Jon Porter of The Clockwork Manual is back with some advice for those of you thinking about checking out Ubisoft’s long-running series…

It’s not often I have to start with an apology, but with today comes the failing of my supposedly foolproof titling method, stemming from the fact that rather than giving their fourth Prince of Persia title some kind of cool marketable subtitle, Ubisoft instead opted to keep it simple, naming their latest entry in the series simply Prince of Persia. When asked which game I was going to recommend this month I was forced to reply with a resolute “the new one.”

Prince of Persia is a series which has managed to truly stand the test of time. It first emerged around twenty years ago as a 2D platformer with an emphasis on more fluid and realistic movement than its contemporaries which found it a huge following with gamers of the time. It was perhaps because of this following that Ubisoft saw fit to relaunch the franchise in magnificent fashion back in 2003 with The Sands of Time, continuing the series long held fluidity and acrobatic flair.

Over Ubisoft Montreal’s next two entries in the series small creases in the original’s execution were ironed out, and then buffed to a mirror sheen. Warrior Within brought with it a hugely improved combat system, and both sequels added a multitude of new ways to traverse the increasingly varied and complex environments. Over time the core platforming reached a depth seldom seen in the genre.

With the latest Prince of Persia game - the first seen on current generation systems - the rules were once again rewritten, and the series lovingly taken apart to be built up once again. Players entering in to Prince of Persia for the first time need not worry about knowledge gained from previous games, every new move and concept is explained to the player afresh, so you never feel left in the dark as to the extent of the Prince’s abilities. Additionally the game requires significantly less button presses to accomplish common actions such as wall runs, which transfers the emphasis for the player to working out how to navigate the environment, a welcome change considering the open-world nature of the latest instalment.

Perhaps best of all, newcomers to the series won’t feel left in the dark about any aspects of the plot. Prince of Persia starts a completely new story, with an entirely new Prince and world to explore. Indeed, no reference is ever made to there even having been previous games. The game revolves around an ancient evil being unleashed across a land, which you and Eleka (your female companion) must vanquish by reaching fertile grounds scattered typically at the highest point in each level. As a result of her omnipresence you’re never completely isolated or alone, she’s never more than a few meters away, just awaiting the initiation of a well-written dialogue sequence.

Rather than always trying to get from point A to point B in an environment, POP gives you an open world to explore, and objectives that you can choose to complete in any order. Simultaneously however the paths through areas are for the most part linear, and so the game manges to nudge you in the right direction just enough to keep you going at a good pace. Previous areas can always be returned to simply for the joy of exploring the beautiful environments, but players looking for incentive can rest safe in the knowledge that their efforts will be rewarded by the collection of light seeds, magical orbs used to unlock powers and – you’ll be happy to know - trophies.

What really seals the deal though is just how good looking everything in the game is. Prince of Persia games have always had a unique flare to their visuals, but with the power of the PS3 Ubisoft Montreal have really taken things to the next level. Everything in the game has an almost hand drawn edge to it, which whilst amazing on it’s own is made completely stunning with the middle eastern setting the entire game enjoys. Level style varies from the pseudo-realistic to the completely fantastical, one level sees you traversing giant floating balloons suspended impossibly high in the air. All this comes together to make simply exploring the world a sight to behold. In no other game would a reward be given for simply standing and taking in the view from a certain point in the world.

It’s very hard not to recommend the Prince of Persia series to anyone, and the latest entry just cements the deal. If you’ve been waiting to see what the fuss is all about then you’ll find neither an easier entry point to the series, nor a better example of what the series is all about than this.