An All Time Classic – Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown Review
Developer: Ubisoft | Platform: PS5 | Playtime and Platinum: 26:00
For whatever reason, I didn’t get around to playing The Lost Crown last year, something which I sought to remedy this year. I’m glad I did because this game would have easily been in my top 5 of last year – I’m not even that big on 2D Platformers and Metroidvania’s but this is just /that/ good.
Mild to Moderate Story and Gameplay spoilers follow. Reader discretion is advised.
Bucking series tradition, you do not play as the titular prince. Instead, you are Sargon, the youngest member of Persia’s elite fighting force – the Immortals. After a crushing victory against the invading Kushan army in the tutorial, Persia celebrates. During the party, Sargon’s mentor Anahita steals off with Prince Ghassan towards Mount Qaf, religious site and home to the old ruler, King Darius. The Immortals make chase but find Mount Qaf has been hit by a curse - time and space operate strangely here, and there’s no leaving until Ghassan is safe.
I’m not going to bend over backwards to say how incredible the plot is because it’s not. It is good don’t get me wrong, it carries the events of the game forward well enough but I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t a touch generic at points. Credit where it is due though, any story that can handle time travel elements without collapsing in on itself or dedicating vast swathes to try and justify itself is good in my eyes.
On you quest to save Prince Ghassan, you’ve got the entirety of Mount Qaf to explore. I was surprised to find how big it was. Maybe not big but expansive? I know that implies the same thing but when I finished the map at the end of the game, it didn’t seem too big or comparatively bigger to something like Bloodstained or Hollow Knight (Played the former, seen the map of the latter). It was at the midway point when 4 objective markers were added, some way off from my currently discovered maps that the sense of scale really sank in. I wouldn’t say there’s a ton of interconnectivity between levels but there are some cool examples, one of which involves falling off a part of the map and ending up in the secret part of another. Things like that make exploration fun.
Of course the fun of exploration in Metroidvanias specifically is the gradual unlocking of powers. The lineup in the Lost Crown isn’t anything special, in fact they’re all fairly standard affair – dash, double jump etc but the pacing for when you unlock them is immaculate. Every time you get close to getting frustrated about an area you can’t get to, the game knows to give you your next one. You’re going to need them too, a fair few areas rely on mechanical skill as well as the range of powers to get from you A-B, let alone for finding secrets.
Combat took a little getting used to for me despite it not being complicated. Perhaps that’s not fair, it allows for complex juggling if you have the skill but it’s never necessary. Your two primary requirements in combat are parrying and dodging. You don’t unlock new weapons throughout the game, save for the bow/chakram combo that’s more so for puzzles, so you’ll primarily be using Sargon’s twin scimitars – N and Layla. These can be upgraded and separately enhanced by use of Talismans which can also enhance Sargon himself. These can be found out in the world, bought at merchants or as rewards for the games fairly mediocre side quests. The main way you’ll spice up combat is with the Athra Surges. Fill up a bar by killing enemies, parrying and so on to use an Athra Surge – powerful abilities that change the tide of combat. They come in three levels of power but any two can be equipped at once, depending on player preference.
I mentioned the side quests being a little dull and they are save for a couple of platforming based ones but the exciting optional content comes in the form of collectibles – two types are of note to be personally. First is the Sand Jars that piece by piece reveal a prophecy hidden in Mount Qaf (which amounts to a pretty tasty lore dump) and the other are the Xerxes Coins. In practice, they’re not anything of particular worth, just being a more exclusive currency used for some later upgrades but it's the reminder they give me. These coins operate in the exact same way as the Skull Coins from Rayman Origins and Legends in that once collected, they aren’t claimed until you reach solid ground. I know this isn’t a unique concept, I’m pretty sure Celeste does this with the Strawberries for example but the specific feeling of nostalgia for Rayman is nice. There’s more too, with an area of the Pit of Eternal Sands having mechanics that are the same as Fiesta De Los Meurtos from Legends. There’s clearly platforming pedigree in this team and it’s a crying shame they’ve been disbanded.
Reading back, the review hasn’t been glowing as I made it sound in my opening statement but it’s hard to put on paper. I’m trying to refrain from using ‘Better than the sum of its parts’ because it’s a fairly asinine copout of explaining but all of the elements combined alongside the incredible ‘Game feel’ that you won’t experience until you play really do elevate this into one of my favourite games I’ve played in recent memory. Perhaps more accurately, in recent times.
