| Played on a CLX Gaming PC and PS5 |
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is a captivating return to the roots of the series, embracing the Metroidvania style structure with flair. Crafted by Ubisoft Montpellier, my 15-hour journey proved to be a delightful experience, one that’s filled with tight gameplay mechanics, excellent story and characters alongside a great presentation – even if some graphical/animation elements felt a bit mobile-ish. It’s safe to say that my return to Persia has catapulted my anticipation for the Sands of Time remake.
Time Distortion
You play as Sargon, who is part of the Immortals – a trascended group of warriors gifted with the powers of the Simurgh God to protect Persia against evil. I found myself immersed in a mystical and disordered world that launched me into an epic quest to save Prince Ghassan, heir to the Persian throne. The game unfolds in Mount Qaf – a once enchanting place, now plagued by curses and hostility. Ubisoft Montpellier showcase excellent pacing with their narrative, organically blending great characters into a story that, even with expected twists, is told wonderfully. Sargon stands out as a young warrior with a perfect concoction of heroism, honor, and depth. The supporting cast is equally impressive, with characters that are not only likable but also brought to life through impeccable voice acting.
The visual presentation of The Lost Crown serves well with the narrative. The amalgamation of comic book aesthetics and Pixar-like charm creates a unique and visually captivating world. You can also find visual storytelling within Mount Qaf’s various landscapes, which appears to be handcrafted in nature. During its many over-the-top anime-style action sequences, I found that the visual spectacle served the overall project rather well – showcasing creativity and commitment to delivering a memorable experience. This cohesive blend of artistic influence adds a layer of familiarity to me, like Supergiant’s Hades for example, while also imprinting their own identity that somehow fits in the Prince of Persia world. Quite honestly, I don’t necessarily remember the series ever being this mystical, but I’m more than all for it.
Rewind Time for No Powers
When you embark on your journey, you will be met with various roadblocks. Exploration and backtracking is the backbone of this game, and it is done wonderfully. There are 13 distinct biomes, 65+ unique enemies, about 9 boss encounters, 6 powerful time-warping powers and even side missions. Navigating through will be a breeze due to Sargon’s unparalleled agility. Thanks to tight and responsive controls, you’ll effortlessly executed a series of movements as you play—jumping, dashing, sliding, and running—all adds to the layers of fluidity you’d come to expect in this genre.
Sargon’s combat prowess is shown through his dual-sword mastery. The combat mechanics provide a satisfying blend of precision, response, and flow – reminiscent to Super Smash Bros. I found. Although the game is easy to learn, directional positioning is key to survivability and quickly taught me that it was hard to master. Parrying is a must, and with every wrong move, it could lead to devastating HP loss or even death. As I progressed, I was given a new weapon, the Bow/Chakram, offering a new and much needed strategic choices for engaging arial enemies. Additionally, youre quickly introduced to Athra Surges, super moves designed to wreak havoc – a power meter charges during combat which can go up to lv3. Surges are earned through boss encounters or puzzles, which are also missable, so I highly recommend exploring.
The inclusion of amulets in the game adds a layer of customization, granting players the ability to express their creativity through combinatory mechanics. Parry is my go to, so I manage to get amulets that would benefit that play style such as a time-distortion bubble that slows enemies down, combined with health regen upon a successful parry. With each main story beat, you will earn Time Powers from the feathers of the God Simurgh – it allows for double jumps, air dash, latching to enemies and surfaces and more. When combining these gameplay elements, I find that it creates a synergistic dynamic. Players can experiment with unique combinations, enhancing both their offensive and defensive capabilities.
A Slight Dent to the Armor
Even with everything great that it has going for it, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is not perfect. I do have gripes with the game, minor ones I must admit, that hindered my personal experience. All of which I think can be rectified and greatly expanded in the coming sequels if the sales performs well.
I love the art style, a lot, but there are some underutilized elements that detract from its overall potential. Because their theme across the board is very comicbook-y, almost brush-textured, it often falls flat throughout the environment. There is a underground level that appears to have some physical based rendering that visually made the game appear up-to-date, but most levels, in a artistic standpoint, appear mobile-like in nature, dampening the experience for me. This is coupled by mixed animations too; it’s fantastic overall, especially during gameplay, but aspects like transitioning and natural movement feels bit stiff and too sudden. This is especially noticeable when Sargon sprints across the field, appearing almost like Woody from A Toy’s Story.
Despite having Time Powers and Athra Surges, the only weapons you have are the Dual Blades and Bow, which doesn’t expand in terms of combos, other than additional single slices with an amulet. It would have been awesome to have at least some form of greatsword and a staff to add into the layered combat.
REVIEW SCORE: 9/10
Nonetheless, The Lost Crown is one of the greatest return to form I’ve played. The Metroidvania style gameplay fits perfectly with the series, complimented by great story and characters, tight controls and visually appealing presentation. I said this already, but this game made me super hyped for the Sands of Time remake.
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