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In 2004, a version for mobile phones was developed and published in North America by Gameloft. Production was troubled, with the team facing problems with the engine structure and delays with environment assets, while also managing to create an effective tester network to seek out the game's bugs. The game used Ubisoft's Jade engine, originally designed for Beyond Good & Evil, another game published by the company. Mechner's script drew inspiration from the Shahnameh, with the main focus on creating a simple narrative that worked with the pace of gameplay. After the initial story draft was scrapped as it was too complex, the team began with four guiding concepts, including the ability to rewind time: this idea grew into the Dagger, the Sands, and the various powers related to them. After Mechner was brought on board, production began in June of that year. A key mechanic in the game is using the Dagger to rewind time if the Prince makes a mistake while platforming and use it to kill and freeze enemies.Ĭoncept work began in spring of 2001, after Ubisoft acquired the Prince of Persia catalog. The gameplay revolves around the Prince's platforming abilities, broken up by fights with the creatures created by the Sands. Together with Farah, a young Princess who knows the power of the Sands, the Prince works to correct his mistake and foil the Vizier's evil plans.
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Visiting the palace of the Sultan of Azad to present the Sands as a gift, the Vizier tricks the Prince into releasing the Sands, transforming the people of Azad into savage monsters under his control. During the attack, the Prince obtains an artifact called the Dagger of Time, while his father's army captures an hourglass containing the mysterious Sands of Time. The game follows an unnamed Prince whose father sacks an ancient city at the instigation of a traitorous Vizier. Mechner served as creative consultant, designer, and scenario writer for The Sands of Time. The Sands of Time is a reboot of the Prince of Persia series created by Jordan Mechner. Revealed in March 2003, it was released on the Game Boy Advance, PlayStation 2, GameCube, Xbox and Microsoft Windows in November 2003. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is a 2003 action-adventure video game developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft.
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