The Prince of Persia series has been on ice for a shocking amount of time for what was such a beloved series. Thirteen years, since the sorta (but then not really) movie tie-in, The Forgotten Sands released in 2010. Since then we’ve only had whispers and broken dreams of a new title, with one reboot being outright canceled and a remake of the original Sands of Time being quietly thrown into development hell. It was a surprise then, to see Ubisoft announce Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown so soon and drop what’s easily one of the best games in the series.
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown
Developer: Ubisoft Montpellier
Price: $49.99
Platform: PC / PS5 / Switch / XBX
MonsterVine was supplied with a PC code for review
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown both breaks tradition and returns to its roots at the same time. For once we don’t play as the titular “Prince of Persia”, but instead as Sargon, a warrior part of a group of elite soldiers called the Immortals. The actual prince is kidnapped with the intent of being sacrificed, and you’re tasked with venturing to the mysterious and cursed Mount Qaf to save him. From the jump, the story takes some pretty predictable paths, but Sargon and the various side characters that accompany him are charming enough to make it all work. Mount Qaf itself is full of lore sprinkles that help paint a picture of what happened to the city before it got corrupted, which were all interesting enough to keep me eager to read the next one. My only issue is I wish the game committed to fleshing out how its characters reacted to being in a world where time broke. You’ll run into characters who have encountered Sargon (or the other Immortals) at different points in time (a River Song sort of scenario for Doctor Who fans) and it’s a genuinely neat idea that’s only occasionally brought up and swiftly forgotten.
We haven’t seen a 2D mainline Prince of Persia game since 1993’s The Shadow and the Flame, and while I would’ve liked a 3D platformer for sure, I’m in love with The Lost Crown’s Metroidvania world. Mount Qaf has a dozen or so distinct zones that are filled with some thrilling platforming action as you jump and slide through various traps and enemies in your way.
Sargon got his bag of tricks to deal with enemies in the form of his dual blades and bow that can also transform into a chakram. He can also equip a variety of amulets that offer varying types of game modifications like creating a time bubble that slows enemies every time you successfully parry, or one that causes enemies to explode upon defeat. There are dozens to collect and I was constantly switching up the ones I had equipped, testing out different combo potentials. Which this game is absolutely full of by the way, because I haven’t seen a game in this genre with as satisfying combat since Guacamelee.
There’s such a smoothness to the way Sargon controls in combat, and while you can simply mash away at the attack button to win, there’s a shocking amount of depth to the combat if you want to dig into it. By the end of the game, I was pulling off some ridiculous combos that even Dante would be proud of, and I haven’t even mentioned the time powers that further expand your abilities. Now it wouldn’t be a Prince of Persia game without them, and Sargon collects a fair few time-altering abilities to help him on his way through Mount Qaf. You’ve got some basic ones like dashing through the air or being able to flip between dimensions to use platforms you can’t see in the normal world, but he’s also able to toss objects into pocket dimensions to use later or even mark a previous location and rewind back to it. The latter of which leads into some really satisfying combat scenarios as you mark a spot, perform a combo (on a boss perhaps), and then rewind yourself back to that starting location to escape a deadly blow or restart the combo all over again. The combat in The Lost Crown is just a whole lot of fun and had me as eager for boss encounters as I was for the various challenging platforming puzzles strewn throughout the world.
And boy can some of those platforming sections be a doozy. They start simply enough, but once you get most of Sargon’s powers, they become some tense exercises in precision. You’ll find them throughout Mount Qaf’s massive map, along with minor platforming sections between the major ones, and if you don’t have an ability to complete one you can always come back later. The Lost Crown has a neat feature where you can take a photograph of the environment, that’ll then be saved on the map for future reference. See a chest that’s just out of reach, or maybe a platforming section you’re not sure what power you might need for it yet? Just snap a quick picture and check back on it later when you think you might have what you need for it.
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown genuinely wants you to explore every inch of its world, and that camera feature is part of it encouraging you to not sweat a spot you’re stumped at and to think back on it when you’re ready. It can be a difficult game at times, but it never wants to frustrate you and honestly has some of the best accessibility options I’ve seen in a Metroidvania. Besides that, you can also go into the difficulty settings and adjust practically every setting you can possibly think of; it even lets you drop portals to help you during platforming sections if one is giving you too much trouble. It’s refreshing to see and hopefully gets more people into the genre who might’ve avoided it thus far.
The Final Word
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is a shining jewel in the series and an exciting, and much needed, surprise from Ubisoft.
– MonsterVine Rating: 4.5 out of 5 – Good
