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After a long hiatus, Ubisoft's beloved Prince of Persia franchise is back in the spotlight. Arriving in a slick, Metroidvania-clad format, Prince of Persia The Lost Crown is here. First revealed last year, it was frankly met with many eyebrow raises from fans. For fans still eagerly looking forward to the Sands of Time remake, a smaller-scale project after a decade-long wait was disappointing.
Throw in the rough first impressions and the fact that a brand new protagonist is taking the wheel, not many fans have been looking forward to it. This leads us to the moment of truth - I am happy to report that players' fears are unfounded.
Prince of Persia The Lost Crown tells a new tale in the series saga
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This game tells an original story in the Prince of Persia universe where players control Sargon, a member of a powerful, well-respected warrior tribe called the Immortals. Serving the land of Persia and its leader Queen Thomyris, these seven members must embark on a perilous quest to save Prince Ghassan, who has been kidnapped.
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This leads the team to Mount Qaf, the home of the ancient bird god Simurgh, who is also the supernatural Protector of Persia. After the Immortals split up to track down the Prince's whereabouts, mysteries start piling up one after another when they realize the flow of time on the mountain is distorted. With Simurgh missing as well, an unnatural, evil presence is also at play.
As such, Sargon must collect new supernatural powers to help him fight against the terrifying threats that want to thwart his attempt to save Prince Ghassan.
Acrobatic endeavors with Sargon
The cocky hero is the youngest of the Immortals and wields dual blades to strike down anything in his path. Interestingly, the combat in Prince of Persia The Lost Crown is a lot more nuanced than other Metroidvanias. While games like Team Cherry's Hollow Knight and Moon Studio's Ori & the Will of the Wisp have good combat gameplay, Ubisoft Montpellier takes things a step forward.
This is done by introducing complex combos with directional inputs. In short, Sargon can not only perform quick combo strikes, but also sweeps and air juggles - not unlike a simpler Devil May Cry game. He also eventually obtains a Bow and Charkram for ranged attacks and puzzle solving, as well as an Athra meter to unleash powerful special moves when the gauge is full.
Throw in parrying mechanics that help deflect most attacks and agility in the form of jumping, leaping, dodging, and more, and combat can often turn into a death-defying dance of skill and aesthetics. Even on Normal difficulty, Prince of Persia The Lost Crown is a moderately challenging experience. Enemies hit hard and fast, meaning even standard mobs can pose a threat.
Coupled with the fact that the game rewards aggressive play with the Athra gauge filling on successful attacks and parrying but depleting on taking damage, players are pushed to master the combat. The tutorials and challenges encountered early on under fellow Immortals member Artaban go a long way in helping towards that, thankfully.
Meanwhile, exploration plays as big of a role as combat in Prince of Persia The Lost Crown.
Mount Qaf is home to secrets galore
This mountain is the entirety of the world map in Prince of Persia The Lost Crown, and consists of various distinct biomes. From the murky waters of the Depths to the lush, vibrant Hyrcanian Forest and its ruins, there are about a dozen varied locales to travel to. Each is packed to the brim with unique enemies, multiple bosses, and even distinct puzzles and set pieces.
While players initially begin their journey on the outskirts, they will dive deeper and deeper into uncharted waters and find themselves facing moments of respite and unsurmountable odds alike. From athletic assassins tasked with taking out the Immortals and undead soldiers trapped within the confines of time and space, to ghostly spirits and all kinds of beasts - danger lurks beyond every corridor.
This is without factoring in countless parkour elements, like vanishing platforms and spiked hazards. At the same time, narrative is still an important gameplay element as players come across log entries and unique side quests. This further helps unravel the background and past of this legendary place, now ravaged by the supernatural corruption of time that can result in distortion of levels themselves.
To get the job done, Sargon is equipped with just the right tools.
Searching for Time
In search of Prince Ghassan as well as the missing Simurgh, players will traverse the labyrinthine locations of Mount Qaf. A map called the "Eye of the Wanderer" is obtained early. It helps track his location as well as points of interest (like fast travel points) and the main mission objective - that is, if players have the Guided mode selected.
Save points called Wak-Wak Trees are dotted around the map, letting them replenish health, consumables, and more at the same time. In genre fashion, there is something to find in nearly every alternate room. Hidden breakable walls protect treasures, plus there are also collectibles ranging from narrative devices like segments of a prophecy and lore items to more useful ones like Amulets.
Speaking of the latter, Sargon also has access to charms he can equip, which are not unlike those from Hollow Knight. They can either be found inside treasure chests or mission rewards or be purchased. Each is distinct as well; one may grant extra temporary health, while another slows down time for a few seconds on successfully parrying attacks.
It would not be a Metrodivania game without progression-bound skills, and they are called Time Powers here. Obtained upon collecting feathers of Simurgh, these unique skills enhance Sargon and allow him to dash mid-air, go back to a location in time, and more. Each of these has dedicated key bindings for the control scheme in Prince of Persia The Lost Crown, and is key to solving many genius puzzles and platforming segments.
Combat also demands skillful use of Time Powers, particularly during the major boss fights. While I will not reveal anything here as these majestic fights are best encountered organically, players can expect to die at least a few times when facing these larger-than-life monstrosities. But Mount Qaf is not home to just evil creatures and freakish beings.
Players will also encounter other NPCs, many of whom know more than they are letting on. This includes a young girl called Fariba, and Kaheva the fiery blacksmith Goddess. The former helps out by mapping, and the latter will aids them in upgrading their weapons as well as amulets, in addition to buying new items. While they get the job done by filling in their role towards the overarching narrative, none feel particularly memorable in the long run.
This is perhaps the game's only major flaw. Even then, the plot is interesting enough to keep the ball rolling thanks to the constant sense of discovery and surprise.
Not your typical Metroidvania
Prince of Persia The Lost Crown is very clearly inspired by modern Metroidvania games. While I will not say much in this regard, I will reveal that there are chase/stealth segments that are very much reminiscent of the 2021 hit, Metroid Dread. Despite this apparent mish-mash of inspirations, the game still manages to nurture its own unique identity thanks to its Persian mythology influence.
Additionally, it features some smart design decisions that should become a genre staple from here on. For example, players can snap a picture of a dead-end they cannot progress past yet and add it to the map for later reference using the Memory Shards mechanic. This is a lot more useful than basic map pins or markers.
On that note, accessibility is a big feature of Prince of Persia The Lost Crown.
Though there are four core difficulty options, players can use the fifth Custom option to tweak parameters like Enemy Damage, Athra Depletion Rate/Gain, and more to scale the challenge as per their liking. Or, they can play with minimal challenge if they only wish to enjoy the story and exploration.
As a complete package, this game comes from a development team that has ample experience with the platforming/action-adventure genre. After all, Ubisoft Montpellier is the team behind universally acclaimed games like Beyond Good & Evil and the fantastic Rayman Legends.
Graphics, performance, and sound
Built atop the Unity engine, Prince of Persia The Lost Crown is a 2.5D side-scroller game. Despite that, however, it is a fantastic-looking title with ample detail all around. The clean texture work, crisp shadows, and diverse assets on display across biomes are all wrapped neatly within a vibrant cel-shaded art direction framework.
Furthermore, the game runs flawlessly as well. It was tested on the PC platform with the following specs:
- CPU: Intel Core i7-12650H @4.7 GHz
- RAM: 16 GB DDR4
- GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 Ti (8 GB VRAM)
- SSD: 1 TB NVME
This was at a native 1440p with a solid 165 FPS (on a 165 Hz display) despite rendering at Ultra Settings. Check out our Prince of Persia The Lost Crown PC system requirements guide for more details. There are no bugs to report about either, so the turnout is essentially flawless.
All of this is backed by a wonderful orchestral soundtrack by Ori composer, Gareth Coker, for the ultimate package. Besides PC, the game is available on all modern consoles as well.
In conclusion
Bucking player expectations for a strong 2024 showcase, Prince of Persia The Lost Crown emerges to become a sleeper hit that could count towards one of the best games of the year. The great art direction and engaging level design combine to create something that harkens back to the series' roots in all the right ways, despite its new Metroidvania makeover.
The focus on combat elevates a genre that is usually more conservative in that regard. The foundation of an intriguing story based on Persian mythology is topped off with fun and fresh Time Powers that supplement exploration, distinct Amulets that diversify playstyles, and a rich variety of enemies to battle.
Developer Ubisoft Montpellier channels its platforming and action-adventure expertise from past projects for a brand new success story that soars high and bright as a worthy entry in the iconic saga. Naysayers can breathe a sigh of relief because the aptly titled Prince of Persia The Lost Crown is a crowning showcase that will appeal to both Metroidvania and series fans alike.
With the final launch still a week away, players should prepare themselves for what's to come with our Prince of Persia The Lost Crown pre-order guide.
Prince of Persia The Lost Crown
Reviewed on: PC
Platform(s): PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch
Developer(s): Ubisoft Montpellier
Publisher(s): Ubisoft
Release date: January 18, 2024
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