Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands

Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands is an action-adventure game from Ubisoft released in 2010. The prince runs along walls, leaps over chasms, avoids traps and uses magic powers to open paths through palaces and ruins. In the PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions, the game combines larger groups of enemies with acrobatic sections and time manipulation.

Standalone games under the same title were released for Wii, PSP and Nintendo DS. They share the basic idea of a new adventure for the prince, but are not identical versions of the HD release.

Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands was released in 2010. In Germany, the Wii version launched on May 20, 2010. On the European PlayStation Store, the PSP version was available from May 19. Steam lists June 10, 2010 for the PC version. The releases for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Nintendo DS also followed in May 2010.

Release dates vary by platform and region. For the handheld versions, the game content also differs from the PC and HD console versions.

Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands was released natively for PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, PlayStation Portable and Nintendo DS. The main version for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 was developed by Ubisoft Montreal. The Wii and PSP games were created as separate projects at Ubisoft Quebec. The DS version is also a standalone game.

Xbox One and Xbox Series can run Xbox 360 games through backward compatibility. This does not make The Forgotten Sands a native Xbox Series release. Likewise, PS4 and PS5 are not original platforms for the game.

Wall runs, precise jumps, climbing routes and dodging mechanical traps carry the game. Many sections require overcoming obstacles in a specific order and using a magic ability at the right moment.

The larger environments of the HD version combine these movements with fights against whole groups of enemies. Quick reflexes alone are not enough for safe jump sequences: the prince's powers change when a surface is walkable and which path is reachable at all.

The original minimum requirements call for a dual-core processor in the Pentium D or Athlon 64 X2 class, 1 GB of RAM under Windows XP or 2 GB under Vista or Windows 7, and a DirectX 9.0c graphics card with Shader Model 3.0 and 256 MB of graphics memory. The installation is listed as requiring 8 GB of free storage.

The details come from the 2010 release. The current Steam client requires newer Windows versions. For PC distribution through Ubisoft, a Ubisoft account with Ubisoft Connect is mentioned.

In the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 story, after his stay in Azad, the prince visits the kingdom of his brother Malik. When an enemy army besieges the palace, Malik reaches for a dangerous power. The attempt to save the kingdom gives rise to a threat from supernatural sand creatures.

The plot takes place between The Sands of Time and Warrior Within. It shows the prince at a stage where his lightheartedness slowly gives way to more serious decisions. The standalone Wii and PSP stories set different priorities.

The HD version brings back rewinding time. This lets you correct, for example, a failed jump. In addition, there are powers over the environment. Flowing water can freeze and briefly become a solid platform or climbing aid.

The interplay of movement and magic forms the core of many puzzles. In combat, elemental powers help, while rewinding time mainly catches mistakes in dangerous passages.

In the HD version, the prince faces not just single strong enemies but larger groups of sand creatures. He combines sword attacks, evasive moves and elemental powers. Fights often take place in rooms that are also used for acrobatic paths and traps.

This is what sets The Forgotten Sands apart from the 2008 Prince of Persia game, which mainly focused on one-on-one duels.

The Wii version has its own movement and sand abilities. The prince creates handholds on walls, summons pillars and protects himself with a magic orb. These powers open additional paths and change how environmental puzzles are solved.

It is controlled with the Wii Remote and Nunchuk. The story follows its own adventure within the Sands of Time timeline. The local two-player mode is also exclusively one of this version's special features.

The PSP version was developed specifically for the handheld and tells a different story from the PC and console versions. Its gameplay combines side-scrolling platforming with slowing down or speeding up objects and enemies.

The prince can solidify sand to create new paths. Connecting with a PlayStation 3 also unlocked a classic costume from The Sands of Time.

A standalone Prince of Persia adventure was also released for Nintendo DS in 2010. It was developed for the portable Nintendo system and not simply ported from PC, PS3 or Xbox 360.

This release belongs to the same Sands of Time series but differs from the other versions in gameplay and presentation. Abilities or features from the HD versions can therefore not be carried over to Nintendo DS across the board.

On Wii, two people can play together. One person controls the prince, while the other uses a second Wii Remote to influence the environment, disarm hazards, slow down enemies and help discover hidden paths. Both take on different tasks.

The PC version, by contrast, is a single-player adventure. The Wii co-op is not a cross-platform online mode.

The PC version has a German-language user interface. Steam also lists English, French, Italian and Spanish for on-screen text. German voice-over or German subtitles are not listed in the Steam language table.

The Wii version was released under the German title Prince of Persia: Die Vergessene Zeit. Details on the other language versions may vary by platform and region.

The online features of Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands are no longer available. Ubisoft and Steam explicitly point this out. The original adventure remains available as a single-player title on PC.

Using it through Ubisoft Connect requires a Ubisoft account. The technical requirements and notes on online access from back then should therefore not be confused with today's multiplayer features.

For PC, there is a Deluxe Edition alongside the standard version. Physical special editions were released for individual consoles. These bundles should be distinguished from the six native game versions: an extra costume, a collector's edition or a bonus pack is not a new platform release.

The handheld and Wii versions, by contrast, are actually standalone games with different content. When comparing versions, the platform is therefore more important than an edition in the title.