Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown Review

Let’s not beat around the proverbial bush; Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is the best Prince of Persia game for the last twenty-one years. Heck, it might even be better than Prince of Persia: Sands of Time, though that particular argument involves taking on nostalgia, and that’s a battle I get nervous about as it is one I cannot win. What I can say with supreme confidence is this; Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is utterly brilliant.

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown has sought to take on one of the most over-populated genres in all of videogamedom; that of the metroidvania. As such, your young and exceedingly flexible protagonist will spend his time exploring the vast and varied 2D labyrinth that is Mount Qaf. You’ll be playing as Sargon, a hero with a mysterious past, and you’ll encounter many inaccessible areas which will only be made reachable by unlocking one of the many power-ups that lurk hidden within this maze of a game. Also tucked away in these beautifully rendered depths are hordes of enemies to vanquish and epic bosses to best. You know the drill, as you’ve likely played a million metroidvanias yourself. What makes The Lost Crown stand out, however, is that it is one of the finest examples of the genre that doesn’t include Samus Aran.

Take the controls; precise and immaculately conceived, Sargon leaps, flips, wall climbs, and dashes with the very best of them. Our hero is wonderfully responsive as he darts around elaborate environments, each teaming with treacherous traps, with energetic glee. Sargon is constantly moving, and one of the greatest pleasures of the game is how the controller and avatar feel as one. There were moments, after navigating a seemingly unbeatable platform section, that I punched the air with glee, absolutely amazed that I had achieved the seemingly impossible, but under no doubt that the tight and responsive controls would see me through.

Combat is the equal of the exquisite platforming. Sargon is an aggressive fighter; he’s all about getting up in a foe’s face, before dodging nimbly aside to follow up once more from an unexpected flank, or parrying and counterattackig. To this end, combat is fast, frenetic, and full-on.

Enemies are varied and tough, from hard-to-reach archers to pesky flying demons, shield-bearers, and hulks. Each demands a different approach, encouraging the player to mix up their offensive strikes, using juggles and air combos to wipe out an adversary before their feet even touch the floor.

Keep on the offensive and avoid taking hits and you’ll be rewarded with a boost to your Athra meter which can be converted into special attacks, dubbed Surges. These deliriously over-the-top moves are animated to perfection and can change the dynamic of a confrontation, enabling Sargon to clear the area and plan his next offensive.

The Lost Crown is a demanding game for the player, but what I admire most is how it maintains its hardcore credentials while still being accessible. This is a game that wants to be played, it wants to be completed. Nearly every aspect of the difficulty can be tinkered with and toned down – or scaled up if that’s your thing. You can even call in handy portals to avoid tricky platforming sections entirely. There’s even an informative series of combat tutorials that break down all of the mechanics and enable players to practice without punishment until they get the hang of the increasingly challenging – and deadly – combos.

The exception to this generosity is a particularly gruelling sewer section that precedes the unlocking of a game-changing time-shifting ability. This underground slime-filled chore of a level is packed with instant death traps and platforming nightmares that will punish even a single mistake. This sudden difficulty spike highlights how wonderful the new ability you gain is, allowing you to navigate the rest of the sewers with gleeful abandon, but that doesn’t change the fact you’ll be shouting expletives for a good twenty minutes or so before that. The inexplicable lack of a map during this intermission doesn’t help either, given just how useful the map is through the rest of the game.

Metroidvanias live or die by their in-game map, and thankfully The Lost Crown delivers in this regard. It needs to, as Mount Qaf is dense with secret routes, hidden quests, and unlockables. Returning to a previous area is a delight, your latest abilities opening up new paths that you never even knew existed. To aid in this explorational endeavour are the genius Memory Shards. These little wonders enable you to take a photo of an inaccessible route and then save it to your map. The time and frustration that Memory Shards saved me cannot be underestimated, helping me to easily locate secrets that would have otherwise remained forgotten about.

Visually The Lost Crown is an unexpected treat, it’s got this bold, almost Saturday-morning cartoon aesthetic which is delivered with vim and vigour. Where The Lost Crown truly succeeds is in its glorious character design though. There’s an engaging fusion of Persian mythology and culture to be enjoyed, a fresh and intoxicating mix that results in some standout boss encounters. A fresh take on an old formula then, just like Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown.