One stand-out announcement during yesterday's Ubisoft Forward livestream was Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake, which will bring the time-bending 2003 action platformer back onto modern consoles with "thrilling graphical updates." However, anyone who pre-orders the remake can unlock ways to make the adventure a classic throwback.
Pre-ordering Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake will come with a "Back to the Origins Set," according to Ubisoft's webpage for the game. This set comes with a skin for the Prince and five weapons that harken back to the lower-resolution days of consoles like the PlayStation 2, as well as a filter that sets the entire world back to its original look. There will also be an option built into the base game that allows players to swap between original and modernized control schemes, which can capture the classic experience further.
Images of the remake leaked before its Ubisoft Forward announcement, and some believed the graphical reimagining for Prince of Persia left a lot to be desired. Having the option to revert the game back to its original graphics entirely may be a good compromise for those who wish to return to this fan-favorite Ubisoft title to relive their nostalgia, though it is a shame the option is currently locked behind a pre-order bonus.
Games like Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order make pre-order bonuses available post-launch, and for something as substantial as the Origins Set in Prince of Persia it may be a good option once the remake fanfare dies down. This kind of practice may upset people who feel they lose out on exclusive experiences they received for jumping on the game early, but it would likely be a good move for preservationist.
A remake of The Sands of Time is not the only Prince of Persia content that Ubisoft has announced to be releasing in the near future. A virtual reality escape room called Prince of Persia: The Dagger of Time is in development, though it has been delayed on account of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Prince of Persia has long been a beloved franchise for Ubisoft. It has received a number of games as well as a Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time movie starring Jake Gyllenhaal in 2010 — though it wasn't particularly successful. It's good to see the studio return to its classic game and offer fans ways to relive the experience as they remember it nearly 20-years on.
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake launches January 21, 2021 for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
Source: Ubisoft