After enjoying a renaissance in the last gen, Ubisoft have decided that the Prince of Persia won't have to wait as long for another reinvention, which means that he must be almost rivalling Madonna in the most reinventions leader board. This latest iteration like many of Madonna's over the years isn't .
 
First impressions from the opening screens are pretty positive and the level of detail that Ubisoft Montreal have to put into the presentation is on display for all to see. By opting for a Cel-shaded approach the game manages to distance it from its older brother and also is a refreshing change from the gritty realism and space marines that this generation has offered us in abundance. The opening sequence begins with the Prince caught up in a sandstorm looking for his donkey, when a mysterious girl called Elika bumps into him whilst on the run from some evil looking guys.
 
After following Elika to an ancient temple, it transpires that her father ,of all people, has destroyed the Tree of Life, which had kept the evil god Ahriman a prisoner ( ‘Dad you unleashed an evil god’ is surely an episode of Jeremy Kyle just waiting to happen). Now that Ahriman is on the verge of being freed, his evil has begun to blight the once 'Fertile' land, with what is known as 'Corruption'. It is the Prince and Elika’s job to travel ancient Persia and make the land 'Fertile' again. The areas are broken into four separate sections - City Gate, the Cavern, the Cauldron and King’s Gate - each area encompasses five sections sections, which need to be made fertile once more.
Of course, what with Ahriman being an evil god, he's not going to make this easy and standing in your way are his four soldiers - the Alchemist, the Hunter, the Concubine and the Warrior – each of whom guards one of the four areas. However, before you have a final showdown with them, each soldier must be encountered four times. Thankfully, to level things up, Elika has also been blessed with her own magic powers, which involve being able to save the Prince when he is either plummeting to his certain death or about to come a ‘cropper’ during battle (both of which eliminates the ability to die during the game), giving him extra reach when making long jumps and providing magic attacks when in combat.
 
In addition to helping the Prince, once a land has has been fertilised, Elika can collect light seeds that allow new areas to be unlocked. Whilst the link between the two main protagonists draws comparisons with the PS2 classic Ico, the boss battles are reminiscent of the machine’s other seminal title, Shadow of the Colossus. Although appearing to use these as a template, it doesn't come close to either of them. Elika soon becomes limited and the irritating personality that she has been provided with, never really endears you to her. Combat during boss battles is reduced to using Elika's magic attack and striking the enemy until a Quicktime sequence kicks in. A far cry from the epic sprawling battles you're treated to in Shadow of the Colossus. The good attacks that cover most of the screen in later stages often mean that battles are more down to luck than judgement. Away from the fights, the shallowness of the game begins to show. Unlike Shadow of the Colossus, where you can wander and explore in search of your next battle, this leads you to your next showdown via a sequence of the serie’s trademark wall runs and leaps of faith. Despite the attempts to convey a non-linear approach, the way that you are prompted where and when and on what button to press makes this feel more like Dragon's Lair, released way back in 1983, a then ground breaking title, but not in today's market, where we have been used to greater levels of control over what we do and where we go with our characters.
 
With this revamp, Ubisoft are halfway to getting the formula right, in terms of presentation at least; however the Prince and Elika's 21st century personalities and dialogue, sit uncomfortably with the ancient Persia setting. A few issues with the camera going AWOL and suddenly skipping during fights could be rectified. Whilst Ubisoft are looking to make this a game accessible to a casual audience, an adjustably difficult setting would be welcomed for those who prefer more of a challenge. What needs to be addressed drastically is the variety in game play, as run, jump, collect light seeds and kill boss 24 times does lose its appeal very quickly.
 
Verdict 6/10- Top marks for presentation, though back to the drawing board for the game play.