The fans of Prince of Persia They have more than enough reasons to be happy. The last time we had something related to the franchise (beyond announcements and collaborations) was in 2010. We are talking about a wait that exceeds a decade. GTA V hadn’t even been released!
Now, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is just around the corner. It is scheduled for release on January 15, 2024 for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC and Nintendo Switch. It has a free demo now available for all players. Furthermore, we are still waiting for the remake of The Sands of Time. What I said: Good time to be a fan!
We are facing one of the most important names in the history of Ubisoft. That’s not saying something! The origins of Prince of Persia They date back to 1989 and extend to the present day across games, enhanced versions, compilations or DLCs, from Apple II to PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC.
Prince of Persia: the origin of a legend
The franchise of Prince of Persia has always distinguished itself by offering unparalleled mobility: jumps, races, climbing and levels designed so that the ground is the last place to move. All this with the exotic oriental setting of Persia. Does it sound familiar to you? For sure yes.
Continuing with the references to the franchise that you are all thinking of, Prince of Persia has always combined very earthly gameplay, based on mobility and combat, with certain magical or mystical elements. The best known has to do with The Sands of Timea mechanic that allows us to go back in time to correct errors and/or solve puzzles.
Original deliveries
- Prince of Persia (1989-1992). Although it was the original installment and is considered a cult video game, the real boom would take a few more years to arrive.
- Prince of Persia 2: The Shadow and the Flame (1993): The adventure continued in this second installment. The side-scrolling style was maintained, although the experience improved in terms of fluidity, details and color in the settings, etc.
- Prince of Persia 3D (1999): The franchise completely changed in this installment. It abandoned 2D side scrolling and switched to 3D, which was a big surprise for fans. The Prince of Persia craze was about to take off to stratospheric levels.
Sands of Time Saga
- Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2003): Ubisoft Montreal’s first installment in the franchise ended up becoming an icon in the video game industry. For many people, he was their first Prince of Persia.
- Prince of Persia: The Warrior’s Soul (2005): The madness continued after the previous installment and in this case we even had a port for PSP called Revelations. The same year, Battles of Prince of Persia, a turn-based strategy installment for the Nintendo DS, was released.
- Prince of Persia: The Two Crowns (2005): This is the third installment of the well-known Time Saga. Despite there being versions and other installments, the main story continued its course. In 2007 we had a port called Rival Swords, which added some details to the story.
- Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands (2010): The story of the Sands of Time was considered closed in The Two Crowns, but Ubisoft allowed us to learn more about the universe with this installment.
As you have seen, the Prince of Persia saga has many improved versions, ports, remasters and remakes for many platforms. Other examples beyond those mentioned are: Prince of Persia Classic (2007) y Prince of Persia: HD Trilogy (2010). On the other hand, we have deliveries left to mention such as Prince of Persia: The Dethroned King (2008), Prince of Persia (2008) y Prince of Persia: The Shadow and the Flame (2013).
The precursor to Assassin’s Creed
The importance of Prince of Persia goes far beyond his own legend. After the success of The Sands of Time, Ubisoft wanted more of the winning formula and the task fell to Patrice Désilets, director at Ubisoft Montreal. The idea was to make a video game for the seventh generation of consoles, PS3 and Xbox One.
The new technological limits made Ubisoft’s ambitions skyrocket… to such an extent that the project evolved towards frontiers that moved away from the original formula in some aspects: open world, but with the parkour style that had conquered all fans.
In this desire to find something different, Désilets relied on works such as Alamut (Vladimir Bartol, 1938) to lay the foundations for what was then known as Prince of Persia: Assassin. The inspiration for this video game focused on the Nizaris, hashshashin or the Order of Assassins (Persian-Syrian sect, 11th-13th century) and the fortress of Almut.
The team was clear during the early stages of development that this was a Prince of Persia, but that idea faded as the project grew and the assassins gained traction within the studio. The mythical phrase “Nothing is true, everything is permitted” was coined during the process. The prince stopped making sense for the story and the universe they were creating. Ultimately he disappeared from development and in 2006 they changed the name to Assassin’s Creed.
The rest, as they say, is history: Assassin’s Creed ended up becoming one of Ubisoft’s most recognized and famous sagas. Prince of Persia was relegated to the background, as was Splinter Cell in favor of Ghost Recon, The Division y Rainbow Six, until falling into absolute oblivion. Irony of fate that both sagas currently have a remake in development. No one can deny that the proud assassins have their origin in the legend of the prince of Persia.
In iGamesNews | Prince of Persia has reinvented itself in a big way: I have already played Ubisoft’s new metroidvania and it is a damn wonder
In iGamesNews | Basim’s ability from Assassin’s Creed Mirage is not a superpower and makes more sense than it seems at first glance
In iGamesNews | Almost ten years after the release of Assassin’s Creed Unity, players continue to discover incredible animations
Table of Contents
