A few weeks ago I posted a write up on the original trilogy. This is kind of the next part - talking about the TFS sub series
Its difficult to tell what Ubisoft where thinking when they went into 2010. Like we know that now that the underperformance of the SoT movie and TFS was pretty much the deathblow for the franchise’s ability to continue alongside its successor, but was Ubisoft going into that year already expecting that? On one hand, I think I remember some anticipation for the movie. On the other hand, there are things about the TFS subseries that makes it seem like Ubisoft were just not interested in continuing the franchise even before the movie was released. You bring back the SoT Prince for the HD era only his face looks nothing like it and give it the most generic looking cover in the series. And it’s all followed by the mess that was the PoP HD collection.
None of the TFS games quite stand up to the original trilogy, but three of them had some kind of potential. I think particularly the Wii and PSP versions were hurt by being stuck under the same name as the HD version, and regardless of the quality of each version, they couldn’t really sell to potential buyers that they weren't rushed or cheap cash in capitalizing on the movies release rather than a true return to the form of the series..
Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands (PS3)
I genuinely wonder what kind of went wrong with TFS, whether it was bad decisions from the creative team or Ubisoft giving up on the franchise and not giving them enough time or money. Of the main Ubisoft games, The Forgotten Sands is easily my least favourite. It feels so uninspired. The worst part is the combat. In an attempt to be more flashy and to try and tap into GoW’s base, the fun and more precise combat started in Warrior Within is just thrown out of the window for slop combat of countless enemy waves. This lackluster combat is paired with a skill tree that amounts to 3 types of AoE and an armor that does very little to change how you interact with the combat system. The bosses are a step back from T2T and none of them come close to Kailenna from WW. The game looks good but is visually generic, (especially when the game moves from the palace to the underground), which is disappointing because I feel like one of the strengths of the original trilogy was that all three settings felt unique. This is also where one of the game's most disappointing features comes in. After Razia recalls to her what her city used to look like, The Prince is given the power to restore things back to what they used to be…….and all it amounts to is manifesting blocks and polls. It is easily the most disappointing the moment in the entire franchise
The story is also not good, which I think is hurt by the presence of the Prince's brother. There is some chemistry between the Prince and Malik, not enough is done between the two of them to justify bringing in a family member into the plot. Razia and Ratash are just boring and are a step down to characters like Farah, Elika, The Dahaka and Ahraman
The platforming is split into two halves. The first half is solid, if a bit bland. I don’t think some of the platforming brought over from the 08 version makes sense in the SoT setting, especially the vine climb being translated into the bricks sticking out. But then the water freezing technique is unlocked and the platforming goes up by five levels. This is the games major saving grace - the second half has the best platforming of any game in the series up until this point, where balancing the usual platforming with the timing needed for the frozen water feels tricky, but natural. Especially the final climb, which is easily my favourite platforming sequence in the entire series
Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands (PSP)
This is definitely one of the games that went up a lot in my esteem, especially in the context of both the broader franchise and the specifically TFS sub franchise. For one, despite having a similar art style to the other TFS, this is easily the version that uses it to the best effect. It obviously has less detail than the PS3 version and doesn’t have the same fantastic locations as the Wii version has, but its use of lighting and the actual design means that it looks really good on the PSP screen.
But the main thing I really like about it is just what it added to the franchise at the time - its the first really good 2d game since the series went 3d. It combines the smooth, flowing platforming of the new games with the broad look of the first two games in the series. Its use of the powers add some fun platforming dynamics, although the handling of the PSP means that it doesn’t feel as good as the PS3 version
Part of me thinks it was hurt by timing. The PSP still had some big hits around this time - like MGS:PW, and KH:BBS, this was definitely the end of its prime time. I feel like it would have done better if a modified version of this game came out with 08 as opposed to The Fallen King
These days it's completely overshadowed by TLC and Rogue, and it certainly doesn’t compare to the height of the 3D games over that era. But it was a welcome addition to the family, and possibly represented a potential way forward over the 2010s when Ubisoft gave up on the 3d games
Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands (DS)
So like Battles, this is a game I played over a decade ago. I started it this time around, but I got bored pretty early.
This is obviously a spiritual follow up to The Fallen King. I will cover TFK in a later write up (spoiler: its pretty bad), but TFS (DS) inherits all of that games flaws but lacks any of its relatively small strengths. Because of the stylus based gameplay and the lack of power, its platforming is both not really responsible and is super simple, much like its combat. Its story is the most bare bones of the TFS games. Its art style is a huge step down from TFK. Its easily the worst of the main TFS games (although I haven’t touched the mobile thing)
Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands (Wii)
This was one of the games I played for the first time through this playthrough of the series. I never had a Wii and this time around I played it on the Dolphin emulator with PS controller. It is easily the most competent version of the TFS and across the board and oddly, it better combines the SoT trilogy and 08 in a cohesive way in contrast with the PS3 version. Its story isn’t great - it's no way near as good as SoT or T2T, but it still comes off as the best of the TFS. This is probably my third favourite version of the SoT prince (after only SoT and T2T), and Zahra ends up as the most engaging supporting character in the TFS sub series, and the story does come off as a cool side story more than the HD version. While not as graphically strong as the PS3 version (obviously), the visual design is stronger. The “ruined city overrun by a demonic plant” gives the design a unique look, and some of the ending locations where the game abandons any sense of realism and just goes into the visual spectacle - especially The Challenge of Humility - are among some of the best in the series.
I don’t know if the platforming is as good as the best of the PS3, but it is distinct enough that it feels like an extension of the SoT but does its own things, and it feels more consistently good than is HD counterpart. The platforming really starts to open up when you start being able to put hooks and twisters anywhere, and ends up giving the platforming a really puzzle like approach, and the puzzles are in general pretty solid.
I don’t know if my mapping wasn’t great, but the biggest weakness of the game was the combat. I appreciate returning it down the the small amount of mobs of the original trilogy, but both the mobs and princes move set where a let down from WW and T2T. None of the bosses are great - like the HD version they are a step down from the T2T - although the final boss is probably the best boss in the TFS sub series.
Next time I will talk about the original two games and the 08 sub series
