Prince of Persia is one of the beloved and successful game series of Ubisoft that started decades ago. The franchise got silent after the release of Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands back in 2010 which was a decent game. I have personally played most of the titles from the Prince of Persia franchise which hold nostalgic moments in my heart and the fact that I got to rebirth my nostalgia with the latest Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, I am beyond grateful.
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown offers an original brand-new story and adventure that focuses on the initial stage from where it started, 2D. It is an action-adventure platform game developed and published by Ubisoft offering both new and old fans of the franchise to experience a unique adventure in the original world of Prince of Persia.
Story
The story of Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is set in Mount Qaf and its Ancient City. One day, Queen’s son, Prince Ghassan, is mysteriously abducted and she summons the Immortals, a group of 7 elite warriors. The immortals are led by Vahram and have fought and won many great battles together in the name of Thomyris, Queen of Persia.
As immortals respond to the Queen’s calling in the land and home of the Simurgh: God of Time and Knowledge, they come to realize that the place is not in its correct state. Simurgh has also been missing for over 30 years and the living beings of Mount Qaf have been cursed by temporal anomalies.
You play as Sargon, the youngest in the elite warriors of immortals who have a gift of extraordinary agility and combat talent for dual-swords. It is your moral duty to find and save the prince while overcoming any dangers and obstacles even if the curse breaks the strong bond among the elite warriors.
Gameplay
The gameplay of Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown steps in the shoes of a Metroidvania game with modern-day combat and ability mechanics along with a couple of game modes through which you can consume different experiences. Upon starting the new game on any selected difficulty, the game will ask you to select either an Exploration Mode or Guided Mode.
Exploration Mode offers minimal map information leaving players to explore the world by themselves, whereas the Guided Mode offers easier navigation with several additional markers on the map for the new players to experience Metroidvania style. However, the Exploration Mode is the preferred game mode in my opinion as you would get to explore every bit of the route through which you are venturing at the moment without seeing any pre-blocked paths ahead. It can be frustrating at the start but it will allow you to understand the areas/biomes of the map better.
Combat in Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is pretty solid and impressively responsive which is quite crucial, especially in the games that are designed in Metroidvania style. One of my biggest concerns about this game was the combat and now after playing it by myself, I can positively say that it is one of the top-notch combat experiences that you will experience in a Metroidvania game.
The main weapons of your character are the dual swords that you will be using throughout the game and as you progress in the main storyline path, you will unlock two additional weapons, Bow and Chakram. These are the ranged weapons that can be used to strike enemies from a safe distance as well as used in many platform puzzles. Shooting the bow on certain platforms can unlock new paths whereas throwing Chakram can unlock new rooms ahead.
However, your dual swords are the ones that you will be using mostly to attack the enemies as they are most efficient. Attacking the enemies with a combo and hitting the perfect parry on enemy attacks can open an opening for you to deal critical damage to them. The most effective attack to parry is the Reckless Attack (Yellow Attack), as it allows you to enter an attacking animation that deals significantly the deadliest punishment to the enemies. Alongside the deadly animations, Sargon also has special abilities called Athra Surges. There are 10 different Athra Surges in the game from which 2 of them can be equipped once. These abilities are initiated upon filling the Athra Gauge which is increased by attacking and defeating the enemies.
Apart from parrying the enemy attacks, it is also crucial to block or dodge the attacks to find an opening to your targets. All the normal attacks of the enemies can be blocked but the Unstoppable Attacks (Red Attacks) cannot be blocked nor parried. Your only way to tackle the red attacks is to dodge them.
While exploring Mount Qaf and its Ancient City, you will also meet several characters who will assist you in various manners. Upon meeting the characters, they will move to the central area which serves as a safe hub where you will be able to improve your weapons, get new amulets, increase healing potions, and train to master combat. Acquiring the services from the friendly characters will mostly cost you Time Crystals, a base currency that is dropped from defeating the enemies. However, if you are willing to upgrade your weapons, then it will require Azure Damascus Ore, one of the rare resources in the game.
Another great if not the biggest aspect of the game is traversal which plays also a crucial role in Metroidvania-style games. Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown does a great job in creating the traversal trajectories and platform puzzles which include the use of various traversal abilities called the Time Powers. The Time Powers are earned by collecting the Feather of Simurgh which you will find throughout the key steps in the journey. There are 6 Time Powers in total and certain areas will require the use of specific Time Powers to get across.
Sound and Visuals
The sound design of the game is decent and portrays the Mountain Qaf and its surroundings beautifully in your ears as you explore the world. The theme of the game is also composed well by Gareth Coker, famous for his work on the Ori series and the ARK. Alongside the sound design of the game, the sound that really enhances the experience is the voice acting for the characters. The voices of all the characters are made perfectly which gives life to all the characters and creates a connection between the players and the characters which is crucial for the adventure.
If we talk about the looks of the game then it is crucial to involve the Visuals of the game as they are stunning and well-crafted. All the animations of Sargon when you perfectly parry the enemies and the cutscenes are well-designed. The world has vibrant colors and each biome of the world is portrayed beautifully.
Verdict – Score 9/10
Prince of Persia: The Lost Control is a great entry to the original series and it does put the players on a unique adventure where they will get to taste both the original and new mechanics of the series. Everything in the game feels smooth as it performs greatly even on a mediocre PC. The gameplay is smooth, the combat feels accurate and responsive, and there aren’t any bugs that I encountered in my whole playthrough.
If you are a fan of the Prince of Persia franchise or Metroidvania in general, then I highly recommend grabbing this game for your next adventure in the coming days as I assure you it will not disappoint you. However, I do give you a heads up on the unfolding of the story as it would feel sitting in the back from time to time. Other than that, the game is pure joy, especially if you are a Metroidvania enthusiast.
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown will be available on January 15, 2024, for Deluxe Edition owners and on January 18, 2024, for Basic Edition owners on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC, and Nintendo Switch.
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