3

5 /5

Unique to the Wii, this installment of Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands tells a new chapter in the adventures of the titular Prince.

This story begins with a small marketplace, where the Prince acquires a small fairy-like genie, Zhara, for a ridiculous price. His wishes are predictable: a kingdom of his own to prove his worth to his father, and a princess to marry. Zhara guides the Prince to the lost kingdom of Izdihar, where it does not take long for the Prince to realize the treachery: Izdihar is in ruins, overrun by mutant vegetation, and all its inhabitants have been corrupted by a master-plant known as the Haoma. Zhara states that the Prince will have to prove his worth in order to earn his kingdom.

In Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands, the player controls the Prince as he runs on walls, climbs, fights enemies, uses magical powers, and generally parkours his way around obstacles and traps. He is accompanied by the genie Zhara, a fairy-like djinn that can be controlled by a second player. Zhara helps the Prince in his adventures, offering advice, riddles and history lessons about the kingdom of Izdihar. If controlled by a player, the genie can freeze enemies in combat, slow down traps, and do magic to help the Prince in his acrobatics. Non-playable characters include people from the kingdom of Izdihar. A corrupted king, his daughter Nasreen, and multiple minions that once were human but now wear masks in a useless effort to hide their mutations caused by the evil plant Haoma.