‘Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown’ Is Not Just Placeholder In Time, It Puts The Franchise On A Bold New Path

Source:
Ubisoft
/
The
Prince
of
Persia:
The
Lost
Crown

Prince
of
Persia
is
back
and
better
than
ever!
Fans
of
the
iconic
franchise
have
been
waiting
YEARS
for
a
new
game
and
thought
they
would
be
playing
the
remake
of


Sands
of
Time
by
now,
but
with
the
arrival
of

The
Lost
Crown,
maybe
Ubisoft
should
focus
on
building
this
world
out
more.

Prince
of
Persia:
The
Lost
Crown
seemed
to
appear
out
of
thin
air,
taking
many
fans
of
the
video
game
franchise,
including
myself,
by
surprise.

We
have
all
been
in
limbo
following
the
announcement
of
the

Sands
of
Time
remake,
which
is
currently
in

development
hell
following
its
announcement
in
early
2020.
Two
Ubisoft
studios
touched
the
game
before
it
firmly
landed
in
Ubisoft
Montreal’s
lap
and
reached
the
“conceptual
stage.”

Ubisoft
decided
to
pivot
with
the

Last
Crown;
honestly,
it
was
the
wisest
decision
they
could
have
made.

Prince
of
Persia:
The
Last
Crown
will
put
players
in
the
shoes
of
Sargon,
a
member
of
The
Immortals,
who
are
Persia’s
best
warriors.

After
a
brief
introduction
that
serves
as
a
quick
tutorial,
the
story
doesn’t
waste
time
developing
when
the
Prince
of
Persia
is
kidnapped
and
taken
to
Mount
Qaf,
a
beautiful
but
dangerous
time-twisted
labyrinth.

The
rescue
mission
The
Immortals
confidently
embark
on
to
bring
the
prince
back
becomes
a
time-bending
nightmare.
They
are
now
trapped
in
what
seems
like
an
endless
loop
that
Sargon
has
to
break
on
top
of
bringing
to
light
a
conspiracy
that
provides
a
story
full
of
twists
and
turns.

Oh,
and
there
are
plenty
of
traps
and
mythical
beasts
that
will
try
to
keep
Sargon
from
accomplishing
his
goal.

A
Metroidvania
For
Everyone

Source:
Ubisoft
/
The
Prince
of
Persia:
The
Lost
Crown

This
game
is
not
just
for
hardcore
Metroidvania
fans.
It’s
for
everyone…

Metroidvanias
are
not
everyone’s
jam.
Not
many
gamers
won’t
find
it
fun
traversing
large
maps
and
revisiting
areas
because
they
don’t
have
the
correct
abilities
to
gain
access
to
certain
areas
or
the
fact
you
have
to
memorize
points.

Remember,
there
are
tons
of
platforming
and
challenging
foes
all
over
that
said
map
you
have
to
worry
about.
You
can
easily
have
a
horrible
gaming
experience
if
these
things
are
not
presented
well.

With

Prince
of
Persia
of
The
Last
Crown,
Ubisoft
Montreal
found
a
way
to
not
only
deliver
one
of
the
best
Metroidvania-style
games
since

Super
Metroid
but
also
a
way
not
to
make
it
an
intimidating
experience,
allowing
more
people
to
fall
in
love
with
this
particular
style
of
game.

Particular
features
like
the
ability
to
take
snapshots
that
stay
on
your
map
of
areas
with
treasures
or
items
you
can’t
obtain,
or
place
markers
are
a
huge
help
and
are
a
welcome
addition.

Platforming
in
these
styles
of
games
is
expected.

The
Lost
Crown
puts
a

Prince
of
Persia
spin
on
that
many
will
find
familiar.
As
you
progress
and
Sargon
gains
more
abilities,
traversing
the
traps
gets
more
complicated.

Source:
Ubisoft
Montpellier
/
Prince
of
Persia

Dying
numerous
times
can
be
frustrating
for
players
who
are
not
used
to
this
type
of
rinse-repeat
gameplay.
Thankfully,
developers
added
a
feature
that
allows
Sargon
to
skip
traversal
puzzles
they
don’t
feel
like
doing,
especially
after
conquering
them
the
first
time.

This
game
is
not
just
for
hardcore
Metroidvania
fans.
It’s
for
everyone.

The
Story
Is
Fantastic

Source:
Ubisoft
Montpellier
/
Prince
of
Persia:
The
Lost
Crown

Sargon’s
story
will
draw
you
in,
making
you
care
about
this
character…

Prince
of
Persia:
The
Lost
Crown
nails
all
of
the
Metroidvania
aspects,
but
it
also
gives
us
an
engaging
story
full
of
Persian
mythology
you
will
care
deeply
to
see
through,
which
is
of
the
utmost
importance
when
crafting
a
good
Metroidvania-style
game.

The
constant
twists
and
turns
to
determine
why
a
person
close
to
Sargon
kidnapped
the
prince
come
to
a
noteworthy
conclusion.

Sargon’s
story
will
draw
you
in,
making
you
care
about
this
character
who
is
all
about
loyalty
to
the
crown,
to
the
mission
to
save
the
prince,
his
fellow
immortal
compatriots,
and
to
himself.

The
acting
also
adds
to
this
story
as
everyone
delivers
to
bring
each
of
the
characters
from
Sargon
down
to
help
provide
a
story
that
very
much
could
be
the
start
of
a
new
chapter
in
the

Prince
of
Persia
story.

A
Beautiful
World

Source:
Ubisoft
Montpellier
/
The
Prince
of
Persia:
The
Lost
Crown

In
other

Prince
of
Persia
titles,
you
are
usually
confined
to
a
castle.
The
decision
to
step
outside
of
that
comfort
zone
was
a
smart
one.

During
my
roughly
25
hours
of
gameplay
(the
game
can
be
beaten
in
approximately
15
hours),
I
spent
much
of
it
just
marveling
at
the
beautiful
world
of
Mount
Qaf.

No
biome
is
the
same,
offering
different
challenges,
enemy
types
that
this
game
doesn’t
fall
short
of
delivering,
and
challenging
bosses
that
will
have
you
screaming
at
television
both
in
frustration
when
they
kick
your
ass
the
first
few
times
and
in
celebration
when
you
land
the
fatal
blow.

Source:
Ubisoft
/
The
Prince
of
Persia:
The
Lost
Crown

From
the
beautiful
Upper
City
and
the
majestic
Sacred
Archives
where
you
meet
the
Jailer,
who
is
blind
but
has
exceptionally
hearing
and
will
chase
you
down
if
he
hears
you
to
the
terrifying
depths
so
dark
you
need
a
light
guide
to
navigate
the
creepy
areas
and
see
the
enemies
who
pop
out,
Ubisoft
Montpellier
went
to
great
lengths
to
ensure
no
area
feels
the
same.

I
only
wished
the
game
had
a
proper
photo
mode
to
capture
the
breathtaking
views
I
encountered
during
my
playthrough.

In
other

Prince
of
Persia
titles,
you
are
usually
confined
to
a
castle.
The
decision
to
step
outside
of
that
comfort
zone
was
a
smart
one.

Final
Verdict

Source:
Ubisoft
Montpellier
/
Prince
of
Persia:
The
Lost
Crown

After
initially

playing
a
preview
of
the
game,
I
was
high
on
this
game.
Being
able
to
play
it
fully,
my
initial
reactions
are
confirmed.

The
Last
Crown
is
a
masterpiece;
I
was
hard-pressed
to
find
anything
wrong
with
this
game.
The
combat
is
snappy
and
fun
to
use
thanks
to
the
combo
system
and
Sargon’s
acquired
abilities,
allowing
for
stylish,
fast
gameplay.

The
exceptional
necklace
feature
allows
Sargon
to
equip
different
combinations
of
amulets
that
you
will
find
or
purchase
that
bless
Sargon
with
buffs,
new
abilities,
and
other
enhancements
to
aid
you
on
your
journey
while
giving
players
the
ability
to
make
builds
for
multiple
runs.

Each
enemy
type
and
boss
offers
unique
challenges
as
you
have
to
find
ways
to
take
them
down
efficiently
before
they
wipe
you
from
existence.

But
don’t
worry.
Plenty
of
Wak
Wak
Trees
are
placed
throughout
the
map
that
restores
your
health,
arrows,
and
potions
or
switch
out
amulets
and
abilities,
giving
you
comfort
that
having
to
restart
from
a
particular
point
isn’t
such
a
bad
thing.

While
Ubisoft
Montreal
is
hard
at
work
on
the

Sands
of
Time
remake,
Montpellier’s

The
Lost
Crown
is
not
just
a
placeholder;
it’s
the
perfect
pivot
for
the
franchise,
putting
it
on
a
refreshing
path
to
newfound
greatness.

This
is
a
perfect
game,
and
I
can’t
scream
enough
that
you
should
definitely
be
playing
it
when
it
arrives.

—

Photo:
Ubisoft
Montpellier
/
Prince
of
Persia:
The
Lost
Crown

*PS5
review
key
for
Prince
of
Persia:
The
Lost
Crown
provided
by
Ubisoft*