Some truly incredible games have been born out of The Prince of Persia franchise in the last decade. Particularly, The Sands of Time, its sequel Warrior Within, and even 2008's shell-shaded PlayStation 3 venture (simply titled Prince of Persia) to some degree, have been successful in receiving critical acclaim. And Ubisoft is to deliver another this year, bringing back the dynamic and charismatic acrobatic styling of the Prince in The Forgotten Sands, planned for release May 11th prior to the Sands of Time movie debuting on May 28th 2010.

Visually, the new PoP is halfway between the Arabian fantasy look of The Sands of Time and the dark and harder edged look of The Warrior Within. Though The Forgotten Sands is timed to release with the Prince of Persia feature film, it still has a way to go in terms of animation and overall polish. The game currently looks a little rough, especially when compared to the quality we've come to expect from the Prince series.

Fortunately, the gameplay is looking solid. Combat is a big part of The Forgotten Sands, and is no longer a one-on-one affair as per 2008's Prince of Persia. In the new game, the Prince participates in large-scale battles. Early on, you must take out 10 enemies who swarm you - and that's just a small battle. You will battle upwards of 50 enemies at time before vanquishing the sand army.

Melee combat is a fast-paced, combo-heavy affair, but you can steer the Prince from one enemy to the next so that a five-hit combo can take out close to a half-dozen sand demons. You cannot block though; if you want to avoid getting hit, you'll need to roll out of the way or strike first.

Weapon-will, you use the same sword throughout the game, but every time you get an enemy's sand on the blade, you earn experience points (XP) that can be used to purchase upgrades, increase your life bar, unlock new moves and increase your sword's damage through these upgrades. You can also purchase powers for use in combat: the Shield power knocks back enemies if you find yourself surrounded. This can be upgraded to Tornado, which creates a whirling dervish that throws enemies around. Every combat power can be improved in this way, and you'll need them. Bosses in The Forgotten Sands will come big and mean, and so will require skill and advanced powers over button-mashing in order to beat them.

Along with these combat powers, the Prince is gifted with new magic courtesy of a Djinn (or Genie) named Razia. These are used primarily for acrobatic feats, and I must say that as a Prince fan the acrobatics got me pretty excited. Even in the earliest levels in the palace, it's clear that this could be something very special.

The magic powers you earn are related to the elements, with the first allowing you to temporarily solidify the water that flows freely from the gorgeous palace waterfalls and fountains. One of the simpler acrobatic moves has you freeze a waterfall, then run across it (holding a button to do so), leaping off the wall and unfreezing the water to pass through another waterfall so you can land on a ledge. Freeze water shooting out of a spout on the wall and it becomes your standard pole to swing on.

As the acrobatic sequences get more complex, you'll need to start using your head to figure out how and when to use your control over the elements to get past obstacles. For fans eager to test themselves in the same way they did The Sands of Time, The Forgotten Sands title should serve them well.

Bringing back the old style of Prince of Persia gameplay was a wise move on Ubisoft's part. The continuation of the story, the acrobatic feel, as well as the countless enemies you will be facing, is such a breath of fresh air after the abstract stylisation and change of direction evident in 2008's Prince of Persia. Here’s hoping that the storyline will live up to the expectations.