According to a recent report, Ubisoft Montpellier is developing a newPrince of Persiatitle. Separate from the delayedSands of Timeremake, this title promises to be a 2.5D game that takes inspiration from theOriseries. The last full-fledgedPrince of Persiatitle was the 2010 reboot that accompanied its film adaptation, so this news has excited many fans. Alongside the excitement, many are cautious about setting their expectations too high given the franchise’s inconsistency.
For this reason, the newPrince of Persiagame can learn a lot fromMetroid Dread. Originally envisioned in the mid-2000s,Dreadwas released some 19 years after its predecessorMetroid Fusion. Because the series had such a lengthy hiatus, many fans were hesitant aboutMetroid’sreturn - especially given disappointing entries likeOther MandFederation Force. Nevertheless,Dreadbecome a hit and received near-universal praise.
RELATED:Prince of Persia: Sands of Time Remake Gets First Development Update in Months
One of the biggest reasonsDreadwas a success is because of its faithfulness to the core features ofMetroid. Focusing on exploration, power-ups, and atmosphere,Dreadsuccessfully captured everything that makesMetroidunique. These aspects of the game were given a facelift and then adapted for a modern audience inDread(for example, the addition of automatic vaulting makes exploration and movement easier). While somepreviousMetroidgamesfailed to capture the series' essential elements of gameplay,Dreadexcelled in creating something that feels true to titles likeSuper MetroidandMetroid Fusion.
Additionally,Dreadwas able to make Yoshio Sakamoto’s vision a reality and incorporate a stalker-based enemy type: the E.M.M.I.s. The E.M.M.I.s pursue Samus in certain sections of the game and are invincible to all of her basic weapons, makingMetroid Dreadmore difficultthan other titles. PreviousMetroidgames had experimented with this mechanic to some degree, but the implementation inDreadgave the game its own identity.Metroid Dreadmanaged to keep what fans loved about older titles, but also introduce new mechanics that helped the series evolve.
RELATED:Every Prince Of Persia Game, Ranked
The Next Prince of Persia Game Has Potential
For the newPrince of Persiagame to be a success, it needs to revisit the things that players love about the series. Some of those aspects include free-running/parkoursegments, swashbuckling combat, and various time mechanics. More importantly, these three elements have to be integrated with one another and provide a seamless experience. It’s not enough to include them in isolated chunks; players are most engaged withPrince of Persiawhen they have to multitask and balance the three.
An example of this might be using the Sands of Time to manipulate the environment during parkour or combat segments. Moreover, the rumored new game’s story should recognize the light-heartedness of mostPrince of Persiagames and refrain from taking itself too seriously. FollowingDread’slead by staying true toPrince of Persia’scharacter, but adapting it for a modern audience, Ubisoft’s next entry in the series could be a successful one.
Prince of Persiais avideo game series that’s very emblematic of the mid-2000s. A majority of its titles were released between 2002 and 2008, and many trends of the time can be seen in their design.Metroid’stimeline of releases is similarly distributed during that period, butDreaddid away with dated elements that weren’t essential to the series. It’s a hard distinction for developers to make, and one that Ubisoft Montpellier will have to thoroughly consider, but ultimately it might helpPrince of Persiamake a big comeback.
A newPrince of Persiatitle is rumored to be in development.
MORE:Why The Splinter Cell Remake Could Be Better Than Prince of Persia’s Remake
