8 Video Game Franchises That Reinvented Themselves

The Prince of Persia franchise of course started life as a 2D side-scroller in 1989, and a decade later an attempt was made to reimagine the series with Prince of Persia 3D.

However, the game received mixed reviews for its unsatisfying gameplay and technical issues, and a few years later, with fully 3D games now commonplace, Ubisoft decided to reboot it.

And so arrived Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time in 2003 - a far more advanced 3D action-adventure platformer, which placed an emphasis on wall-running traversal and the ability to rewind time in order to correct platforming and combat mistakes.

The Sands of Time was a huge critical and commercial hit, yet rather than simply give players more of the same for the sequel, follow-up Prince of Persia: Warrior Within again reworked the series.

The sequel opted for a darker, edgier tone with a heavy metal soundtrack, before the next game, Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones, basically found a middle-ground between the two styles.

This is all to say that the Prince of Persia IP has keenly experimented over the years, not to forget its more recent forays into Metroidvania and roguelite-style spin-offs.