Prince of Persia

Prince of Persia from 2008 by Ubisoft Montreal marked a restart of the series after the successful Sands of Time trilogy, bringing a completely new visual style inspired by cel-shading and oriental mythology, along with a more open-world approach split into several thematic areas linked by a central location the player repeatedly returns to after completing tasks, watching the land gradually heal. Playing as a nameless prince, the player sets out with a mysterious figure named Elika to save the world from a spreading darkness inadvertently released from a sealed prison deep underground.

The acrobatic movement system continued the series' tradition, with wall-running, jumping between platforms, and chained combat sequences against corruption-afflicted enemies, while the key novelty was Elika's presence — she instantly rescued the player after falling into a chasm or losing a fight, completely eliminating classic death and section replays. This design split the player community, since it reduced the tension of acrobatic sections, but also made the game accessible to a broader audience and allowed for a much smoother flow of play without frustrating repetition.

Visually, on the Xbox 360 the game stood out with its striking painted style for environments and characters, with a rich color palette that differed markedly from the realistic approach of previous series entries, accompanied by atmospheric, sensitively composed music. Reviews praised especially the graphical stylization, the fluid movement system, and the chemistry between the main characters, while discussions centered on the absence of a traditional game over state. Prince of Persia from 2008 is still remembered today as a bold artistic experiment within an otherwise established and more conservative series, one whose visual approach set it markedly apart from its contemporaries.

Why play it: If you appreciate a bold artistic experiment within a more conservative series, the painted art style and sensitively composed music offer an unforgettable visual identity from 2008.