Forget about what you remember and loved from the previous trilogy. The new Prince, isn't even a Prince.
The game begins with what appears to be a flash of someone's memory that you do not quite understand in the beginning. A man telling someone that "You know what it is that I want." and the voice replying "Then give me what I want." This begins to make more sense as the story progresses. You're then introduced to the new Prince. Unfortunately he is not a Prince at all like in the Sands of Time. He was born into an ordinary family and has no hidden ties to any kingdom and he sounds more like an arrogant American rather than a man of Persia. The voice was done by the same guy that did the voice of Drake in Uncharted and even thought I loved him in that it just doesn't seem to fit here. The self proclaimed Prince spends his time raiding tombs for long lost treasures and in fact is looking for someone named Farah which you may remember the name from the Sands of Time and The Two Thrones games that seems to have wondered off with his latest pickings. Farah is a donkey by the way. While searching you fall down a cliff and soon after, a women leaping from high above falls into your arms. After a quick chase where it appears that she is running from someone you make it to an opening and are faced with near death but is saved by the women's mysterious powers. This plays a major part in the game.
The women's name is Elika, a Princess in this strange and hidden place and she reveals that the land is in danger. A dark creature named Ahriman, the God of Darkness who was sealed away by thousands of years ago by the God of Light, Ormazd is about to be set free and it is her Father who is going to do it. After a failed attempt to stop him the world is thrown into darkness and Ahriman escape is eminent. The only way to seal him back is to visit the sacred grounds and heal them. This is where Elika comes in. She has the ability to heal and also to save the Prince when he in danger which means he cannot die. You can also learn more about each character and Ahriman and Ormazd by hitting a talk button when prompted. You get to learn a lot but it's done in a way that the dialogue feels disconnected in an unfinished stop and start kind of way. The cities and characters are done in like a water color style which is a change from previous games but looks great. The bosses could have used a little more detail as they are for the most part just covered in darkness which looks like they took the easy way out. The city is divided into four places, each with a guardian trying to stop you from healing. You're able to take which ever path you like in cleansing the cities which gives the game a non linear feel. After you're first healing, the area is filled with light seeds. These are used to strengthen Elika and gain her new abilities. Besides saving your butt all the time Elika can use her power to activate four different plates to move you throughout the cities. Certain areas can only be reached with the power plates and you have to decide which power to go for first.
The power plates add a bit of change of pace to the platforming which is really all you do in the game. The red and blue plates are similar in that they toss you to other areas and you don't have to worry at all except for times when you are left a little short of making the ledge or ground. The yellow and green plates can be the most trouble because they require you to do some maneuvering and the camera doesn't quite show you the obstacles in time. The green plate allows you to run on walls and the yellow gives Elika the ability to fly. It often doesn't take you right where you need to go, instead choosing to fly you all over the place and often into walls or pillars. There was even one time when I had to use a yellow plate to get across a small gap and it whisked me out a near by window up and through and around a lot of pillars, back in through the same window and then to where I wanted to go. This gets very annoying. The Prince is as agile as ever with some of the same moves you have come to expect from a game with this title. The Prince does have a new ability. He can now scoot across ceilings. This is small but at least it's something else you can do. Elika also acts as your double jump as she gives you some extra distance when you need it. Elika is just as sprightly and has no problem keeping up. She is probably more capable than you are and you certainly wouldn't have much success without her. In combat you have a long sword which you use by hitting the square button and a gauntlet with the circle. These weapons will not change whatsoever. Elika can aide in battle as well with her light abilities. She is used with the triangle button. These and the Prince's acrobatic ability (x button) can create a large number of combos including a 14 hit combo and although you will most likely just stick to a few of them you have the option to change up some otherwise boring fights. You can also block and deflect attacks and as you progress you will need to perfect it. Some time the fight just stops and the game prompts you to block. This is very annoying and takes you right out of the fight at times when you don't need the help.
The main problem with this game and I try not to use this word but it gets very repetitive and it does this kind of fast. When you are about a quarter of the way through the game you might have faced the same boss several times and you face him almost the exact same way it just takes away form the experience. You will probably face off with at the most, two of their soldiers and never more than one at a time. You can even avoid a fight with the soldiers if you can get to them quick enough you have a chance to kill them before they fully spawn. The game is also way too easy. Elika can save you from death all the time with the only consequence being that the boss will regain life. This doesn't even challenge you at all as they can only gain life back a few times. Even when you don't need to be saved and you are constantly being hit to the ground a quick time event will occur and give you a chance to avoid the blow. The QTE is done very slowly so there is really no chance in messing up.
If you are looking for a game that is going to remind you of the Sands of Time trilogy this isn't it. The developers set out to give you a completely different experience and though left out a lot to make this game worth more than a rental the story is interesting enough and gets you hooked at times. One last piece of advice, make sure to keep playing through the credits.