In recent years, action-adventure platformers, particularly those in the Metroidvania genre, have experienced a significant revival. Titles such as Ori and the Blind Forest, Hollow Knight, and Dead Cells have introduced innovative concepts while honoring the core principles of the genre. This renewed interest also extends to difficult gameplay experiences. The arrival of Dark Souls in 2011 marked a redefinition of player expectations, emphasizing that video games can be both enjoyable and punishing. A decade later, players even tackled Elden Ring using unconventional controllers like steering wheels. Ubisoft’s latest entry, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, navigates familiar territory within Metroidvania design while offering its own distinct spin.
Evident features from influential games shape The Lost Crown’s design elements, integrating save points reminiscent of Dark Souls, acrobatic maneuvers from Hollow Knight, and intricate level designs inspired by Dead Cells. The game’s DNA blends influences from Celeste and Hades, yet it retains its unique identity as a Prince of Persia title. The Persian aesthetic, time-manipulation mechanics, and dual-sword combat systems solidify The Lost Crown as a distinctive creation, even as it draws from varied sources.
The gameplay in The Lost Crown is both engaging and challenging. While the narrative may lack depth and context, the dynamic action combat and diverse platforming mechanics compensate for these shortcomings. The game is not a short experience; players can anticipate roughly 18-20 hours to complete the nine main missions, with additional time needed to explore side quests, optional boss battles, and hidden treasures. Nonetheless, the game’s pacing falters at times, particularly in the drawn-out middle segment, leading to an uneven difficulty curve and a tedious quest structure in later sections. Fortunately, enough new challenges are introduced to keep players motivated on their journey.
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The narrative begins dramatically amid a Kushan invasion of the Persian Empire, placing players in the role of Sargon, a member of the Immortals, an elite group of warriors with remarkable abilities. After successfully repelling the Kushan forces — including the defeat of their general — Sargon and his comrades are celebrated by Queen Thomyris and Prince Ghassan. However, chaos erupts when Sargon’s mentor, General Anahita, kidnaps the prince during the festivities, prompting Sargon to pursue them to the mythical Mount Qaf. The primary narrative kicks off here, set against the backdrop of the sprawling mountain.
Mount Qaf serves as the centerpiece of The Lost Crown, featuring eerie catacombs, the elusive Sacred Archives, the challenging Temple of Knowledge, and the vibrant Hyrcanian Forest. Each biome within the mountain offers a unique environment and inhabitants, seamlessly integrating into the game’s interconnected world, much like pieces in a puzzle. As players explore further, they uncover hidden pathways that link previously isolated regions, often revealed by newly acquired abilities. Each biome also narrates its own story, intertwined with the overarching tale of the mountain, gradually unveiled through lore tablets scattered throughout the landscape.
Mount Qaf and its numerous secrets shine in Prince of Persia
Photo Credit: Ubisoft/ Screenshot – Manas Mitul
The biomes complement each other’s environmental aspects, enhancing the mountain’s overall design. For instance, the Pit of Eternal Sands resides deep within Mount Qaf, while the Tower of Silence stands at its icy peak, with vibrant cityscapes situated between these extremes. Players maintain a continuous sense of their environment, even in the labyrinthine setting, supported by useful tools to aid navigation. Persistent map markers allow players to tag important locations, reminiscent of features in Elden Ring. One particularly innovative quality of life addition allows players to capture snapshots of their current whereabouts, providing a useful memory aid for revisiting earlier areas.
Mount Qaf defies the straightforward flow of time, introducing a narrative where time bends and intertwines, revealing multiple pasts, presents, and futures. Players encounter various versions of Sargon throughout their journey, and characters may recognize the hero despite their first meeting. As Sargon delves into different areas, he finds that time feels distorted, as he navigates through echoes of memories and experiences that the sands of time have fragmented.
Sargon is focused on his mission, with little opportunity for reflection
Photo Credit: Ubisoft/ Screenshot – Manas Mitul
This time manipulation narrative further complicates Sargon’s journey to save Prince Ghassan. Along the way, he interacts with various inhabitants of Mount Qaf. Fariba, a mysterious woman, provides guidance and hints about the mountain in exchange for crystals. Kaheva, an actual immortal, serves as the godly blacksmith crafting upgrades for Sargon. The array of characters, including merchants, mages, and creatures, offers support during Sargon’s quest. However, the potential of the story remains underutilized, as it often eschews deeper explorations of time’s implications and fails to develop its characters, rendering Sargon a somewhat generic hero whose fellow Immortals lack depth.
The heart of The Lost Crown lies in its fast-paced combat and precision platforming. Sargon wields dual swords, Qays and Layla, paired with an arsenal of acrobatic abilities. Players can dodge, jump, and initiate various attacks, with each successful strike unlocking new powers that enhance both exploration and combat effectiveness. These abilities are granted by mythical feathers belonging to Simurgh, a guardian of time and destiny.
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The Lost Crown’s combat features dynamic and engaging mechanics
Photo Credit: Ubisoft
Combat in The Lost Crown is exhilarating and easy to grasp, featuring a blend of simplicity and complexity that keeps players invested. Players can execute standard attack combos, launch enemies into the air for aerial assaults, and unleash powerful Athra-powered moves enhanced by a meter that fills through proactive combat actions. Parrying, a critical mechanic borrowed from games like Sekiro, emerges as a key strategy in battles. Successfully parry an attack to negate damage and expose enemies to follow-up attacks, rapidly replenishing the Athra meter in the process.
Boss fights in The Lost Crown present a vivid array of challenges, demanding players to utilize their full suite of skills. These battles can be grand in scale, often featuring larger-than-life enemies. While initial encounters may be manageable, the difficulty ramps up markedly midway, requiring nimble reflexes for defensive maneuvers while creating openings for offense. As players unlock Simurgh’s abilities, combat opens up to a flurry of potential combos, though they must master these actions effectively.
The game’s platforming sections emerge as a more challenging aspect, warranting precise execution. Early game traversal puzzles present a reasonable difficulty curve, gradually introducing new movement mechanics. However, the latter half of the game features prolonged platforming sequences that demand extreme precision, with the potential for instant failure from minor mistakes. Although some players relish such challenges, these segments may feel excessively punishing.
The Lost Crown’s grand boss battles challenge players with distinct mechanics
Photo Credit: Ubisoft
Optional platforming challenges, especially those revolving around collecting Xerxes coins, stand out as particularly arduous tasks. These elements echo mechanics from Celeste, where players navigate a perilous course to secure valuables. However, in The Lost Crown, the rewarding storyline lags behind, diminishing the motivation to persist through frustrating sequences. While Celeste utilized its narrative to keep players engaged, The Lost Crown suffers from an over-extended mountain metaphor without the same emotional resonance.
In conclusion, The Lost Crown’s momentum falters in the latter half. Difficulty spikes and drawn-out missions can lead to player frustration. Despite discovering intriguing biomes later in the game and encountering useful fast travel points, the excessive length of certain sections detracts from the overall experience. The game’s art style does not particularly stand out, borrowing from contemporary aesthetics while its character models feel less inspired. In contrast, the musical score successfully incorporates Persian and Western instrumentation, effectively enhancing the gameplay experience.
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The Lost Crown struggles to match the balance found in Celeste’s platforming
Photo Credit: Maddy Makes Games
Prince of Persia has evolved throughout its storied gaming history, transitioning from 2D to 3D and experiencing various iterations since its debut on the Apple II. The franchise peaked during the mid-2000s with the Sands of Time series, which set new standards for 3D action-adventure platformers. The latest addition, a 2.5D Metroidvania, may represent a bold new direction that Ubisoft Montpellier, known for their work on the Rayman series, has embraced. This shift could detect fresh opportunities for the franchise amid a saturated market of third-person action games.
The Lost Crown may not appeal to everyone, but it offers an entry point for players familiar with Metroidvanias or demanding platformers. While some later sections may drag the experience, the game retains enough excitement to sustain player interest. The Lost Crown could indeed be a noteworthy chapter in the Prince’s legacy.
Pros
- Excellent world design
- Fast and enjoyable combat
- Challenging platforming
- Engaging boss encounters
- High-quality music
Cons
- Tedious later stages
- Unbalanced difficulty
- Art style lacks inspiration
- Plain story and character development
Rating (out of 10): 8
Pricing starts at Rs. 2,499 for the Standard Edition on Epic Games Store for PC; Rs. 3,499 on PlayStation Store for PS5 and PS4, and Xbox Store for Xbox Series S/X and Xbox One; and $49.99 on Nintendo eShop for Nintendo Switch.
