Prince of Persia: The Dagger of Time will see Ubisoft returning to the iconic and mostly dormant adventure franchise in a fashion you may not expect. Set up as a VR escape room experience available at 300 locations around the world, The Dagger of Time takes place during the Prince of Persia trilogy and supports between two and four people. Players can use the time-bending mechanics that the original series is known for to solve puzzles. Ubisoft has released an official description for the game:
Two, three, or four players team up and work together to solve puzzles and find a way out of a reimagined Fortress of Time. In the story, players are summoned by Kaileena, the Empress of Time. They are asked to help her to stop the evil plans of a Magi who is attempting to restore the sands to the Hourglass of Time and create an army of Sand Monsters. To successfully escape the fortress, players must use cooperative teamwork and problem-solving skills to complete objectives, utilizing powers such as time control from the dagger of time.
If you’re not familiar with the fad that has become popular in the last 10 years, escape rooms typically see groups of people gathering in enclosed spaces to solve puzzles with clues and hints. The fun typically comes from teamwork and each respective room’s theme, so with a VR spin, at least The Dagger of Time sounds as unique as the publisher’s similar Assassin’s Creed escape rooms.
However, it’s probably safe to say that many fans may not take too kindly to seeing the classic franchise return as anything other than a proper video game. The series has seen a mobile game and a remake in the past decade, but the last time players saw a console release for the Ubisoft action adventure franchise was in 2010 with Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands. Though the 10-year wait for something more familiar has likely been painful for die-hard fans, at least Ubisoft has Prince of Persia on the brain in some regard.
Ubisoft is gradually becoming more active in the VR space, with a report from July of 2019 claiming collaborations involving the Splinter Cell and Assassin’s Creed franchises were on the way.
Prince of Persia: The Dagger of Time locations open in spring 2020.
