REVIEW: Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown — Less Prince, More Persia

It’s been about 20 years since Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time came out. Not only did it put the 1989 IP back to mainstream but was reigned king of action-adventure games for redefining the genre for all that came after. Unfortunately, the franchise had struggled to keep its crown despite several attempts within the last 10 years. Ubisoft’s latest attempt – Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown – looks unassuming at first glance. But after having spent hours into the game, it’s safe to say that the old Prince has once again found his crown.

STORY

Like with previous iterations, The Lost Crown tells its own unique story, one that takes the focus away from the Prince and towards its fantasy world based loosely on Persian mythology. And like with some of the previous titles, you don’t actually play as the Prince himself. You play as Sargon, a member an elite group of warriors knowns as the Immortals, who are tasked with defending the empire and the royal family. There does exist a prince of Persia, who takes on the role of a damsel in this case, of which Sargon and the other immortals are hard pressed to save from his mysterious captors. However, there are more to it that meets the eye, and it’s up to Sargon and his unwavering resolve to see to it that the prince, and Persia itself, are safe.

I like that the game focuses more on Persian mythology, even if it’s only loosely based. It’s a rather unique setting, one that lends itself really well to the vibe and story  that The Lost Crown tries to tell. Cutscenes are a bit of a hit and miss thanks to some closeup shots that reveal some dated looking visuals. But the excellent voice acting and gorgeous art direction still make up for an immersive story that I did enjoy. Even left me more interested in Persian mythology more so than before.

GAMEPLAY

Regardless of whether or not the story is good, The Lost Crown’s main appeal lies in it’s excellent combat and platforming – the bread and butter to a successful Prince of Persia title. Sargon’s movement is fast and fluid, and the platforming sections, for which the game is rife of, are all brilliant at showcasing it. Better still are the upgrades you pick up along the way that not only make platforming much more fun, but also grants access to new areas and secrets for you to uncover. Most of all, these mobility upgrades also provides additional options in combat. For combat, The Lost Crown perfectly executes the easy to learn hard to master formula with its simple control scheme. You have dedicated jump, dodge, parry, and attack buttons all of which are straightforward but to conquer the game requires careful analysis of your enemies, precise reactions, and some creative combinations of movement and attacks to develop stylish and lengthy combos that take full advantage of when an enemy is vulnerable. Having a solid defense system coupled with a satisfying attack system is a difficult formula to achieve in any action title, though the shift to 2D definitely is a factor. Not to mention being a perfect callback to the original 1989 title.

Like any good action game, The Lost Crown lets you customize your playstyle with the use of Amulets, for which there are many, that you can use to build Sargon based on your playstyle. Though some are simple buffs like increased damage or HP, others can completely alter Sargon’s kit, from increasing the number of hits you can land before a combo finisher, to the ability create a time bubble that slows down time in an area after a successful parry. You have a limited number of slots and the cost to wear each amulet varies. This allows for some fun experimentation for each encounter. Though the franchise is mostly remembered for its time-based platforming, the combat in The Lost Crown is arguably the best in the franchise yet, and it’s a neat visual treat too when certain parries trigger a mini cutscene that makes quick work of enemies in flashy anime fashion.

VISUAL 

Perhaps what’s most interesting to me and what will likely get most others hooked is The Lost Crown’s vibrant visual style. The Prince of Persia is no stranger to experimenting with visual style and The Lost Crown does this gracefully with it’s adult toon style akin to games like League of Legends and Battlechasers. The game is also host to a plethora of different biomes and set pieces that its hard to even get lost despite the games massive interconnected map. Regardless, the game provides an interesting way to keep your bearings and to remember any areas that needs backtracking by allowing you to take a snapshot of an area which you can view in your map. Being the 2D title that it is, certain scenes up close looks a bit jarring as it exposes some low detail textures, but when it’s at its max distance away, The Lost Crown offers some wow-inducing visuals rare in most 2D titles. That being said the game’s map is quite massive, and though fast travel is a thing, backtracking can still be quite a pain and not even the cool visuals can save you from it.

VERDICT

Prince of Persia The Lost Crown may not seem as big as any of the franchise’s previous iterations, it does manage to succeed in where they’ve all failed.

From it’s satisfyingly fluid movement and platforming system, to its stylish combat system and refreshing visual style, Prince of Persia The Lost Crown is an excellent action-adventure platformer that is hard to put down. It’s an excellent pick for anyone who’s played a side scroller before, but fans of the series or metroidvanias in general should definitely consider this as a must play.