Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown

Presentation

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown brings the series back to a side-scrolling adventure with a structure inspired by the Metroidvania genre. The player controls Sargon, the youngest member of the Immortals, sent to the mysterious Mount Qaf to rescue Prince Ghassan after his kidnapping.

The mountain forms a vast network of interconnected regions including citadels, forests, caverns and areas affected by a strange temporal corruption. Some paths remain inaccessible when first discovered and require new abilities before they can be crossed.

Movement plays a central role. Sargon can chain jumps, slides, dodges and acrobatic maneuvers to cross increasingly complex platforming sequences. New abilities gained during the adventure gradually expand his movement options.

The Time Powers are used in both exploration and combat. They notably allow Sargon to overcome new obstacles, manipulate certain spatial situations and return to locations that were previously impossible to reach.

Combat is built around fast attacks, combos, parries and dodges. Sargon also has access to special attacks called Athra Surges, powered by a gauge that fills during combat.

Amulets allow players to modify his abilities and create different configurations. Some improve attacks, defense or movement, but the limited number of available slots requires choosing effects that best match a preferred playstyle.

Boss battles generally require a combination of mobility, attack recognition and precise parrying. Many of the creatures encountered draw heavily from Persian mythology and culture, which also influence the environments and several elements of the story.

Exploration is supported by the Eye of the Wanderer. Memory Shards allow players to take a screenshot of an inaccessible passage or interesting element and pin it directly to the map so it can be revisited once the necessary ability has been obtained.

Wak-Wak Trees serve as resting points and notably allow certain equipped abilities to be adjusted. Merchants, secondary characters and optional quests are also spread throughout Mount Qaf.

Key points

• A 2.5D action-platforming Metroidvania.
• Sargon, a young member of the Immortals, as the protagonist.
• A mission to rescue Prince Ghassan.
• A vast interconnected Mount Qaf affected by a temporal curse.
• Progression built around parkour and the acquisition of new abilities.
• Time Powers used for both exploration and combat.
• A combat system based on combos, dodges and parries.
• Athra Surges used as special attacks.
• Amulets used to customize Sargon's abilities.
• Bosses and creatures inspired by Persian mythology.
• Memory Shards allow screenshots to be pinned directly to the map.

Conclusion

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown combines the series' traditional acrobatic movement with a Metroidvania structure built around exploration and returning to previously discovered areas.

The Time Powers gradually change how Mount Qaf can be traversed, while combat uses the same mobility to create fast encounters where dodging, parrying and positioning play an important role.

The Memory Shard system fits this progression particularly well by allowing players to keep a precise record of obstacles left behind, directly connecting the map to Sargon's newly acquired abilities.

Good to know

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown was developed by Ubisoft Montpellier and published by Ubisoft.

The game was released on January 18, 2024 for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC and Amazon Luna.

The PC version was initially available through Ubisoft Connect and the Epic Games Store. A Steam version was released on August 8, 2024.

The game is a single-player experience.

Several free updates added extra challenges and modes after launch, including Boss Revenge, Boss Rush and other activities.

The narrative expansion Mask of Darkness was released on September 17, 2024. It features a separate story centered on Radjen and adds new environments, enemies and challenges.

A Complete Edition was also released on September 17, 2024, bringing together the base game, Mask of Darkness and several additional contents.

This entry focuses on the main campaign, exploration, Time Powers and the core systems of Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, without integrating the content of Mask of Darkness into the base game.