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Prince of Persia is an action-adventure video game franchise that was created by Jordan Mechner. Through the various titles, the series has been developed and published by many different companies. Although originally primarily comprising side-scrolling platform video games, the franchise has since evolved, featuring mainly three-dimensional action-adventure games, and even spawning a film.

Prince of Persia is set in a land rooted in ancient Persian mythology, with the Prince finding himself caught in an epic battle between the primal forces of light and darkness—the god of Light, Ormazd versus his brother Ahriman, the destructive god of Darkness. The Prince arrives just in time to witness the destruction of the legendary Tree of Life, an act which threatens to plunge the entire world into eternal darkness. Manifested in the form of 'the Corruption,' a dark substance that physically contaminates the land and the skies, the Prince must partner with his new deadly companion Elika to heal the world from the evil Corruption.

Master the acrobatics, strategy and fighting tactics of the most agile warrior of all time. Grip fall down the face of a building, perform perfectly timed acrobatic combinations, swing over canyons, buildings and anything that is reachable. This new rogue warrior must utilize all of his new skills along with a whole new combat system to battle Ahriman’s corrupted lieutenants to heal the land from the dark Corruption and restore the light.

They might not be hip anymore, but you have to hand it to old-fashioned monarchies for saving everyone a lot of time. Forget endless campaigning and painfully long-winded speeches -- if you've got the blood, you've got the job.

And despite a brave new look and total mythological reboot, the same royal blood that gave life to his critically-acclaimed forbears now pumps through the veins of Ubisoft's new Prince of Persia. You jump. You twirl. You run on walls. Occasionally, you fight and solve puzzles. Coming from a long line of vital platformers, it's got great genes, although a few key missteps keep this prince from ascending to the throne.

This time around, the eponymous star is tossed into a conflict between light and dark as the evil god Ahriman is released from his prison beneath the Tree of Life. His touch has corrupted a nearby kingdom; alongside the mysterious princess Elika, it's your job to cleanse the world of gooey blackness and put the bad guy back in the ethereal hoosegow.

Mostly, that involves jumping, sliding, gripping and slipping through over twenty levels worth of platforming mania. It's billed as an open-world experience, and in a sense, it is: based on which magical powers you choose to unlock, you will tackle the world in a different order. It's a nice change of pace from the linear approach typical of most adventure games.

It's just not as open-ended as you might think. Telltale signs point you towards certain run-able walls, which will in turn send you tumbling directly towards the right pole, which is handily placed right in front of that useful column, and onward. Simple controls make the whole thing easier than past Prince of Persia games -- you never have to press loads of buttons or get fancy with the analog stick -- but more seasoned gamers might find it plays more like a guided tour than a truly free-roaming experience.

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