Prince of Persia®: The Sands of Time

Não joguei esse jogo quando era mais novo portanto minha análise não será uma análise baseada em nostalgia mas em o máximo de objetividade que eu puder. Não sou um jornalista de jogos, por exemplo, mas tentei entregar uma análise que fosse justa e completa sem entregar spoilers sobre a história. Obs.: Apesar de ter autoria, coloquei o texto no ChatGPT para melhoria da produção. As ideias centrais são de minha autoria - como referências a McGuffins e a quebra de imersão -, enriquecidas (dependendo do ponto de vista) pela funcionalidade do ChatGPT.

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time - Análise

Plataforma e Puzzles: 8/10 (9,5 sem considerar as conveniências narrativas)

O sistema de plataforma é o maior destaque do jogo, oferecendo uma experiência cinematográfica graças à integração fluida dos elementos de parkour com os cenários. Correr por paredes, saltar entre pilares e ativar mecanismos é envolvente e visualmente deslumbrante, evocando a estética das "Mil e Uma Noites". No entanto, a imersão é comprometida por conveniências narrativas, como plataformas e botões posicionados de forma quase "sobrenatural". A descida na prisão é um exemplo claro, onde o cenário parece montado exclusivamente para o progresso do protagonista. Apesar dessas falhas, o design visual e a ambientação continuam impressionantes, mantendo o jogador cativado.

Combate: 7/10

O combate é funcional, mas carece de fluidez. A agilidade do Príncipe, brilhante nas seções de plataforma, não é plenamente aproveitada nos confrontos. As batalhas são interrompidas pela mecânica de bloqueios constantes dos inimigos e a lentidão ao se recuperar de quedas, tornando os encontros muitas vezes frustrantes. Inimigos como os soldados azuis de lança dupla e os guardas de escudo se destacam negativamente por serem mais trabalhosos que desafiadores. Apesar disso, há um "cool factor" em algumas técnicas, como usar a Adaga do Tempo nas piruetas, mas essas habilidades não são bem explicadas, tornando seu uso pouco intuitivo. A falta de variedade nos inimigos contribui para a sensação de repetitividade, mesmo que individualmente eles sejam criativos e temáticos, vide os soldados e as odaliscas. A Farah, embora excelente no contexto narrativo das plataformas e quebra-cabeças, adiciona frustração nas batalhas devido ao fogo amigo, evidenciando as falhas do sistema de combate, tornando-a uma punição, ao invés de inconveniência.

Gameplay: 6/10

A estrutura linear do jogo funciona bem, mas a falta de exploração e de desvios significativos na rota principal diminui o impacto das mecânicas de jogo. Muitos colecionáveis, como melhorias de vida, são colocados diretamente no caminho do jogador, reduzindo o senso de descoberta. Torna-se, portanto, uma experiência única, em que não há incentivos para jogar novamente, além de limites auto-impostos (não coletar melhorias de vidas ou nunca usar as habilidades de tempo, por exemplo). Além disso, as visões do futuro, embora tematicamente alinhadas às Areias do Tempo, acabam atuando como spoilers de quebra-cabeças, reduzindo a satisfação de resolver desafios por conta própria. A manipulação do tempo, que deveria ser um dos pontos altos, é reduzida a uma ferramenta de "tente novamente", carecendo de impacto narrativo ou mecânico. Soluções alternativas, como ligar as visões do futuro do enredo exclusivamente a savepoints e usar os ampliadores de tanque de areia para revelar dicas dos puzzles, poderiam agregar mais significado temático às mecânicas. Embora a progressão seja bem ajustada, com ritmo consistente, o jogo peca por não oferecer mais desafios ou recompensas fora do caminho principal.

História: 8,5/10

A trama é envolvente e simples, mas eficaz. A narrativa se destaca pela evolução orgânica da relação entre o Príncipe e Farah, que, embora não seja marcante, é bem construída e entrega um impacto emocional significativo, especialmente nos momentos finais antes da batalha final (Sem spoilers). A Adaga e a Ampulheta do Tempo, apesar de serem McGuffins temáticos bem integrados ao cenário, não são o verdadeiro cerne da história. O foco está mais na interação dos personagens e no confronto com o Vizir. Apesar de falhar em explorar todo o potencial das Areias do Tempo, o jogo compensa com um excelente pay-off final, fechando a história de forma satisfatória tanto em termos emocionais quanto narrativos.

Notas Finais

Plataforma e Puzzles: 8/10 (9,5 sem considerar as conveniências narrativas)
Combate: 7/10
Gameplay: 6/10
História: 8/10

Média Final: 7,25/10

Apesar de suas falhas, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time é uma experiência memorável, com momentos que brilham tanto pelo design visual quanto pela narrativa, mesmo que o potencial de suas mecânicas não tenha sido completamente explorado. Verei agora o que The Warrior Within trará.

I've beaten this game 4 times over the years on various platforms and I still come back to it. The combat is tedious but the platforming and atmosphere is great. If you can enjoy old games then I recommend it.

Don't get me wrong. The parkour, the puzzles, the characters, there's a whole lot to love about this game.

Unfortunately, the combat is like pulling teeth. The game seems to believe 4v1 is the ideal ratio, with the next enemy of the (arbitrarily numbered and not-broadcasted) group spawning in after every kill. Actually getting said kills is a chore when nearly every enemy will resurrect itself unless you perform a (rather lengthy) finishing move, that of course leaves you vulnerable to the other 3 enemies. Having tried Batman: Arkum Asylum just before this is probably making for some unfair comparisons, but there's such a thing as a game showing its age.

The game clearly expects you to make use of the time rewinding mechanic to undo mistakes and damage, but in any other game, expecting someone to be a time-traveler in order to win is usually asking a bit much. I'm sure the rest of the game is great, but the combat is just too frustrating for me to want to wade through it to see. Maybe I'll toss another $2 at it in the future.

Such a great game, way ahead of it's time, It's a must play for all classic games enjoyers.

A classic and still runs smooth on today's PCs. Maybe add some texture and graphics mod and enjoy.

I would not recommend this game as it has extremely bad controls and the camera panning around makes it even worse. i have only played warrior within during my childhood and wanted to experience the whole story. if only this game was not so frustrating . the puzzles are still cool but the combat is very bad

For people who want to get this game thinking it will be an easy platformer, it isn't. The puzzles in this game are confusing at times. The confusing platforming, and camera angles when doing platforming and fighting. The enemies in this game are so brutal on you since they gang up on you. The enemies can take most of your health away. Your female-friendly companion uses a bow that's pretty much useless since she barely does anything with it and she can even damage you If you're in front of her. Also, she has her live bar meaning If enemies kill her you have to restart to the last checkpoint. There are times when the enemies surround you and they can take a chunk of your health before you can think of which button to use to defend yourself. You get a tutorial on how to do the controls and game mechanics but I can barely remember them since other things are happening in the game to keep my mind on them most of the time. After so many hours of playing, I'm glad made it to the end because this was a hard game to beat. This is the first Prince of Persia game I ever finished so that's something to feel good about. If you're going to play this game you might have to configure the game so it runs well or you won't have a good time with it. It's a great game but be prepared to die a lot in this game because the game will make you regret playing it eats you out of your sanity. If you're stuck on a section don't feel ashamed to use a walkthrough because I did for my playthrough for the game. I give this game an 8 out of 10.

The camera and controls in this game are atrocious. It's a shame, because there's a lot to like here, even years later.

A classic game that needs to be played. I replayed this recently and this game is a masterpiece of well designed puzzles. The combat is a bit frustrating but thankfully there is not too much of it.
Playing on a desktop with Nvidia cards means you will need to have V-Sync disabled in some sections when you are doing multiple wall to wall jumps.
Even with those issues, I enjoyed playing it and recommend it wholeheartedly.

Best time-travel theory game in existence next to Soul Reaver 2.

God damn this game was great. But it aged not so much great, to be fair. A great story with good gameplay fades a bit because of

- simple fighting system. The vault is just too OP, and has no alternatives, which makes many fights too boring sections between puzzles and platforming
- scarce models. Like really, enemies of a group have literally the same model
- models themselves. The game is kinda low poly for today, and it could be a serious disadvantage for modern players who want to try the classics

Otherwise you get:

+ great story (with eastern-esqe motives)
+ Pharah - great companion that really helps (while not shooting arrows in your arse)
+ STARING MECHANIC (dialogs lol)
+ great soundtrack (tho i more like the 2nd game with hard rock motives)
+ good puzzles and platforming with action sequences (but my god they are easy, well maybe because this game is for children after all)

Returned by nostalgia, I enjoyed the game, but I probably too old for it now. (Warrior Within was my favorite, even backthen i was an edgelord XD). Still recommended.
It teases a lot with the puzzles but afraid to create long acrobatic sequenses that would benefit greatly from rewinding time mechanic, creating memorable moments. (probably the only good thing that was improved in later games).

10 Kakkolucias/10

Still amazing after all these years. Played it once out of nostalgia, then played it again just cause it was so much fun. I don't know how it manages to hold up after so long. The low poly look actually gives it a sense of dream-like wonder, and becomes an asset. In the end you might ask if you played it or only dreamed it. I wish I could double-recommend it.

Also the elevator is annoying.

O jogo é excelente, nostálgico, divertido e completo, até para os dias de hoje.
Jogabilidade, história, puzzles, e a mecânica de batalha são muito boas.
O único contra são os bugs, pqp, o port para a Steam está muito mal feito. Infelizmente, tem muitos bugs, maaasss dá para zerar, e é satisfatório.

Great game for its time. really recommend if you like platformers and aren't turned off by out of date graphics

No, I don't recommend this game due to the fact during a roping swinging segment of the game it literally prevents you from completing it because the game is so buggy.

This game is fun and at some point challenging, I enjoyed the parkour, some of the puzzles were challenging.

I absolutely love this game, I remember playing it as a kid and being obsessed

When Ubisoft used to make bangers!

Such a mythical tale everything is top notch compared to current releases Ubisoft is making
Voice acting, soundtracks, atmosphere, storyline, though game is outdated but it's definitely playable with Widescreen Resolution Fix.
(Completing this game feels like achievement has been accomplished, cause I never completed it in my childhood days)

Highly recommended and definitely looking forward to Remake :)

Great nostalgia from a better time. Platforming is still good fun, but the combat lets it down. Still worth it if you can be bothered to get it working.

The hardest and the most difficult foe that you will face in this game is the fixed cameras and clunky controls, 95% of me failing parkour sections and deaths were because of these 2 factors other than that great game

I have (a) never experienced so much joy in a platformer and (b) never experienced so much anxiety when having to jump from beams, ropes and poles in my life.

great game

One of my childhood games, I played this game many times but being too small I don't think I ever managed to finish it. So after 21 years I finally did it.
8/10 Good Game

Buggy and constantly got the player stuck

The combat and camera controls have not aged very well, especially the camera. But the platforming, story and soundtrack are great. Worth playing if you don't mind installing a patch to fix widescreen and some annoying bugs.

Es un juego muy bueno, pero tiene sus bugs en algunas graficas, controles o algunos escenarios. 4.2/5

I was in love with how the Prince of Persia games looked back when I was 12 and had no PS2 to play them on myself, but playing it for the first time in 2024 it just feels aged. Fixing the visual bugs and setting the controls up on PC is a pain already, and despite spending so much time on the controls it still ends up feeling clunky. Maybe it's something you could get into if you invest some more time or if you already have some affinity with the games from playing them in the 2000s, but not for me sadly. Even if I really like the flair.

Unique, revolutionary game, plagued with a terrible camera. Also, if you press the little controller icon to the far right of the "play" button, you can download layouts for your controller, because I've seen a couple people say that this game has no controller support, but there is. Enjoy!

8/10
The game is very good, the atmosphere and the level designs are honestly amazing and the character design too, the "puzzle" platforming is honestly very fun but then why isn't it a 10/10? the camera.

The camera is god awful and makes everything a chore and a pain in the ass... not only but the camera basically ruins the combat COMPLETELY, often due to the camera i found myself trapped by the enemies in a constant bodyblock because i couldn't see certain enemies that were actually behind my view, but for the rest i raccomend the game.

If you ever played an Assassin's Creed game and thought to yourself "I wish they'd just make a game focusing on the platforming and parkour" then have I got a game for you!
The combat didn't really age all that well, though, so keep that in mind.

In terms of third-person games, Prince of Persia is like a gentle massage set to the peeling tones of a 72-virgin orchestra. It's spectacular and soothing to play.

In fact, it almost seems unfair to call it a third-person action-adventure, because it's wonderfully inventive yet intuitive, logically designed and consistently rewarding without ever feeling contrived. I can't think of a single third-person game that better fits the above description. As somebody who regularly has to suffer through and remain objective about the sort of cripplingly lame, soul-destroying misconstruction that runs throughout the genre, the beauty, simplicity and logic behind Prince of Persia is enough to bring a tear one's eye.

Quite simply, right from the start, almost everything about it feels right. The tone of the Prince's voice, the way he moves around the game's palatial labyrinth, the way he reacts to common gameplay scenarios (grasping a ledge at an angle, shimmying round corners, moving a box in any direction just by holding one side and using the analogue stick rather than having to run round it every time to push, etc), the way the combat fits in with the rest of the game, the way the puzzles are introduced, considered and solved, the placement of save points and foreshadowing of key game events through occasional 'visions' (it does work, trust me), and especially the Sands of Time angle, of which more shortly.

No previous experience with the Prince of Persia series is required to enjoy Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. In fact, virtually nothing will bar you from being impressed by this extremely well-put-together action adventure game. Prince of Persia is surprisingly easy, despite the incredible acts of skill and daring that the game's main character will routinely perform during the course of the game. As a result, this original, visually stunning game can be highly recommended to just about anyone.

PoP takes place in a mystical Middle Eastern setting, all bathed in soft, warm light and looking like something straight out of a storybook. You play as a young prince who possesses exceptional athletic and acrobatic skill. Early on in the game, the prince steals the dagger of time, a treasure from a rival nation, as a token for his father the king. When his nation's traitorous vizier compels the prince to use the dagger to unlock another treasure, a huge hourglass, everything goes wrong. The sands from the hourglass blow forth, enveloping the kingdom and turning its guardsmen and citizens into, for lack of a better way to describe it, "sand zombies." The prince, the vizier, and a young woman named Farah are among the only survivors. In the prince's efforts to undo his mistake, he'll join forces with Farah, seek out the hourglass, and confront the vizier. The game's story takes a backseat during most of the game, but it is book-ended nicely and is framed as the prince's own retrospection. So, for instance, should the prince fall and die at a certain point during the game, you'll hear him say, as narrator, something like, "No, that's not how it happened." Not only is this an interesting technique, but it compels you to keep pressing on. You'll want to know exactly how his complicated ordeal will unravel.

A highly responsive, very forgiving control scheme further ensures that at no point during Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time will you get particularly stuck, if at all. Though other action adventure games involving a lot of death-defying leaps and other such bravery tend to force the player to perfectly time his or her maneuvers and often force him or her to wrestle with issues concerning the controls or camera perspective, Prince of Persia is set up in such a way that it's remarkably simple to pull off all of the prince's spectacular moves. Also, despite the convincing look of the game's huge environments, the game is completely linear, and the prince's course tends to be very clear. Doors will slam shut behind him, forcing him to press onward, and each time you enter a new area, you'll see a quick fly-through showing where it is you're trying to go and what it is that stands between you and that goal. Additionally, at each of the game's frequent save points, you'll see a "vision" of what lies ahead--a quick sepia-toned montage of the trials and tribulations to come in the next area.

The gameplay in Prince of Persia largely consists of three types of actions: navigation (the most common and best type), combat, and puzzle-solving. The puzzle-solving is straightforward and typical of what you'd find in other action adventure games. You'll push some boxes onto pressure plates, figure out how to use some mysterious machines, pull some switches and levers, and that sort of thing. What makes the puzzles here, at least, seem more interesting is the presence of Farah, the prince's female counterpart, who will automatically assist with some of the puzzles and make them seem like more of a cooperative affair. Farah, who's even skinnier than the prince, can slip through cracks in the wall to reach places the prince cannot. The pair will frequently have to find ways of opening up passages for one another. This pseudo-two-player dynamic, and, in fact, the whole look of the game, is reminiscent of the artistic 2001 PlayStation 2 title, ICO.

Excellent audio rounds out this altogether impressive game. The actor who provides the prince's voice fits the role perfectly, creating a likable yet brash personality for the character that's the perfect foil to Farah's cool-headed determination. The banter exchanged between the two characters can be very amusing, and though the two really don't have time for their relationship to develop, it's still plausible that one does. The ambient sounds in Prince of Persia, from the sound of the prince's footsteps on various surfaces to the rush of wind when he's outdoors, are also completely believable. One fairly clever puzzle late in the game completely depends on your ability to hear the game's clear, realistic audio. An excellent musical score, which combines traditional Middle Eastern sounds and instrumentation with a hard rock edge and some nice chorus vocals, also fits the game extremely well. There's just one problem: For the most part, you only hear the music during battle. It's possible that the fast-paced themes would have been conducive to recklessness during the game's running and jumping sequences, but it's a bit of a shame that such a good soundtrack is only heard on relatively rare occasion during the game.

Prince of Persia offers some bonuses, in addition to the main adventure, most notably with the presence of an unlockable port of the original version of the game that started it all. The original Prince of Persia influenced games like Tomb Raider--and pretty much every other game in which you can grab on to ledges--and presents a stark contrast with the new installment in the series in just how punishing it is. On the other hand, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is a game that can be recommended wholeheartedly. It looks fantastic and features responsive controls, some original play mechanics, a good story, and plenty of thrilling adventure. In the simplest terms: Do not miss out on this game.

Verdict: 10/10

I should make it clear from the start that this isn't as much a review of the game as a review of the experience playing it on Steam. If you're gonna mald over that, you can read another review; there's no shortage of 'my childhood nostalgia' posts for these games on Steam. If I were to rate the game itself, it would probably be 6 out of 10; the game is decent. The graphics are good for the time, the soundtrack is fantastic, and the lack of story focus or cinematic sequences in favour of raw gameplay is actually welcome. On the other hand, the camera was designed by a gay rattlesnake named Fabio Enchilada, and the combat is pretty repetitive and flawed. Overall, Sands of Time feels like playing the old Jordan Mechner Prince of Persia games but in 3D, and that's good.

What is bad - and the reason for the 'Not Recommended' - is the experience of playing this game on Steam, and the wider problem these games have on Steam at large. This download is essentially Ubisoft charging you money for the abandonware version of this game, thrown onto Steam with NO fixes whatsoever. To get it working you'll need to play around with patches and configuration files yourself, and you will never get proper controller support regardless (the game natively supports any controller, but very poorly).

This is part of a larger problem on Steam and I say it needs to be fixed. If you pay for a game it should be a good experience that requires no jury-rigging to enjoy. Unfortunately, because gamers are masochists and even now some nerd is probably getting ready to comment, "Bro it's only $10 bro, publishing games is hard bro, I don't respect myself enough to expect good service bro, I want Yves Guillemot to piss in my mouth bro," it has gotten to this point and companies like Ubisoft have learned to take full advantage of that. Why WOULDN'T they charge you for the same file you can find on MyAbandonware and probably have an easier time configuring? Now they can even sell you a remake of this game, because their dumb audience never thought to demand that old games be properly curated and fixed to work well on modern systems and the remake will ostensibly 'fix' those issues and 'introduce Prince of Persia to a new generation of fans' and all that PR drivel.

Gaben needs to step in personally; Steam shouldn't allow companies to publish broken, out-of-date games on Steam and leave the fans to fix them.

In the first boss battle, I was on very low health. This is when Farah hit me the arrow instead of the enemy. I died. 10/10 realism!!

A classic and good game muy buen juego

The game aged poorly. Bad camera, no support of controllers.

The game doesn't work for me. They recommend manually running it in a compatibility mode. That didn't work for me (and is already more of a hassle than I'm looking for). I imagine you can probably get a community patch or something to make it work, but if you're not looking for an IKEA project I wouldn't recommend the steam version of this game

]Final Verdict:

[b]Average: 75-84 (75-84%)[b]
Performance or gameplay meets the passing mark but remains average.
There are areas that could be improved to enhance the gaming experience.
Cautiously Recommended - ✔

Player Opinion Steam Review

Gameplay Experience (18/25)

Intuitive Controls - Easy to use.
☐ Very Difficult (+1)
☐ Difficult (+2)
☑ Moderate (+3)
☐ Easy (+4)
☐ Very Easy (+5)


Balanced Gameplay - Fair and equal.
☐ Poorly Balanced (+1)
☐ Somewhat Balanced (+2)
☐ Moderately Balanced (+3)
☑ Well Balanced (+4)
☐ Perfectly Balanced (+5)


Player Engagement - Involving and captivating.
☐ Not at all (+1)
☐ Slightly (+2)
☐ Moderately (+3)
☐ Very (+4)
☑ Extremely (+5)


Decision Relevance - Meaningful choices.
☐ Meaningless (+1)
☑ Not Meaningful (+2)
☐ Somewhat Meaningful (+3)
☐ Quite Meaningful (+4)
☐ Highly Meaningful (+5)


Rewarding Progression - Satisfying advancement.
☐ Very Unsatisfying (+1)
☐ Unsatisfying (+2)
☐ Neutral (+3)
☑ Satisfying (+4)
☐ Very Satisfying (+5)


[b]Presentation & Immersion (19/25)[b]

Compelling Storyline - Engaging narrative.
☐ Not Interesting (+1)
☐ Slightly Interesting (+2)
☐ Moderately Interesting (+3)
☑ Very Interesting (+4)
☐ Extremely Interesting (+5)


Immersive Atmosphere - Captivating environment.
☐ Not Immersive (+1)
☐ Slightly Immersive(+2)
☐ Moderately Immersive (+3)
☐ Very Immersive (+4)
☑ Completely Immersive (+5)


Visual Aesthetics - Stunning graphics.
☐ Not Appealing (+1)
☐ Slightly Appealing (+2)
☑ Moderately Appealing (+3)
☐ Very Appealing (+4)
☐ Extremely Appealing (+5)


Audio Quality - High-quality sound.
☐ Not Engaging (+1)
☐ Slightly Engaging (+2)
☐ Moderately Engaging (+3)
☑ Very Engaging (+4)
☐ Extremely Engaging (+5)


Polished HUD - Clean and functional interface.
☐ Very Unfriendly (+1)
☐ Unfriendly (+2)
☑ Neutral (+3)
☐ Friendly (+4)
☐ Very Friendly (+5)


Design & Technical Aspects (16/25)

Game Design - Well-crafted mechanics.
☐ Poorly Designed (+1)
☑ Somewhat Designed (+2)
☐ Moderately Designed (+3)
☐ Well Designed (+4)
☐ Excellently Designed (+5)


Content Quality - Rich and diverse.
☐ Poor Content (+1)
☐ Limited Content (+2)
☑ Moderate Content (+3)
☐ Extensive Content (+4)
☐ Abundant Content (+5)


AI Behavior - Intelligent and realistic.
☐ Very Poor (+1)
☐ Poor (+2)
☑ Average (+3)
☐ Good (+4)
☐ Excellent (+5)


Settings - Flexible and customizable.
☐ Very Limited (+1)
☐ Limited (+2)
☑ Moderate (+3)
☐ Flexible (+4)
☐ Highly Flexible (+5)


Technical Issues - Minimal or no problems.
☐ Numerous (+1)
☐ Moderate (+2)
☐ Limited (+3)
☐ Minor (+4)
☑ None (+5)


Final Considerations (24/25)

Overall Satisfaction - General enjoyment level.
☐ Very Dissatisfied (+1)
☐ Dissatisfied (+2)
☐ Neutral (+3)
☐ Satisfied (+4)
☑ Very Satisfied (+5)


Microtransactions - In-game purchases.
☐ Extensive (+1)
☐ Substantial (+2)
☐ Moderate (+3)
☐ Minimal (+4)
☑ None (+5)


Replay Value - Longevity and replayability.
☐ Very Low (+1)
☐ Low (+2)
☐ Moderate (+3)
☑ High (+4)
☐ Very High (+5)


Cost-to-Play Ratio - Money spent vs hours played.
☐ Overpriced (+1)
☐ Poor Value (+2)
☐ Fair Value (+3)
☐ Good Value (+4)
☑ Excellent Value (+5)


Recommendation.
☐ No (+0)
☑ Yes (+5)

The best Prince of Persia I have played so far. The controls are a bit confusing but you get used to it. Also the puzzles in the game are difficult but fun.

Peak nostalgia

Peak

Time only knows

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time was released way back in 2003. If you possessed a magical dagger and turned back the sands to those days, you would understand how novel this game was. You can see the Prince's athletic prowess and puzzle-solving exploits ingrained in modern-day Tomb Raider and Uncharted games (to name just a few examples).

While nowadays, Yuri Lowenthal is perhaps best known for playing Spider-Man, PoP was (I think) his first big videogame franchise. His voice acting gives the protagonist a relatable youthfulness and humanity as we watch his character develop from a prideful, father-pleasing young warrior to a humble, mature hero worthy of the 'Prince of Persia' moniker. The Prince's banter with his bow-wielding sidekick, Princess Farah, is endearing enough that you start caring about both characters as the heroes traverse through the desolate, apocalyptic world to undo the Sands of Time.

And what better voices to accompany you, indeed, as you traverse tricky terrain with the Prince's gravity-defying parkour abilities and fight mindless but dangerous sand creatures with the dagger's sand-powers? The game does a great job of balancing the action with the puzzle-solving, with the latter making you feel like a genius once you've solved them and progress.

And the best thing? This is all within a 6-7 hour game. While relatively recent games (i.e. the Tomb raider survivor games) relentlessly pad out their gameplay with 'hidden caches' and RPG-esque level-up systems, PoP: Sands of Time respects that humans have other things in their lives other than videogames (strange though the concept may appear). Hidden sand clouds that increase your sand tank capacity? Sure, that's there. Upgraded abilities? Yes, the Prince gets more sand powers as the story progresses - and new swords that deal more damage. But you get them at the pace of the story, not through soulless side-quests or by collecting hidden coins.

Pop holds up and gives you a concise, action-packed adventure that is both fun and engaging, both in the gameplay and story aspects. You must play this game

Great throwback to childhood - nostalgia plus playing it with a reshade lets you see the game in a whole new way ! 11/10 recommend - even managed to use a ps5 controller with steam controller support

literally a masterpeice in my oppinion wish they did mess up the remake. seriously if you havnt played the game theres no better time than now

great game with extreme nostalgia.

Great soundtrack, great characters, great parkour and platforming movement, and the combat's pretty good.

A true classic lost in the sands of time

nostalgie

a great game that hasnt aged the best but also has a few graphical glitches in some cutscenes. poles can be buggy too

I played and enjoyed this game back then, but I gotta say it aged poorly, on emight say it didn't stand the stest of (the sands of) time.

Extremely basic and boring level design and puzzles for anyone who played a platformer released in the past 15 years, there's barely any story and what is there isn't good and finally combat in not very good either: little enemy variety, very bad camera, unreliable target system and combat overall (sometimes the playable character won't do what you tell him to do). Overall, quite a bad game for today standards, if i'ts your first time trying out the franchise I don't suggest starting from here, if you really want to try it, do so when it's on sale.

The story is very good and long, but the fights in the game are poorly done and a little bit frustrating. The camera is also a bit tricky. You have to change it non-stop to know where you are jumping.You will need a lot of patience especially at the very end of the game when you jump. For me the game is ok, considering that it is 21 years old. I recommend it to anyone who likes this type of game and who is a fan of all Prince of Persia games.