Despite being able to boast of having some gray hair (although not many), Prince of Persia is a saga that is a couple of years older than me, since the first adventure of the Prince of Persia dates back to 1989, when Jordan Mechner developed the first game for the Apple II.
From there, and despite not being a sales success at launch, Prince of Persia ended up becoming a franchise with a lot of sequels and reboots. And while some worked, not all the games were a success.
The success of the first Prince of Persia led to two sequels, Prince of Persia 2: The Shadow and the Flame (1993) and Prince of Persia 3D (1999), and two reboots: Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2003), followed by three sequels, and Prince of Persia (2008). As you can see, there are a lot of titles for a saga that was born 35 years ago with the aim of entertaining players… and little else.
Now, in the middle of 2024, Ubisoft brings us a new Prince of Persia adventure, but not the one many believed. However, it is the one we deserve. Because we deserve beautiful things.
Back to the origins, but for real
When they announced Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, we thought it was going to be a marvel. Or, at least, a very interesting proposal. It wasn’t the Remake we were expecting, but rather a new proposal made from scratch.
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown (in English) is an action-adventure game developed and published by Ubisoft. It is the first major installment in the Prince of Persia series since Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time in 2010.
In this new adventure we have to live as one of the Immortals, a truly powerful order of warriors dedicated to defending Persia from invaders and monsters.
After rejecting the last major attack on the city of Persepolis, the Immortals have to set out to rescue the prince of the kingdom, who seems to have been a victim of a great betrayal.
This will take us to Mount Qaf, where really crazy things will start happening, related to space / time. To avoid spoiling too much, we will not continue developing the story. What I can say is that, despite being a two-dimensional action and adventure game, the story is well developed and with care. It is a pleasure to progress in the game to discover how the story unfolds.
A very fun and fresh gameplay
I have memories of playing Prince of Persia on a school computer in the late 90s. And memory, which is a wonderful filter that allows us to remember everything with better resolution and details, makes me believe that the new Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is a title that could have been released back then… if it weren’t for the gameplay being a delight impossible for that time.
Truly, it is a really fun metroidvania, where the acrobatics, combat, platforms, and environment are challenging. It’s a blast to play for 10 minutes, half an hour, or two hours. Because you learn the combat with each playthrough.
For those who are afraid to enter a metroidvania game because it’s not their style, this release is worth playing, regardless of your preferences. The story will convince the most reluctant, the art will enamor the most skeptical, and the action will satisfy the demanding.
In addition, the game starts from the very basics, making it very easy to get into, and then gradually growing. And the feeling of growing as a player and Immortal warrior is delightful. Very important: exploration is more difficult than the final bosses themselves.
Few games show as much love as this Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, something rare to see, especially when its publisher is a giant like Ubisoft. It is a rare bird within the industry.
A game that is a graphic… and technical wonder
And if the gameplay and art weren’t enough, the game runs even on a toaster. Seriously, the game is so well optimized that it even runs on the Nintendo Switch in Full HD and 60 FPS.
At Ubisoft, they have made sure that no one is left behind, not even that player who hasn’t updated their PC since 2010… it’s not a joke. According to what we have seen in Digital Foundry’s technical analysis, The Lost Crown is one of the best ports of the decade.
And this is remarkable, because the new Prince of Persia is visually powerful, both in the art and the details of the environments, as well as in the animations, lighting, and depth play. It is a 2D game with a 3D environment.
In other words, it not only looks beautiful on your monitor/TV, it also works at maximum resolution and fps without straining your console/computer. In a time when all releases come out broken, it is appreciated and recognized when one arrives in good condition.
As a conclusion and after more than 12 hours of gameplay (and the ones I have left), this Prince of Persia is the game that the franchise needed after being lost in limbo for years. Hopefully, Ubisoft will give us more in the future of this fun, fresh, and challenging approach to the Prince of Persia.
