Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake is scheduled for a release on January 21, 2021. It will cost $39.99 and be available on PS4, Xbox One, Epic Games Store, the Ubisoft Store on Windows, and UPlay+. We won’t have a PS5 and Xbox Series X and Series S version, but the remake can be played on next-gen consoles via backward compatibility.
The Assassin's Creed Engine Adaptation
Ubisoft announces this is its first-ever full-scale remake, hoping to bring back the 2003’s classic adventure in a brand new look developed by Ubisoft Pune and Ubisoft Mumbai. Ubisoft promises “a fresh approach to combat, puzzle-solving, and rewinding time,” fresh with new camera angles and “fully remade sequences.”
The two studios join hands to reimagine the Ninth-century Persian, yet keep the original storyline as well as the original voice actors. Yuri Lowenthal will return as the prince, while actress Supinder Wraich takes on the role of the princess Farah. Ubisoft confirmed the Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time remake uses the Anvil engine from the Assassin's Creed franchise.
First Look of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake
Adapting the new Anvil engine to remake a classic title like this is not easy, as confirmed by Ubisoft Pune's Game Director Pierre-Sylvain Gires. "...If you’ve ever played Assassin’s Creed: Origins and Prince of Persia, you can see that Bayek and the Prince have different morphology," Gires said. While Bayek is very strong and heavy during the combat, the Prince is light and fast. One of the main challenges Ubisofts faces is the rewinding feature because Sands of Time deals with time control. How to recreate the freeze, slow-mo, and rewinding is a huge challenge.
The remake also “throwbacks” the original 1989 Prince of Persia. Ubisoft is giving those who preorder the Back to Origins set of content, including the Original Prince outfit from the Sands of Time, the Prince’s Original Weapons, and a classic filter that alters the look and feels of the game. The game has now overcome the technological barriers of 2003, telling the classic storyline in a clean, detailed graphics.
It’s a Remake, Not a Reboot or Remaster
Speaking of reason why Ubisoft decided to remake the classic Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, Gires explained the company to rebuild everything from scratch. It also has a chance to work on motion capture, and Yuri and Supinder Wraich are back for the cinematics. So, with motion capture, facial animation, and all the dialogue, lines redone, the company calls it a remake and not a remaster.
A reboot requires a complete makeover on the design and the level design. But, in order to stay true to the original story, Ubisoft recreates all the levels to bring a sense of nostalgia for the players. They will be experiencing it in a much smoother manner, courtesy of the revisited camera, combat, and navigation.
Lead actor Yuri Lowenthal also shares both of his excitement and trepidation returning to such a beloved character. He found the character needed something new at the start of the remake. Yet, he and the devs soon realized that it took away what we all loved about that original Sands of Time. After a series of discussions, they agree with the idea that it’s going to be just a little bit different. Lowenthal is now 15 years older than the first time that he played the Prince, and he also has different life experiences.
So, it appears that we’re expecting another beloved title returning with a brand new look. The original Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is considered a must-own classic, worthy of a place in any gamer’s collection. Tune in to the September 2020 Ubisoft Forward to find out more about the remake.
No one can deny the sheer talent and effort poured into the project from Ubisoft Mumbai and Ubisoft Pune. Their teams worked relentlessly to overcome the challenges of adapting an entirely new engine to a classic title that many come to know and love. They have done it beautifully while still manage to capture the gist of the original version - providing a sense of nostalgia for gamers around the world. Not just that, the newer generations are now able to enjoy the adventure in the 9th-century Persia - all thanks to the valiant effort of the developer team.
Check out some of the gameplay pics of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake:
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