Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown review

Ubisoft’s modern tribute to the 1989 all-time classic is as enjoyable and stylish as anyone could reasonably ask for

The protagonist of the new Prince of Persia is certainly no prince to begin with, but he is an interesting enough character who players will come to like by the end of this adventure. (Image: Ubisoft)

Oh, the irony. After spending literally decades trying to “re-imagine” the 90s classic Prince of Persia series in 3D, modernizing its graphics, sound and presentation while expanding its gameplay mechanics in different ways — with varying degrees of critical and commercial success — Ubisoft now does the most obvious thing… and it just works. The company essentially brings the original, 1989 title — which many consider to be the grandfather of the Metroidvania genre as a whole — to modern platforms as a quality production that’s stylized, enriched but unmistakably true to its heritage. A Prince of Persia title that more than 600 million gaming systems — across PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series, Switch and the majority of today’s gaming PCs — can play at 60 frames per second with perfect controls. There! Was it that hard, Ubisoft?

So, yes. It is ironic… but also fitting in 2024 terms, if only because of the timing involved. After a year full of large-scale AAA productions, this is exactly the kind of title the gaming industry needs right now: a smaller but focused, deep but accessible, highly polished entertainment experience, a labor of love that pays attention…