The series goes back to its fairy tale origins. Nice graphics and animations but it's hard not to miss the darker mood.
The 2008 game is not related to the trilogy that brought the Prince back to modern gaming. It a much lighter tone than Warrior Within and Two Thrones. This difference can be noticed in the story, game play and graphical elements.
The story is pretty straightforward but manages to keep one entertained. In an attempt to revert fate, a great evil is unleashed upon holy grounds whose essences are needed to prevent the God of Darkness from coming to our world. A selfish grave robber and a strong willed princess ally themselves in order to restore the power to the lands and imprison evil.
To cleanse the holy grounds, one has to reach its center and defeat its guardian. Once the guardian is defeated, the princess casts a spell and reverts the land to its former status. Cleansing the lands is a good example of the game's tone. The corrupted lands are covered in dark slime. It's on the walls, in the water and prevents vegetation from growing. The sky is also dark and the sun barely shines. Once the healing starts, light covers all the places instantly dispelling the slime. Trees, butterflies and clean water magically appear, the sky turns clear and a softer tune starts to play. Pretty much a Disney picture.
Graphic wise, the game is sharp but brighter and more colorful than previous games, the models appear to be hand drawn and painted with water colors. The backgrounds follow the same style once cleansed from the darkness and evil. Cleansing the environments will also causes light orbs to spawn. Those orbs fuel and strengthen the princess powers, unlocking abilities that will allow you to reach all holy grounds. In my opinion, there's too much color, shining balls of light and the transition from darkness to light is too drastic.
The model animation deserves a special mention. Jumping, climbing, sliding and pushing things is smooth and beautiful to behold. The princess jumps and runs right after you and has her own animations. If you two stumble upon each other, your character gently takes her in his arms or holds her hand, pushing her to the side or up. Since you'll spent most of your time doing the acrobatic maneuvers required to reach a given place, it's not small feat to create the mechanics to make it interesting.
Running around is even smoother because if you somehow fail and fall into a precipice, the princess will instantly use her powers to fly and take you to the latest safe ground. It acts as an automatic quick save that doesn't require one to watch a screen telling you've died and then another to load a previously saved game. It doesn't make the game easier or harder, it just makes it a smoother experience.
Defeating the guardians requires one to fight them on their territory, a desecrated version of the holy grounds. Combat in itself is rather simple and not similar to the open ended combat of Warrior Within. It's actually very easy to parry and to unleash devastating combos on the enemy. The combat is more beautiful than technical but defeating a guardian is thankfully more than that. It usually consists of scenario puzzles and each boss has its own strengths and weaknesses.
Unfortunately, you also can't die during battles. If an enemy manages to open your guard for a killing blow, the princess will employ magic and push it back. It's a weird decision because it removes all the tension from fights. One can easily put down the controller and talk on the phone without pausing or looking at the screen because it's impossible to die. The relation of the main characters is not bad but it does not have the charm of Sands of Time. I blame it mostly on the semi open ended structure. From the start, you can choose the order in which you cleanse the lands. Though the very last area of each of the 4 regions requires a given number of previously defeated guardians, most of the areas can be reached from the very start.
At those starting areas, the main character complains and mumbles about his luck, makes sure the princess know just how miserable he feels and talks about gold and rewards. At the more advanced stages, he's aware of the importance of their mission and respects the princess much more. The problem is that once you return to another initial area, he reverts to his selfish status and the plot loses momentum. That doesn't ruin the story but I think it could have been better on a more linear structure.
Running around exploring the surroundings is the game's strongest point. The animation is over the top and once you grasp the mechanics involved, it's really cool to simply visit all the places. But, if you're looking for an intricate combat system, a dark atmosphere, plenty of enemies and sensual women, you're barking at the wrong tree.