When Ubisoft refurbished the classic Prince of Persia franchise for the 3D engine age, gamers were left awestruck with the results. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time wasn't just an update, it was a full-on revolution, releasing PoP from its side-scrolling confines and launching it into a breathtaking display of acrobatics, genius-level design, and—above all else—a surprisingly engaging story. The result was one of the best games of 2003.

Success begets sequels, of course, and just one year later Prince of Persia: Warrior Within was released. It came with a word of unintentional caution: The Prince was going to have a "darker, grittier edge." As expected, that edge quickly revealed itself to be little more than gratuitous ass shots, an ear-damaging buttrock score, and an over-reliance on combat that obliterated nearly everything magical about the first installment. The result was one of the most disappointing games of 2004.

Welcome Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones, the third, and supposedly final, game in the series. It's a pleasant return to form, shaking off for the most part that "darker, grittier edge" that so brutally undermined Warrior Within. This go-around the Prince's chosen playground is his home city of Babylon, where he spelunks and clobbers with the sort of brooding only video games can keep from being completely laughable. The Two Thrones may be lighter than its predecessor, but that doesn't mean the Prince has cheered up any. Spinning and dismantling in ways not seen since Kurt Thomas in Gymkata, his siege on his hometown is a rather grim affair; enemies are not just sliced but also diced, and Ubisoft's refinement of the combat—fairly repetitive affairs in the first two games—makes each snuffing a macabre display of digital artistry. Added into the mix are fairly decent "speed kills," where players are given the option of eviscerating unaware saps by hitting a particular combo sequence, resulting in pretty animations of gore and flopping limbs.

It ain't all leaping and hacking glory, however, with one addition in particular nearly derailing the game. Periodically the Prince will leap into an alter ego, the "Dark Prince," whose raison d'être is being a weak replica of God of War's Kratos. With a chain attached to his arms (which he spends much time swinging from), the Dark Prince needs mystical time dust (it's a long story) to keep from dying. The result of this "innovation" is lame time trials where you're forced, through much trying and much dying, to solve a particular platforming puzzle before you collapse into a pile of dust.

These moments are thankfully limited, but they manage to soil what was otherwise a decent return to form for the franchise. The Two Thrones may not live up to its oldest sibling (sequels never do), but at least it's more Greg Brady than Peter Brady.