Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands

About Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands

Ubisoft Montreal released Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands on May 18, 2010. This title serves as a direct sequel to the Sands of Time trilogy while introducing a new narrative thread. Players control the Prince across PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Windows PC platforms. The story picks up after the original events as the hero travels to visit his brother Malik. A coup forces the Prince to defend the kingdom against Solomon's Army, a horde of sand creatures. You must secure fragments of an ancient seal to prevent total transformation into stone. This is a standard single-player adventure that emphasizes fluid movement and combat over complex strategy or multiplayer features.

Gameplay

Sessions revolve around running, wall-jumping, and executing quick-time events during boss encounters. The Prince moves with high speed, sliding under obstacles and climbing vertical surfaces without stopping. Combat involves chaining light and heavy attacks against sand enemies while dodging specific patterns. You will frequently use a time-reversal mechanic to undo mistakes or rewind enemy actions mid-combat. The game offers distinct levels filled with traps that require precise timing to survive. Puzzle elements appear regularly, forcing you to manipulate the environment rather than just fight through waves of foes. Controls feel tight on consoles, though the PC version relies on standard keyboard mapping. There are no branching paths or alternative endings once a mission begins.

What Players Think

Data from our platform shows an IGDB score of 74.4 out of 100 based on 252 user ratings. The average completion rate sits at 68 percent, suggesting many players quit during the mid-game difficulty spikes. Community moods lean toward mixed, with frustration being a common sentiment regarding the QTE-heavy boss fights. Most users report an average playtime of 11 hours before finishing the campaign. Review snippets frequently mention the game looks good but feels rushed compared to earlier entries in the series. The cheapest price on Humble Store currently stands at $1.99, which has driven a slight uptick in recent positive reviews from budget-conscious players.

PlayPile's Take

This title is worth buying only if you can find it for under two dollars or own a PS3 copy. It delivers solid platforming mechanics but lacks the polish of its predecessors. The achievement list contains 40 items, mostly tied to speed runs and specific combat challenges that feel tedious. Fans of the Sands of Time era might enjoy the nostalgia, but newcomers should expect a generic action-adventure experience. Skip it if you dislike time-manipulation gimmicks or need a deep story. Grab this only when it hits its historical low price point for a quick 10-hour playthrough.

Storyline

The Prince is riding through a desert on his horse, on a quest to see his brother, Malik, and learn about leadership from him. When the Prince arrives at Malik's kingdom, he finds it under attack by an army who are attempting to breach the treasure vaults for a great power known as "Solomon's Army". The Prince charges in to the city, and tracks Malik to the treasure vaults. Here, Malik says that he is fighting a losing battle and proposes to rely on a last resort or be forced to retreat. The Prince strongly objects, but Malik releases Solomon's Army using a magical seal. Solomon's Army is an assortment of different creatures, all made of sand. The Prince and Malik both manage to obtain halves of the seal used to keep the army contained, protecting them from being turned into sand statues, which is the fate of the rest of the kingdom.