Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands (Wii)
A Wii-exclusive Prince of Persia entry set between two classic games.
Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands is a 2010 action-adventure game developed by Ubisoft Quebec for the Wii. It is set between the events of The Sands of Time and Warrior Within, following the unnamed Prince guided by the genie Zahra through a cursed kingdom. The game incorporates motion controls and features a co-op multiplayer mode where a second player controls Zahra.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Ubisoft Quebec
- Publisher
- Ubisoft
- Series
- Prince of Persia
- Director
- Mario Lord
- Producer
- Valérie Hénaire
- Designer
- Alexandre Pedneault; Yanick Piché
- Writer
- Ben McCaw; Marianne Krawczyk
- Programmer
- Marc Parenteau
Facts from the source article.
Gameplay
The player controls the unnamed Prince using the Wii Remote and Nunchuck. Some environmental elements and later powers are triggered with the Wii Remote's pointer, while jumping is mapped to buttons. Areas use either a free-roaming 3D camera or a locked 2D side-view perspective. Fountains act as checkpoints that restore health, and collectable sand orbs refill a meter allowing the Prince to respawn at the nearest safe area. The Prince can perform acrobatic moves such as wall runs, wall jumps, climbing poles, swinging, and scaling ledges. Areas are gated by platforming challenges and environmental puzzles or traps. The Prince gains three magical powers: a spirit hook that attaches to walls as a temporary grip point, a whirlwind pillar that lifts him off the ground, and a sphere that allows hovering and protects from traps. Early on these elements are limited by position and must be remotely activated; later the Prince can place hooks and pillars on any suitable surface and activate the sphere mid-air. Combat uses motion controls: swinging the Wii Remote triggers sword attacks, punching with the Nunchuck triggers fist attacks, and shaking both simultaneously triggers a spin attack. Blocking is mapped to a button. Some enemy groups have a blue-aura leader; killing the leader causes the other enemies to flee. Enemies can be frozen briefly. Boss battles require quick time events to finish phases. Defeating enemies and breaking special chests grant experience points that unlock move upgrades and additional moves.
Plot
The Wii version is set at an unspecified point within the seven-year gap between The Sands of Time and Warrior Within. A narrator tells a story about the Prince, promising to reveal the true events of his journey to a lost kingdom under a genie's guidance. The Prince is guided by the genie Zahra, whom he found and bought in a marketplace, through a jungle; Zahra has promised him a kingdom, a princess, and immortality. Reaching a clearing, Zahra enters a statue and tells the Prince to kiss it, binding their spirits and granting the Prince immortality and the ability to see a secret passage to the lost kingdom of Izdahar. Izdahar, once flourishing, is now in ruin under the Haoma, a sentient malicious plant that has killed or possessed the city's people. The Prince finds a sword driven into a statue, but pulling it out releases a being called the Sorceress, who embodies the Haoma. Another creature called the Beast attacks, and the sword is broken, with its blade embedded in the Beast as it flees. The Prince must retrieve the blade and reforge the sword to kill the Haoma. The Prince and Zahra grow closer; Zahra reveals she lived in Izdahar and was driven out when the Haoma took control. They kill the Beast, revealed to be Izdahar's possessed sultan Amir Rahman, who asks the Prince to save his daughter Nasreen. The Sorceress tries to lure the Prince with promises of power, but he rejects her. With help from godly powers within Izdahar, the Prince reforges the sword and confronts the Sorceress and the core of the Haoma.
Development
Production on The Forgotten Sands for Wii began in 2008 alongside other versions and lasted two years. Ubisoft Quebec was tasked with creating an original standalone title for the hardware. The game was built specifically for the Wii, incorporating motion control into the gameplay and working within its technical limits. The music, created by Tom Salta, focused on eclectic ambience over orchestra. The game was designed to win back players lost to the God of War series, with a focus on narrative and artistic design. The Wii version was developed by a team of both series veterans and newcomers, peaking at seventy people. Mario Lord was director, Marc Parenteau was lead programmer, and Thierry Dansereau was art director. The team was excited to work on the Prince of Persia license.
Reception
Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands received generally favorable reviews, scoring a 77 out of 100 on Metacritic based on 24 reviews. McCaw and Krawczyk were nominated in the Videogame Writing category at the 63rd Writers Guild of America Awards. At the 2011 Game Audio Network Guild Awards, the music was nominated for Best Original Instrumental Song for The Palace Gates and Best Original Vocal Song – Pop for Zahra's theme. IGN's Craig Harris praised the game but noted occasional control inconsistencies and frame rate drops. Official Nintendo Magazine's Neil Long called it a return to the well-liked Prince of Persia formula, highlighting platforming and puzzles. Nintendo Power's Justin Cheng felt the sand powers and combat were underdeveloped compared to platforming. Eurogamer's Ellie Gibson found it a polished Wii game, enjoying the graceful platforming. GameSpot's Tom McShea praised the overall design but faulted the combat and camera issues. Game Informer's Matt Miller found it entertaining despite a slow start. GameTrailers considered it inferior to the Sands of Time trilogy but better than many Wii titles. 1Up.com's Bob Mackey was less positive, citing motion controls impacting his enjoyment.
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