Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown [Review]
Persia is besieged. Not just by foreign enemies, but by drought, famine and disease. The people do not know why their civilization is plagued, but they take solace in the leadership of their queen, Thomyris, and her son - the prince Ghassan.
In Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, you play as Sargon: one of the mighty Immortals who safeguards Persia from all threats. When Ghassan is kidnapped, it’s Sargon’s journey to the mysterious Mount Qaf that helps etch his memory into legend.
Ubisoft’s latest entry in the long-running Prince of Persia franchise nails the metroidvania genre so well, you have to wonder why they haven’t made the shift before.
To start, the 2D environments are breathtaking, accompanied by a beautiful score by Mentrix and Gareth Coker. Far from the archetypal “desert” music that is so often applied to middle eastern locales, Mentrix faithfully adapted her experience and background as an Iranian-born musician to create something authentic and unique for The Lost Crown. Of course, Gareth Coker - lauded for his work on Ori and the Blind Forest among other titles - helps to round out the soundtrack.
A key element of a good metroidvania title is in the biomes and ability to explore a vast map, and The Lost Crown delivers on this front solidly. Whether you’re exploring abandoned libraries, prison halls, murky underground sewers, or even a sea frozen in time, there’s vibrant colors and detailed environments around every corner. Not too long into the game you unlock fast travel points, and perhaps my only minor gripe is there were a few areas that could have benefitted from another fast-travel spot or two.
When it comes to the gameplay, The Lost Crown provides an awesome suite of time-bending powers, an interesting enhancement system in the form of “amulets”, as well as an array of traversal-based and offensive abilities that keep things unique right up into the final hours.
If you’re familiar with Prince of Persia as a franchise, you likely aren’t too surprised at the concept of manipulating time. These distinct abilities are manifested via the power of the Simurgh - a godlike entity whose feathers grant the ability for its bearer to dash through the air, open portals to parallel dimensions…even leave an echo of themselves in time and space that they can manifest on a whim. The incorporation of these various skills in combat will have you feeling like a true Immortal as you receive more of the Simurgh’s blessings. Navigating the various spiked traps, spinning blades and other complex platforming segments would be impossible without these boons, as you’ll come to find.
As you venture through Mount Qaf, you’ll discover various amulets. These amulets provide a variety of boons, such as creating a bubble of slowed-time upon a successful parry, increasing the damage of your arrows, increasing your max health, and much more. These amulets can be individually leveled up with the blacksmith to heighten their individual effects, and as the game progresses you will be able to add additional amulet slots. While there’s plenty of opportunity to mix and match amulets that match your playstyle, or that can help give you the edge in a boss fight, I found myself landing on a handful and sticking with them for the majority of the game.
As far as the combat itself - I found the controls to be tight and responsive, with Sargon setting himself apart from his fellow Immortals with a good blend of speed and strength. His real skill is in the air, as launching enemies up for aerial combos, then either pulling them in or dashing towards them to dole out more punishment as he receives more of the Simurgh’s gifts. Sargon can slide, jump, backflip, parry, and (eventually) dash, double jump, and use his sash to pull himself to enemies and environmental elements. The local blacksmith can help you refine Qays and Layla, your twin-blades, as well as your bow & arrow, but after the core arsenal is unlocked within the first hour of the game, there are no additional weapons to uncover as you explore.
There were times where The Lost Crown became frustratingly difficult in regards to the platforming. Admittedly, some of the most frustrating sections were not required, but there is a very fine line between challenge for the sake of accomplishment and difficulty for the sake of…difficulty. A few instances of the latter had me learning new combinations of expletives.
The story is straightforward and largely executed well. The camaraderie between Sargon and the other Immortals is heartening to see in the early sections of the game, though circumstances soon strain those friendships. Many of the narrative beats are predictable, but there are one or two that will likely provide some pleasant surprise/bewilderment. The impetus/motivation for the climactic confrontation is a bit lacking in my opinion but not so much that it detracts from the broader story.
Overall, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown was a great time. The combat can be very rewarding, with a great cadence of new skills/abilities that keep gameplay interesting to the very last chapter. A slight stumble near the end of the story, along with some particularly frustrating segments of platforming may ultimately impact your enjoyment of the game, but it doesn’t stop it from being a great metroidvania title.
