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When the gameplay presentation for the upcoming Prince of Persia concludes, and the Ubisoft demonstrator is prepped to leave the stage, he announces that Far Cry 2 is coming up next, and that it’s “the most ambitious game ever made.” Bold words from a man who just presented a game worthy of that publicity.

It’s not like the game is revolutionary or anything, though. The co-operative jump that sees the Prince, who is ostensibly a new character in this entirely separate iteration of the franchise, hurled by his spiritually endowed AI ally mid jump to accommodate for lengthier-than-usual gaps was seen in last summer’s Ninja Turtles game. It goes to show you that no matter how mediocre a game is, Ubi is still willing to tap in to their well of great ideas to create a more cohesive experience. They’re not shifting a genre, a la Portal, but the newest Persian platformer seems to raise the bar to phenomenal new heights.

I find it a strangely compelling title in that regard, since the only thing that immediately strikes onlookers is its artistic direction. The heavily textured cel-shading is a beautiful combination of Assassin’s Creed-like realism and Wind Waker graphical stylings, and while the overall atmosphere of Prince of Persia is grim – the world is completely disgusting because of the “Corruption” that’s turned it from a gorgeous green nirvana in to a filthy, muddy wasteland – the color scheme in the level I saw was still varied and vibrant.

Save for the new setting and characters, it’d be hard to decipher the holiday release from previous titles if it didn’t boast this incredible look, save for the new setting and characters. Fans will identify with running on walls, flipping from wooden beams and jumping from wall to wall, but the improved animation and the Altair-inspired injection of free running gives the Prince a fresh vibe.

But the second half of PoP’s popularity is its fighting. The series is notorious for stumbling with it, but the fluidity and natural feeling of it always made it fun, regardless of issues. The bizarre approach to sword fighting this time around, however, means that no matter how terrible or spectacular the slicing and dicing ends up, that each battle will be as engaging and intense as the last. Why?

You will only ever fight one enemy at a time.

Compared to the waves of hunched-over idiots that swarmed the Prince in earlier games, he and his AI lady-friend, Elika, will participate in duels instead of bigger battles that encourage huge combos. The two will team up to take on one Corruption-filled monstrosity, and it doesn’t look like the Prince will be busting out chained attacks to shred the black, blue and bubbling baddies. From what I could gather, swinging a sword seems more akin to (surprise) Assassin’s Creed. There was very little button mashing to be seen until our hero was pinned to a wall or floor by a beast’s three-pronged claw, and any attack thrown seemed to be timed and precise instead of fast and wild.

In the ten minute gameplay demonstration (which was an extension of what E3 attendees saw) Elika and the Prince chased a single enemy who became more audibly angry as it was beaten, to the point that he’d flee when the duo of duellers got a critical advantage. As it was cut, kicked and stabbed, it was also visually degraded. As it was pursued, it went from a cloth-covered werefolf-like biped to a heavy breathing black mass that dripped with Corruption before it was finally vanquished. Upon its defeat, the world was restored to its natural and ridiculously beautiful self. Once you’ve saved a particular area, you’re able to explore it with Elika to collect glowing orbs which can be cashed in for what I assume is a wider arsenal of ass-whooping tactics.

By the end of the demo, I didn’t care that Far Cry 2 was “the most ambitious game ever made.” I had just witnessed something that’s so daring that it could potentially bury the franchise. The visuals are great, and the platforming looks equally solid, and with inspiration from other Ubisoft-crafted wall-crawlers and platform-hoppers, it looks like a must-play. But when you take a look at the approach to fighting one enemy at a time – though the subject of bosses summoning more enemies did come up briefly – it’s such an incredibly risky move that might be completely rejected by the public.

Prince of Persia looks absolutely exceptional all around, and while I am personally jazzed to put a beat down on an enemy in a duel, will it succeed in a mass market that sees Ninja Gaiden, Devil May Cry and God of War – games that encourage dismembering dozens of drones – bringing in such critical success and huge sales?

I hope so. This game looks unbelievable and I can’t wait to dive in to it… one Corrupted enemy at a time.