Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown Review – A TIMELY RETURN

It’s not often you hear the words ‘Prince of Persia’ being muttered nowadays, especially since the Assassin’s Creed series has effectively taken over the parkour/stealth genre for Ubisoft. So when the reveal trailer for Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown showcased a 2D, action-adventure Metroidvania with time-warping capabilities… let’s just say I leapt out of my chair in a frenzy.

The Space-Shifting Sargon

Taking heavy inspiration from past titles in the series, this game is packed with hidden collectables, tight platforming segments and environmental puzzles that’ll truly test your perception and mastery of the controls. You want spikes? You got ’em! How about some swinging saw blades for breakfast? Better make sure those jumps and air dashes are on point! Or else, Mister Slick Hair, Sargon will begin dwindling his oh-so-precious HP. Thankfully, the game lets players immediately retry a platforming section if they take a heavy hit or fall into an abyss. Phew! That being said, Sargon will need to find a Wak-Wak Tree to restock his health potions sooner or later. Otherwise, players will be sent packing to the last tree they touched/activated, potentially costing upwards of 10 minutes in backtracking.

Outfitted with a menacing set of dual swords, alongside a bow and chakram, Sargon has a lot of utility up his sleeves (or lack thereof, depending on his costume). He can slowly descend when firing arrows, which makes for a great offensive/defensive option, as well as parry attacks in the air and even deflect his own chakrams as they return like boomerangs multiple times. Pretty cool, huh? And this is all at a relatively smooth 60FPS target on the Nintendo Switch! Shocking! I know. But wait, what’s that now? Sargon can manually set teleport spots and switch to them on the fly? That’s awesome! For example, not only can you hold a place in time and space to fire off two charged beam waves in quick succession, but it also opens up so much combo potential. It’s a tonne of fun progressively learning new abilities and bringing it all together for the solid side quests, blistering boss fights and varying enemy types that often need their distinct defences deftly dismantled.

To tackle the assortment of enemies and bosses, the game features a number of Amulets that are hidden around the map and buyable at select vendors. For instance, certain Amulets reduce poison/burn damage, make Sargon’s teleport spots explode or gradually regenerate health at the cost of damage output. On top of the usual weapon and health upgrades found in other Metroidvanias, I didn’t think there’d be a system like this in Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown. However, it is a great way of tailoring the experience to each player and letting them experiment with several unique load-outs. Throughout the game, Sargon can also unlock these anime-esque limit breaks that are as flashy as they are deadly. Even though he can only set two at a time, they are perfect for getting Sargon out of a squirmy situation or finishing a combo while looking mighty fine doing it.

Intuitive Innovation

I don’t often talk about tutorials in my reviews, but the folks at Ubisoft have created possibly one of the best pieces of optional content I’ve ever experienced in a video game. Normally, I avoid almost any type of unnecessary tutorialisation like the plague, but the plethora of combat techniques and combos are delightfully concise in their explanations. Plus, the cheeky banter between Sargon and his instructor, Artaban is just too good to pass up. You even get 50 crystals (currency) for each completed exercise. Neat!

Another aspect I thoroughly enjoyed was the Memory Shard feature. As with any Metroidvania worth its salt, upgrades or valuable items will often be tucked away until a future power-up or gadget is obtained. However, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown actually lets players take snaps of their surroundings and automatically pins them to the exact spot on the map for easy reference later on. Particularly useful for newcomers, as a big part of Metroidvanias is about taking mental notes and actually remembering where they are. Something much easier said than done… In a similar vein, the developers have also implemented a simple and clean map system. Guided Mode gives players who aren’t accustomed to this style of game more straightforward markers they can switch on or off at any time from the pause menu. To further supplement the accessibility, Ubisoft have included other useful features like difficulty sliders, high contrast mode and the option to skip complex platforming sections if the game notices that you’re struggling… Don’t be ashamed if the prompt appears at some point though, as it popped up at least once or twice during my playthrough. Not even going to hide it.

In terms of storytelling, it’s pretty basic. Early on in the game, Sargon is forced to steadily gather power to defeat a foe he once thought was family… and that’s about it. The important moments are far too sporadic and their absence actively hampers the pacing. Even if the game’s action-packed cutscenes can be exciting to watch, the actual narrative is generic at best. Apart from some spicy flavour text that helps flesh out the 13 distinct biomes of Mount Qaf, the solid voice-acting can’t save this royal letdown of a plot. There simply isn’t enough story content to hold your attention, nor is the overarching message anything we haven’t seen done better a million times before.

Decision

Is this the game fans of the series were hoping for? I have no idea. But what I do know is that Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is a stand-out action-adventure game with plenty of precise platforming and Metroidvania-type elements that are all uniquely its own. Being able to set teleport spots and move to them mid-combo opens up a whole new realm of combat possibilities, and it’s even used extensively for the challenging platforming sections. Factor in each of Sargon’s abilities and some much-appreciated quality-of-life features like the Memory Shard screenshots or Guided Mode for easier navigation, and you have a supremely impressive follow-up to a series long left languishing in the sands.

By Anthony Culinas – Reviewed on Nintendo Switch

Excellent

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown wears the Metroidvania belt with panache. The protagonist, Sargon can whip out a whole range of stylish assaults thanks to his handy teleportation maneuvers and flow through the difficult platforming hazards of Mount Qaf like an Olympic gymnast. It’s just a pity that the story isn’t anywhere near as strong. You can’t win them all, I suppose.

This game was reviewed using a download code provided by Ubisoft. The Beta Network uses affiliate partnerships, however, this does not influence reviews or any other content published. The Beta Network may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links that are on the website.