Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown /IMPRESSIONS

Who would have thought that our never ending wait for Hollow Knight: Silksong will be made more bearable by a classic 2D metroidvania made by Ubisoft of all companies? Not a lot of people, that’s for sure.

Better yet, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown turned out to be not only a surprising release for Ubisoft — and an unexpected revival of the Prince of Persia franchise — but also a very good metroidvania that can hold its own against numerous classics of the genre.

Which is to say, it offers us a big, sprawling map that can be traversed using different skills unlocked during the game. Of course, those will enable access to previously inaccessible areas, whether we’re talking about a dash move, good old double jump, or the skill with which you can make a ghost clone of yourself, and return to it with one press of a button. Missed a jump and started falling into a deadly pit? Return to your ghost before you fall all the way down and voila. Huge enemy blocking your way? Drop your clone in its way, and try luring it a bit further so you can teleport behind its back when it charges towards you. Or jump and leave your ghost in the air, just above the platform that you will activate later, immediately teleporting on top of it.

In addition to being a proper Prince of Persia experience with snappy controls, platforming sections filled with swinging blades, spike filled abysses and other deadly traps, The Lost Crown also features some time shenanigans (both in its story and gameplay mechanics), bringing to mind Sands of Time era, as well as a side-scrolling perspective that will remind you of the original Prince of Persia from 1989.

On top of that, you have a very fun combat system and a solid selection of enemy types, that you will get rid of with various combos of regular and charged attacks, mixed with dodging, jumping, crouching — and some special skills and attacks. And, just like platforming, combat is quick, snappy and fluid, which makes it very enjoyable to dance around enemies, sliding underneath them, and then attacking them from behind. Or parrying their attacks, be it with a regular parry, or with a special one during their attacks telegraphed with yellow flashes on the screen, which will result in an over the top anime-like sequence filling the whole screen with splashes of black and red.

On the other hand, the visuals in most of the areas I have seen in the first 15 or so hours of the game lack a certain punch to them. Don’t get me wrong — The Lost Crown looks nice, it’s just that some locations can look a bit plain and empty. Oh, and I wasn’t impressed with the game’s story either. Sure, it’s interesting that you’re not actually playing as Prince himself, but as Sargon, an elite warrior who is trying to save the kidnapped Prince, while encountering already mentioned time shenanigans on the way. But, other than that tidbit, the story simply didn’t hook me, and I stopped paying too much attention to it after a while.

Before I wrap things up, I just want to mention and praise one of the best things about the game — a feature that enables you to take screenshot of your current environment, and automatically pin it on the map, helping you remember where you encountered certain puzzles or areas that you will want to check out later, when you get some new weapons and abilities. It’s smart, it’s effective and it doesn’t feel too handholdy, making the game’s already fun and engaging exploration even better. And that’s in addition to some accessibility options that can make it easier, like helping you skip tough platforming sections, or showing you blocked paths and objective markers on the map.

So, if you are one of many metroidvania fans patiently waiting for the new Hollow Knight, or if you’re simply looking for a game with some fun skills, great exploration and a very good combat system, look no further than The Lost Crown. And if you are a Prince of Persia fan, rest assured that it will sate your hunger too, with its snappy platforming and deadly traps, while at the same time returning to the roots of the series with its beautifully animated side-scrolling action. Now if only more of the big name publishers recognised the value of “smaller” games like this…

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown | developer: Ubisoft Montpellier | publisher: Ubisoft | platforms: PlayStation 5 (played), PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC