Forgotten Sands feels like the dying breath of a once-great series. Previously, the overall gameplay had the player explore their newfound time-changing abilities by not only solving pathway puzzles but also using them in combat to gain an advantage on a certain enemy type or boss. It was up to the player to find the solution to each little challenge. It was a, forgive the pun, sandbox to discover new uses for each ability. Forgotten Sands instead holds the player's hand throughout each room and hallway: as the camera pans away (in almost every room) to show the next path to take or where a button is located, it never allows the player a feeling of full control. The only time manipulation tricks here are the ability to rewind in case of a missed jump or death by sand zombies and pausing time to use water as a traversal tool. Combat is done through repetitive sword swinging or sometimes kicking away an enemy shield. Upgrades to create whirlwinds that knock enemies down or one that creates a trail of fire are attempts to add some variety but these don't replace the excitement of slowing time to take out three enemies in five seconds. Its a bare-minimum Prince of Persia experience and while it isn't cluttered with a lot of button memorization or a deeper story it wouldn't have hurt to inject a few things into the overall package. Is it worth playing? ONLY if you want to experience a PoP game without all the distractions. But for most: those distractions are what made the previous games good in the first place.
Without any real depth to the story, it means the ludonarrative dissonance is at an all-time high, never giving the player a connection between the gameplay and the story. What you're doing is never fully connected to why you're doing it. Who thought it was a good idea to line a hallway with a dozen spinning spike traps? Who was originally in control of the sand zombie soldiers? How did the Prince becomes so adept at wall-running and traversal? What's at stake if things get too far out of hand? It skips parts of what could be a juicy story and leaves a lean minimum of connectivity. Figure out a way around a room, fight some enemies, see a short bit of story. Repeat ad nauseam. The Sands of Time trilogy and even the 2008 relaunch offer more overall enjoyment than this, which should have been a budget release.
(I can't believe I'm saying this but if you ever get the chance, play the Wii version instead. The combat feels better, the exploration feels rewarding, the story isn't half-hearted, and the Prince doesn't feel like a cheap imitation. It really is a better game overall.)