Before the inception of the Assassins’ Creed series, Prince of Persia used to be one of Ubisoft’s flagship franchises. After almost ten years of there being barely any news on the series, during September 2020’s Ubisoft Forward, the company confirmed a remake for the 2003 classic The Sands of Time was in development.
The Sands of Time was often considered to be the best installment in the series, so here’s everything we know about Ubisoft Pune and Ubisoft Mumbai’s Anvil Engine-powered Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake so far.
Release Date
The Sands of Time Remake was originally slated for a January 2021 release, but due to delays, it has received a new release date of March 18th, 2021.
Trailer
The remake of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time only comes out for PC, PS4, and Xbox One. On PC, the game will be exclusive to the Epic Games Store as well as Uplay. It will also be a part of Uplay+, Ubisoft’s subscription service, at launch.
The game is still playable on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X via backward compatibility.
The game follows the Prince as he attempts to recollect the Sands of Time and put them back in a magical hourglass after he is tricked into releasing them. The game is an action-adventure title that utilizes a mix of combat and platforming, with its main feature being that the player can rewind time if they make a mistake. It was critically acclaimed upon its launch, well-received, and was considered the height of the series, which stopped receiving new entries after 2010.
“Fight new enemy character models and enjoy entirely new cinematic sequences along with enhanced voices, sounds, parkour animations, and soundtrack,” the trailer description reveals. “Camera, controls, and combat have been completely rebuilt and updated for today’s standards. Choose between original or modernized mapping.” The original Prince of Persia game will also be playable right from the remake’s main menu.
Overall, the game’s reveal and visual overhaul were met with mixed responses from fans, who weren’t happy with the new art direction and the lack of proper lights and shadows in the reveal trailer. Hopefully, the visuals get polished a bit, now that the game is delayed by a couple of months.
Pre-Order Bonus
When the Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake launches in March 2021, it will be available for $39.99. Those that decide to pre-order the game will receive the “Back to the Origins” DLC set.
This includes an outfit for the Prince and a weapon set based on what the character used in the original 2003 game. It will also give players a classic filter that “changes the look and feel of the game on the screen, just as if players were playing the game back in time,” according to the press release. While we have yet to see this filter in action, it still seems like an intriguing bonus.
Are you excited for the remake of this franchise defining classic? Get ready to dive into The Sands of Time on March 18th, 2021!