Starting in the late '80s with an Apple II game, the "Prince of Persia" franchise reemerged as a force to be reckoned with in 2003 with the release of the beloved "Sands of Time" 3D action-adventure.
There were a number of releases of varying quality throughout the aughts, but after the 2010 release of "The Forgotten Sands" on the 360, PS3 and Wii, this series has mostly collected dust. So in spite of the change of perspective and genre, most long-time fans are thrilled that "The Lost Crown" is reviving The Prince.
With more than 75 reviews counted at OpenCritic, this upcoming side-scroller has a "Mighty" average score of 86/100. Compared to the 74/100 the last mainline game got on Metacritic, the future is looking bright. Now let's see what the critics think about Ubisoft's new "PoP."
It's the best of both worlds
"Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown" captures not only what made games such as "The Sands of Time" so good, but it irons out a lot of the little issues that plagued the 3D games in this series by opting for a 2D perspective — and owning it.
It's a Metroidvania, for better or worse
I loved that while the story setup is rather straightforward, "The Lost Crown" dives deep into the series's lore, with interesting discoveries about Persia and the gods. Mount Qaf serves as the primary setting for the game, and is one of my favorites in a metroidvania. It's a map that rewards exploration through its secret areas, loot and unique characters.
All of which makes "Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown" a bit of a conundrum in itself. It's a great Metroidvania game, full of surprise and spectacle, uber-tough and hulking boss fights, a sprawling map that's smartly tied together, with abilities that are unlocked via puzzles that are consistently tough but never unfair. When it's allowed to breathe, it excels as one of the best Metroidvania games I've played in recent years, and yet all at the same time is suffocated by an underwhelming story and awkward cutscenes that too often disrupt the flow that underpins the Metroidvania genre itself. When you're allowed to be in the zone, it's wonderful. When you're forcibly removed from it, it's such a waste.
In classic Metroidvania fashion, Mount Qaf is massive with a seemingly endless amount of rooms, corridors, and shortcuts to find. The two main focuses here are exploration and boss battles, with Mount Qaf offering quite a bit of both. There are also puzzles you'll find along the way that unlock shortcuts and secret collectibles.
And probably could have trimmed some fat
Despite all that, I still can't help but feel somewhat frustrated with how "The Lost Crown" pans out overall. If I hadn't been reviewing it, I'm not sure if I would have persevered through the game's dull, painfully average first half to reach a far more complete and engaging second half. The game never veers into straight-up bad territory, but it spends entirely too long milling around in "adequate" territory, which I think is sometimes worse. Even when it finally gets out of that, it doesn't get much further. It's a palatable game throughout and, like I said before, never became overly frustrating which is to its benefit.
TL;DR
Nearly every part of "Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown" works so well, and the parts connect so seamlessly, that it feels as if the series has found its new genre home.
"Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown" is a smart game that makes you feel even smarter.
"Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown" is an accomplishment and shows this old dog can indeed learn new tricks.
"Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown" launches on January 18, 2024 for PlayStation, Xbox, Switch and PC.
Need something to play in the meantime? Here are the ten most-loved games of 2023.
[Image: Ubisoft]
