There is something truly wonderful about a game that prioritises fun above all else. There is no denying that huge open-world RPGs with photo-realistic graphics are impressive, but sometimes going back to basics can be just as remarkable as with Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown.
What Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown lacks (and there isn’t much), it more than makes up in the fun factor. It’s so fun that I’ve been staring at my screen for the last half hour trying to write this review while looking for excuses to go back to playing the game instead.
At its core, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is a 2D side-scrolling Metroidvania – a departure from anything we’ve seen from the franchise before and one that works so well it will have you wondering why it took so long to happen.
You will be stepping into the shoes of a member of the Persian army’s elite Immortals squad named Sargon. Shortly after the game begins, the Prince is kidnapped, and it’s up to Sargon and the rest of his crew to find and rescue him.
It’s a cookie-cutter premise, and even mechanically speaking, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown isn’t reinventing the wheel. Everything in the game feels familiar and welcoming, and that’s a strength of the game.
Instead of Ubisoft trying to mould something new out of the genre, the energy went into refining and polishing an already solid foundation, which paid off.
Ubisoft crafted a game out of solid bones and ensured each power, mechanic, and feature included was as fun as possible.
Playing through Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown feels like participating in a well-crafted and exciting dance. Sargon always feels fast and fluid no matter what he’s doing, so at no point does the game’s momentum falter.
And even when the game does take a breather and throws a puzzle your way, it never seems intrusive and instead as an extension of the platforming and gives you a little while to reset before you’re back to making John Wick seem old and slow with your lightning fast and devilishly slick moves.
But beyond the smooth and enchanting platforming and the fast and responsive combat, the game is also huge. While everything will feel very contained at first, you’ll realize just how much there is to do in the game before long.
From the sheer size of the map to secrets to discover, hidden areas to uncover, and side missions for days – there was never a minute that I felt like I needed something to do or that a specific area was light on content to explore.
After spending years waiting for a new entry into the Prince of Persia franchise, I was worried that Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown would be a letdown, just exploiting the popularity of a name and throwing everything else to the wind.
But that wasn’t what happened. Instead, Ubisoft crafted a game that’s so much fun it somehow justifies its steep price-tag and one that I can’t wait to sink even more hours into.
