Announced as part of Ubisoft's UbiForward event on September 10th, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time will be receiving a full-scale remake, bringing the classic game forward to the current generation of consoles. The 2003 title pioneered several aspects of the action-adventure genre of games that are still in use today, such as its particular brand of free-flow combat that has become a staple in another one of Ubisoft's flagship titles, Assassin's Creed. With its unique blend of combat, platforming, and puzzle-solving all amplified by the use of time manipulation, The Sands of Time holds up as one of the defining titles of the sixth generation of video game consoles.
Bringing the critically-acclaimed title forward to the current generation would require a certain level of care, and the newly-revealed Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time trailer showcased displays of the Prince in action. Players of the original title would also certainly find a sense of cozy familiarity in the environments, as well as the return of Yuri Lowenthal as the voice of the Prince.
Despite the care given to the fan-service and the technical aspects of The Sands of Time however, fans watching the Prince of Persia Remake trailer could not help but notice that the same care was not given to the presentation and the look of the game itself.
Why Prince of Persia's Graphics Fell Behind
While the gameplay and the platforming seem to be on par with what the 2003 original Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time brought to the table, with notable improvements being made to accommodate new features, the graphics have been the one neglected spot with this release. It is notable that Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is touted as a "remake" rather than a "remaster", indicating that work had been done with the purpose of making the game new again rather than simply upscaling the original PS2-era title. To that end, fans of the game were shocked to see the current state of the graphics for this "remake" of a classic adventure.
It is important to note that the Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time trailer explicitly stated that the footage on display was based on the "alpha" version of the game. This indicates that the version of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time shown in the trailer was in a state before even being considered "feature complete." With plenty of work to be done on the title from now until release, fans can look forward to seeing the game take shape as they get closer to Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time's release. Marvel's Avengers stands as a recent title that was shown in an early state, but when players got their hands on the final product, the presentation had improved in leaps and bounds.
With the game's release set for January 21st, 2021, the remake of Prince of Persia: Sands of Time will seemingly have an uphill battle to win back an audience from its lacking first impressions. With official uploads of the trailer having a split like-to-dislike ratio, it is clear that fans of the franchise were expecting more when the rumors of a Prince of Persia remake began to stir. With only four months until the game's official release, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake does not have much time of its own to turn around the startling first impression.