I find that I'm writing this review with a certain amount of prejudice. I enjoyed the Prince of Persia series on the previous generation of consoles, so naturally I'm a little biased. I even went so far as to play the entire series on PS2 with my best friend just so I could brush up on the controls and elements. It is with lukewarm feelings, however, that I give this game a resounding "eh.... it wasn't bad".

I'll get the good things out of the way first. The new powers that are incorporated into combat are extremely fun and interesting. The upgrade system seems a little superfluous and erratic at times, but it does its job well enough. The platforming is still phenomenal and as satisfying as ever, with new little tricks that really help out. One example is the option to jump from a perch to a flat wall, and then run upwards with no need to stop. Little things like that really help to refine the feeling of the game, and all in all, the core of what people loved is still here. The graphics are beautiful, the music is the usual Middle Eastern up-tempo score, and the original voice actor (Yuri Lowenthal) really helps to make “The Prince” shine.

Now comes the flaws, and boy, are there a lot of them. It seems that Ubisoft has a bad habit of taking one step forward and two steps back. The combat gets old very quickly, even with the new powers. Old favorite abilities, like slowing down everything save for you, are absent from the formula. Enemies only come in about five types and they are far too easy, resulting in cannon fodder scenarios more times than I can count. Weapon upgrades are also few and far between. When you do get a true new weapon, it equates to an “I WIN” button, mash melee and never think twice.  When enemies are killed they give you points which can be spent on upgrading your powers and combat abilities, but the number given for slaying a foe never increases as time goes on. Over a few hours of game play, I found a lot of empty spaces in the upgrade menus. Also, some of the new platforming powers, such as being able to solidify water, really make certain parts of the game fresh and fun. However, the incorporation of these powers starts off extremely easy but then increases to gnawing on your controller and cursing whoever made that particular puzzle section. The truly unbearable hiccup is the controls. It worked well for three games, but now the developers try to mess with it and it only does more harm than good.

Story wise, The Prince is still the same sardonic, skeptical, arrogant, and defiant character we’ve come to know and love. I wish I could say the same regarding the other cast. They are as uninteresting as they seem uninterested in the plot around them. It basically boils down to “What are we going to do, let’s unleash a power no one can control, oh no what have we done, only the Prince and his female foil can save the day”. Sound familiar? It should. There’s nothing new or overly intriguing here in the story. Also, on a personal note, the villain, if you can call it such, seems really underdeveloped. He’s basically a demon from the past, and that’s all we get. He looks evil and menacing, but as for any back story, he basically gets two lines, a faded mural on a wall, and then dropped. I wasn’t motivated to beat him, I just felt obligated because that’s what I had to do. There’s a brother that enters the scene in this game, but “meh” is all I can say.

Is it as bad as Prince of Persia: The Warrior Within (what was considered the weakest game in the series)? I don’t know. Story wise, maybe, combat wise, yes. There are worse ways you can spend your money, and all things considered, it isn’t a bad game, it’s just not great. If you’re a fan of the series, I’d recommend picking this up. If you’re on the fence about this franchise (and honestly, I can’t think of a better investment than picking up a PS2 and buying the old series) then maybe you should hold off on your decision.

7.5-8 out of 10