In 1989, a side scrolling platformer by the name of Prince of Persia released for home computers and served as one of the world’s first platformers with realistic movement. This was a game all about precision and playing carefully. The main character was athletic but thimble. Traps were lying everywhere, you couldn’t change your trajectory once you jumped unlike a majority today, and a tiny little misstep could be all it took to send you to your grave. It was challenging at the time, but it was a really rewarding experience for those willing to overcome it. Looking back at the Prince of Persia it’s easy to complain about the sluggish movement and jagged animation, but I say it gives the game a certain charm. Like the reason why it’s slow is because it wants you to make careful platforming decisions for each room. It’s a product of its time, but that doesn’t mean they found ways to take the property to new terrain. The Prince of Persia series is known for how many times it’s been rebooted. How many ways devs and publishers reinvigorated it for whole new generations of players. Each reboot contains a whole new identity and ingredients to throw into the Prince of Persia formula. One of the most revered is Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time released back in 2003.
A 3D action adventure platformer where the main gimmick is that you can rewind time and undo any mistakes you may have made during platforming and combat. The narrative was also a high point in the series as it followed a ruffian and princess teaming up to save the day, forming a romantic relationship, and seeing one of them make an epic sacrifice to preserve peace. It was a love story done well, and for many people nothing has come close to the relationship depicted in The Sands of Time. It was good enough for it to garnish two sequels. Ever since then the series has seen a lot of ups and downs. Part of the reason is because the series is owned and controlled by Ubisoft. Again, I say part of the reason why Prince of Persia has received so many reboots is because Ubisoft wants to cater to different audiences each console generation. The core identity changed every time and the magic of these games had slowly faded. It was around the 2010s that Ubisoft just gave up. Prince of Persia was never heard from again and there were no plans to make another entry. That wasn’t until 2020 when they unveiled a remake of The Sands of Time, but it’s been delayed so many times now that I don’t even know if it’ll ever be released. If so I bet the state and management of it won’t be very good. It’s Ubisoft doing what they do best.
So looks like Prince of Persia is dead, or is it!? Oh for f*ck’s sake. They rebooted it again didn’t they? Yes, and this new one is titled Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown! Revealed almost a year ago and finally coming out earlier this year. A game with a lot of skepticism behind it, but to my surprise and a lot of other spectators The Lost Crown is actually really good. In fact, it might be one of the best Triple A titles to come out in 2024 which is a hard truth to accept seeing this is Ubisoft we’re talking about. Not gonna lie, the first trailer for The Lost Crown got me kind of excited. It was colorful, fun, and full of energy and aimed to be a stylish take for metroidvanias. One of my favorite video game genres of all time. I saw a lot of people get pissed off over how it had no connection to entries prior or the feel of Prince of Persia, but I didn’t care. It looked and I crossed my fingers hoping Ubisoft wouldn’t screw it up. They didn’t, and The Lost Crown has now become one of the best entries I’ve played in the genre. I can tell the people who made this game have played other metroidvania titles. While Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown doesn’t do a whole lot, it takes a bunch of existing concepts and tackles them well while blending in a few new ideas I’ve never seen before. The Lost Crown to me is a masterpiece. I don’t expect to win any awards, but currently it’s my Game of The Year choice for 2024. So today we'll be taking a look at why Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is incredible and why it deserves your attention.
Story
The Persian Empire is in chaos. They’ve been at war with the Kushan Empire for years now, and during that time there has been extreme drought and famine. The populace is clinging onto hope that things will get better, and it does slightly once Persia defeats the army of the Kushans. The main fighters of Persia are the Immortals, skilled warriors from around the land who have spent several years training to become the strongest of Persia. Youngest of the immortals is Sargon, a young man who came to the Immortals years ago to prove he is the strongest and gained their trust after having proved himself in a duel. Sargon is determined to be the best and protect the populace of Persia no matter what after he was taken in by kind hands. After the defeat of the Kushan general the Immortals celebrate. Listening to what the queen of Persia plans next now that the war is over. The populace is still suffering, but there is some hope. On the night of the celebration though something devastating happens. Anahita, general of the Persian army and the mentor of Sargon, has gone rogue and has kidnapped Ghassan, the son of the queen and the next destined prince of Persia for when his mother’s time is up.
Anahita has fled to land with a small group of soldiers, and makes way to Mount Qaf. A place known for its history and divine powers. It’s also where the Simurgh lies, a divine spirit whom the populace of Persia believes in and pray will one day come back to bring peace and order. The mountain has been left abandoned for years due to the evils that lie within. However, Sargon and the rest of the Immortals see no choice as they venture to the mountain to rescue Ghassan. They arrive at the foot of Qaf and slowly make their way deeper. Things aren’t what they seem. Time is distorted, ruins of previous civilization lie as floating debris in the air, the dead are coming back to life, and much more. Sargon doesn’t know what to believe, but manages to stay calm and push further into unknown territory. Mount Qaf is holding terrible secrets, and Sargon wishes to figure out what is truly going on. Why Anahita took Ghassan, what happened to Mount Qaf, the mystery behind the Simurgh, and how Qaf became what it is now.
Gameplay
The Lost Crown is more of what I love about metroidvanias, but it has a few tricks up its sleeve to help freshen up core aspects. Gameplay mainly consists of combat and exploration. As you venture forward you pick up several items and some of them are critical character upgrades. A whole list of moves that not only open up different paths you can explore, but give you ways to dodge enemy attacks and outsmart them. Sargon starts off basic at first. Jump, swing off bars, backflip, slide, and wall jump to reach higher areas at times. Powers you unlock include a double jump and dash which can be used in midair, but there’s some fun moves in here as well. You will unlock a bow early on, but you also get a special boomerang-esque ability. By charging a shot you fire a spinning blade, and this blade can latch onto gears interacting with contraptions in the world. There’s an ability where you leave behind a copy of yourself and you can teleport back to that copy in an instance. This move is mainly used to out move certain attacks or solve puzzles where you need to be back in a specific spot a the right moment. You even get an upgrade for the bow that allows you to do this with charged bow shots.
There’s an ability to pawn platforms in and out of reality. Pull yourself to certain objects or pull them towards you. Grab explosives or projectile attacks with a black hole and shoot it back at foes. This game is pretty creative and will test your use of these time bending abilities in and outside of combat. Combat is fairly simple, but will find ways to push the player. Enemy attacks can either be dodged or parried. Parrying is highly encouraged as enemies, especially later on can be relentless and offer little windows of opportunity. Parrying can stun foes for a short period of time and allow you to retaliate back. There are some attacks you’ll have to pay close attention to. Red attacks and golden attacks. Red attacks cannot be parried and must be dodged correctly, and golden attacks can be punished with a well timed parry but if you miss the enemy will punish you with a load of damage. Think of this game as the 2D version of Sekiro. You have a lot of options, but your foes, specifically the bosses will play in very specific ways. It’s only by understanding their attack patterns, perfecting the flow of a fight, and learning to get the edge that you will persevere, If you take damage you can refill health with potions that replenish at checkpoints, but die again and you'll be forced back.
You aren’t just limited to core abilities. Overtime you can upgrade your stats and unlock charms you can equip at resting spots to offer unique perks. Stuff like spawning a small orb that slows down foes when you correctly parry them. Being able to survive a lethal blow, or recover health when you parry. You can pick up iron slabs which can be spent at a blacksmith to upgrade your weapons. Time Shards which are the main currency of The Lost Crown can be spent at merchants to purchase new upgrades, charms, materials, or items of interest. Fragments can be collected to upgrade maximum health and sometimes you’ll get them for toppling bosses. It’s a game where if you are struggling you can take time to explore the world, find new discoveries, and get what you need to make the next boss less difficult. It’s a design choice I love in metroidvanias and it’s a good thing The Lost Crown carries it on. Besides that there’s not much else to say about this game. There’s a nice amount of depth, nicely designed, and fun to play. Let’s hope you can save Ghassan and uncover what is really going on.
Thoughts
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is a masterpiece I don’t think a lot of people will play, but I’m begging you to at least give it a chance. It is one of the most finely designed metroidvanias out at the moment, and it is such a joy to play from beginning to end. At no point during my 12 hour or so playthrough did it ever feel repetitive or that it was dragging on. It made good use of its time, new when to introduce new elements, and push those elements to the brink. It is pure awesome all the time and I love it. Every power you unlock in this game besides the double jump and dash is creative. The game’s central theme is time manipulation, and every power focuses on it. The ability to teleport back to where you once were, have a boomerang projectile stay in place until needing to be recalled, shift reality at the press of a button, or zip towards a rift. Not only do the powers feel good to use, but moving around the world is satisfying. The controls are responsive, Sargon is fun to watch flip around, and there’s some weight to every action you perform. Every jump, flip, dash, and slice, is speedy and impactful.
Combat is well designed and makes use of everything you unlock throughout your journey. The enemies get harder as you gain new moves, and some of the bosses later on will test your metal. The game can have some difficulty spikes if you aren’t prepared or don’t fully master what it is trying to condition you to do, but I never found myself frustrated. The game is challenging, but never pushes you beyond your limit. Most bosses should take less than ten attempts if you get good at them, and if you die while exploring it shouldn’t take too long to get back to where you once were. Checkpoints are forgiving and every boss gives you the ability to just restart instead of having to run back. I like the light RPG elements as it gives you incentives to explore and try out different options. I wouldn’t classify The Lost Crown as an RPG, but I’d throw it in the same category as Hollow Knight or the first Blasphemous is in. Games that do one specific playstyle well, but still give you ways to customize. Every charm felt unique, upgrades to weapons were meaningful, and you feel stronger near the end of the game compared to the beginning. One way they do this is by throwing a boss with moves you can’t possibly dodge early on, but when you have the abilities to do so it becomes more manageable. It’s well done game progression.
The world of The Lost Crown is one of the biggest maps I’ve traversed in a metroidvania. To be fair this is a Triple A title, but the map isn’t so big that it feels overwhelming. It paces itself out really well and gives you a clear idea of where to go and when you should probably go to a new area. By the way the art direction to this game is top notch. Ubisoft these days are pretty well known for creating realistic games with a generic look, but sometimes they let the art directors of these smaller projects go crazy. I can tell the art designers of The Lost Crown had a really fun time designing the world and characters of this game. Everything is stylized, blooms with color and spectacle, and the vistas are jaw dropping to gaze out. Every character has a unique design that makes them memorable and their designs can even match their personality. The animation is great too and I wouldn’t surprised if some members on the team watched a ton of anime. Seeing how much flare there is to combat and performing special moves that zoom in on the characters. Give me more stylized games rather than realistic, because this usually ages better with time.
Now everything I’ve sung up until this point has been positive, but I guess one thing I can kind of critique is the story. It’s pretty alright. It gets the job done, but I’ve seen a lot of critics discuss how it’s not very good. That the characters feel underdeveloped, certain key moments could’ve been nailed better, and the ending fails to stick the landing. I think they’re justified for saying all of these things. The Lost Crown does not have the greatest story in gaming and certain moments could be better. I think the character development of Sargon, the main villain, and others while good could be better fleshed out and communicated. I think certain plot twists, while very fun and exciting as they are, could be handled better, but I don’t know exactly how. I think the ending is satisfying personally, but others will be left wanting. I don’t think it’s a great story, but I still like it for what it was. It’s a tale of truth, betrayal, duty, and determination even when all seems a bit lost. To live to be the greatest self you can be despite your flaws. I will say that even if the story does not work for some players there is something here that does. The world is interesting and packed full of lore if you’re willing to dive into it. The characters are unique and could have a ton of added depth to them if explored. They know how to present and pace out the game, so if they ever get a sequel approved I hope they can go above and beyond.
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is a masterpiece to me. While the story has faults, the general design of the game and creativity at display makes it one of the most delightful surprises of the year. Sixty dollars is a high asking price these days, but The Lost Crown goes on sale pretty often due to how poorly it sold at launch. Which is a bit sad, but for twenty to thirty US dollars you are getting one of the best metroidvanias to ever be crafted, and it’s by Ubisoft of all people. I did not expect them to cook this hard, but they did and the team deserves a pat on the back for what they’ve made. In the end I give Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown a 10/10 for being incredible.
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