped in favor of a simpler, stronger story that is as rooted in one place as possible. Ditching the lengthy narrative cutscenes to really support the idea of The Sands of Time being an action title first, was the first directive Mechner saw after canceling the original story.
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Among the many creative narrative ideas, the prince himself ends up being the one responsible for activating the traps in the palace. Basically, you’re just playing the game to make the entire game more difficult for yourself because you’re blindly following the advice of the guards. Princess Farah is also the second player character for most of the action. She’s not a simple damsel in distress, she’s a real sidekick, helping out with traps and fighting guards. The banter between the two will help showcase their respective narrative arcs and their slowly building romance–a technique that more Ubisoft games will feature in the future.
Along with solid combat mechanics, a modern and polished narrative, and sweet platforming mechanics, the soundtrack by Stuart Chatwood is great. Personally, I’ve always been captivated by the closing track — “Only Time Will Know” — which wouldn’t feel out of place in an epic romantic drama. A bittersweet love song ends the longing game on sour and anguished notes, ending, perhaps, heralding Prince’s darker turn to come later.
Twenty years later, The Sands of Time is still an important lesson in bringing early ’90s platformers back on track. Rather than straight up remakes or reboots that change everything, the team decided to bring back what made Mechner’s games legendary, elevating their concepts while still making them challenging for players in terms of narrative and gameplay. Despite the aforementioned development issues, The Sands of Time ended up being an unexpected success for Ubisoft, marking the beginning of a trilogy that also inspired Assassin’s Creed’s narrative and gameplay framework.
One would think such a brilliant concept and game mechanics would easily translate into a clear direction for a series of successful 3D action platformers, but… no no no, that’s not the case. The first sequel, Warrior Within, toned down the guitar, swapped out the Arabic tune for Godsmack, and spun into a weirdly anachronistic nu-metal vibe. The prince is now an anti-hero, on the run from his “dark self”. In terms of gameplay, it’s not terrible, but it seems to serve the purpose of showcasing questionable design choices. Not to mention the writing that seems more suited to anxious teens than the mature audience of the previous title.
The original trilogy was completed with 2005’s The Two Thrones, which somewhat quelled the anger and felt like a half-assed apology: a design backlash that ended up being a rift between the two games. bridge. In 2008, the series returned with a remake of the same name, with less emphasis on action and intense combat and more emphasis on a platforming and poetic flow of action. Now that the original trilogy of stories is complete, Ubisoft has opted to reboot yet again, but this time it’s clearly inspired by Ico rather than MS-DOS-era platformers. While appreciated by critics, the public simply did not accept the new poetic prince, and the planned (second) trilogy never took off.
The original Sands of Time was developed by a small team of 10 people, which later grew to 65 people. It’s the product of talented designers working alone on what they love, while also getting the necessary design and writing help from the original franchise. result? A unique product of the era, a meeting of talents that unfortunately was not repeated in any subsequent games.
With all of this in mind, it’s perhaps no surprise that, unlike in 2003, Ubisoft today (or Ubisoft in 2020) chose to return to the series with a direct remake of the original Sands of Time. From a business standpoint, this could be a meaningful decision: why take the risk of investing in an idea that is likely to fail outright, when you can pin your hopes on the tried and true value of nostalgia?
If anything, modern-day Ubisoft, since the announcement, seems to have struggled to understand what message they wanted to convey to audiences. Is Sands ’20 a straight remake or a whole new experience while still staying true to the original? The answer could be all of the above. Three years after it was first announced, the fate of the remake is up in the air, or, perhaps we should say, frozen in time.
In what direction could a contemporary Prince of Persia title take to recapture audiences? Maybe going back to the sands of time’s blueprint for success started out as a grandiose idea. Ubisoft, for example, could easily imagine a Metroidvania, a prince exploring faraway lands set against swinging Arabic music, a compelling story enriched with delicious 2D graphics and – why not – time control mechanics. Would this be the right infusion for a franchise that feels almost buried in the sand today? Well, as Prince would say… “Wait, what did I just say? That didn’t happen. Let me back off a little.”
