Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown Review
What can I say? Sargon loves his anime poses.
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown absolutely soars at its best, though its not without some seriously frustrating flaws.
21 years after a successful transition to 3D in Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, Ubisoft has decided to return the venerable franchise to its sidescrolling basics with Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown. In this latest adventure, the thrilling acrobatics and deadly traps of the original are expertly combined with the time-bending powers of Sands of TIme in a wonderful combination of all of the various things that has at varying times made the Prince of Persia series great.
After 30 years of famine and decline, the Persian Empire is nearing total collapse and beset on all sides by enemies. Only the might of its elite warriors, the Immortals, is able to maintain the fragile peace, but not even they are prepared for a betrayal from within. As Sargon of the Immortals, you and the rest of your comrades must journey to the citadel of Mount Qaf and unravel a curse that haunts its sacred grounds in pursuit of the kidnapped Prince of Persia. The world of The Lost Crown is absolutely stuffed with fascinating story and Zoroastrian lore, though it annoyingly doesn’t always follow through like it should: some plot points completely lack a follow up, and one of the more interesting characters simply vanishes, never to be seen again.
Gameplay follows the classic, iterative loop of the Metroidvania: explore a massive, interconnected world until you can no longer make progress, and then double back to other paths, collecting abilities along the way to unlock new routes, then repeat. All along the way, you must navigate a variety of dangerous traps and do battle with enemies ranging from the undead to massive mythological monsters. Sargon’s swordplay is both fun and full of nuance, with opportunities to parry and counter attack readily available – the rush of perfectly nailing a series of parries and swiftly dispatching a challenging foe is exhilarating. Similarly, the thrill of deftly weaving your way through a seemingly impossible stretch of spikes and rotating sawblades is hard to beat. Unfortunately, it doesn’t always play out the way it should: hit-detection (or possibly your perception of it due to the 2.5D perspective) is often spotty, which is particularly annoying around instant death traps, and the controls are sometimes too “sticky,” leading to moments where Sargon should be dashing one direction but is instead trying to grab hold of a wall in the other.
In terms of presentation, The Lost Crown is stylish and attractive, and makes excellent use of both 2D and 3D visuals throughout its storytelling. The multitude of environments gathered in Mount Qaf are entirely distinct, full of unique character, and densely populated with hidden secrets and unlockables that flesh out the mystery of the curse. Audio design is also satisfying, from the ringing clang of a successfully executed parry to the ambient whirring of buzzsaws, and the music is both suitable and thematically on point, if forgettable.
For fans of Metroidvania-style games, there is a lot to love about Prince of Persian: The Lost Crown, from its thorough world-building and beautiful environments to its engaging combat and death-defying aerials. Though it doesn’t alway stick the landing, it is nonetheless an excellent modern take on the genre that is absolutely worth playing in its own right.
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown
Completed February 1, 2024
Overall
★★★★
FAQ
What is Prince of Persia: THe Lost Crown?
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is a 2.5D Metroidvania-style action-platforming game. It is the most recent entry in the Prince of Persia series that began in 1989, and though it is thematically similar to its predecessors it is a completely self-contained adventure.
It is available for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S
How much does The Lost Prince cost?
As of February 2, 2024:
How long is The Lost Prince?
It took me roughly 26 hours to completely finish the game.
Have you ever played Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown? Let us know what you think in the comments below!
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