The announcement of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time remake has stirred some interest. This has been sidestepped a bit by the trailer’s unimpressive graphical display, although older fans remain highly intrigued over the possibilities. The new game’s arrival has also brought back interest in the original trilogy.
These games are still fun to play, which is remarkable considering the last of these was released over a decade and a half ago. It comes down to certain aspects that never got outdated, making the series just as relevant today as it was back then. However, certain other areas definitely haven’t aged well.
10 Aged Well: Storytelling Framing Device
Prince of Persia among the best Ubisoft games ever made. It remains the most unique title if you're looking for a dedicated plot. The framing device is what draws one in, as the Prince tells the series in the manner of a story.
The narration bolsters every cutscene, bringing more impact by delivering an additional layer of exposition for the characters. There’s also the character development available, as the Prince learns from his mistakes over the series. This kind of style wasn’t common back in the day and fares well in the landscape of today.
9 Didn't Age Well: Graphics
While it wasn’t made in the worst graphical engine out there, the Sands of Time games still aren’t the prettiest to look at. Despite some progress from one game to the next in this department, the graphics remain uninteresting.
This becomes more striking to notice when stacked up against recent titles. The first game’s CGI, in particular, is pretty weak. The cutscenes are far too immersed in the colors rather than the character models, and it’s a very negative point that’s become apparent over the years.
8 Aged Well: Prince And Farah's Chemistry
Games featuring more than one protagonist have become more in favor these days. The Sands of Time did this first, with the chemistry between the lead pair its biggest plus point. This dynamic is an evergreen quality, as it resonates just as well as the first time the game was played.
The trilogy’s mastery at changing things up between Farah and the Prince -- she becomes more of a warrior by The Two Thrones -- ensures the characters’ well-rounded personalities remain their most noticeable trait.
7 Didn't Age Well: Repetitive Fighting Mechanics
These days, open-world games tend to have the worst kind of fighting mechanics, although Prince of Persia might be guilty of paving the way for this. Each game of the trilogy had the same fight style, with the Prince only having to vault over an enemy and do the same moves.
This was relatively passable at the time since contemporary games had similar mechanics. However, combat variety has become one of the biggest factors in recent times, meaning The Sands of Time feels very outdated in its fighting style.
6 Aged Well: Wall Running
Fluidity has become paramount in a game, to the point where developers tout their titles’ excellence in execution here. The Sands of Time might well be the first game that delivered on this aspect. This came down to the wall running sequences.
These are so free-flowing in nature that you can’t notice any break in the game when the Prince runs into a wall and trails along it in real-time. No matter how many years might pass, the wall running remains a thing of beauty to see.
5 Didn't Age Well: Boss Fights
Due to the aforementioned issue with the fight mechanics, boss fights are absolutely horrid in this series. These range from extremely easy ones like against the Vizier, to over-the-top levels such as the Prince’s fights against giant sand monsters.
With boss fights having become a vital part of the gaming experience, The Sands of Time trilogy feels hilariously stuck in the past. The games come across as tacking on these fights for the heck of it rather than making them a fun experience.
4 Aged Well: Time Reversal Mechanics
Prince of Persia deserves to be known among the best platformers out there. This is because of the creativity in this department, as challenging platforming sequences are available due to the time-reversal option. This mechanic gives players room to make mistakes without repeating levels.
Gamers continue to be annoyed with having to replay sequences to this day, making The Sands of Time a superb choice since it doesn’t require one to be flawless. Not to mention that the time-traveling aspect is still as cool as ever.
3 Didn't Age Well: Overtly Elaborate Puzzles
Only Uncharted might have ridiculously difficult puzzles these days, with a majority of games making these relatively easy. That’s because gamers just don’t prefer being forced to crack long, uneventful puzzles when they can be playing fast-paced missions.
The Sands of Time series is guilty of bringing way too complex puzzles on occasion. These take away from the replay value since it’s a chore to play these elaborate sequences again. As gamers have evolved into simpler puzzle territory, The Sands of Time feels needlessly difficult in places.
2 Aged Well: The Soundtrack
It’s not just Nintendo who has the best soundtracks, especially when The Sands of Time series is taken into account. Each game highlights the thematic quality of the story, bringing appropriate music that fits into the Prince’s characterization.
Players can find variety here as Warrior Within even has heavy metal music, which will appeal to those who want an action-heavy track. The first and third games excel in Arab-style tunes, making this trilogy a complete experience where music is concerned.
1 Didn't Age Well: Comparisons To Assassin's Creed
The Assassin’s Creed series has become one of the best sandbox games, along with its mastery in action and storytelling. All this was derived from the Prince of Persia trilogy, also a Ubisoft-owned IP, although younger fanbases remain largely ignorant of this fact.
Due to this, comparisons are usually made between both franchises, with Prince of Persia coming short. It doesn’t possess many gameplay aspects like Assassin’s Creed because of its linear nature. It’s not an altogether fair comparison, but the trilogy’s aging has meant it feels rather inferior to its successor series.