Prince of Persia: Rival Swords follows the same storyline as Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones, with the addition of bonus levels accessed through sand gates scattered across the city. These nine extra stages expand the narrative — three mirror the Life Upgrade sections from Sands of Time and grant new sand powers with each visit, while another three tie directly to the main story, revealing that the Vizier has uncovered the secrets of the lost temples of Zurvan. A crumbling statue of Zurvan tracks the Vizier's downfall across these bonus stages, each completed level accelerating its destruction in a symbolic countdown to the final confrontation.