'Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown'

Source: Ubisoft Montpellier / Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown

Fans of the Prince of Persia franchise have been patiently waiting (14 long years, to be exact) for an update following the Sands of Time Remake 2020 announcement, but after getting hands-on with the game, I feel they could be getting something better in The Lost Crown. Everyone was quite surprised when Prince of Persia: The Last Crown was first announced, being that we still don’t know anything regarding the Sands of Time Remake. Still, Ubisoft Montpellier could have the perfect placeholder to keep us busy until the remake arrives.

HHW Gaming’s Beanz got hands-on (roughly 2 hours) with Prince of Persia: The Last Crown, which takes all of the elements fans of the Prince of Persia game franchise and combines them into a Metroidvania-style action platformer game. We walked away VERY EXCITED and eager to play more. Players become Sargon, the newest member of a band of warriors who live to protect the Persian empire called The Immortals. It doesn’t take long for players to learn what is going on in the game when a massive betrayal involves the Prince being kidnapped.

Sargon and his heroic crew head to Mount Qaf to find the Prince of Persia and quickly learn that there is more than meets the eye to the game’s primary location as Sargon and The Immortals realize they are trapped in a labyrinth stuck in a time loop full of mythical creatures and traps.

An Engaging Story So Far

Source: Ubisoft Montpellier / Prince of Persia

It’s a time-warping affair with The Lost Crown that you will slowly put together as you encounter the other Immortals around Mount Qaf and even past versions of yourself.

Prince of Persia is best known for its engaging narrative, and based on what we got to experience in The Lost Crown, that continues to be the case. It’s a time-warping affair with The Lost Crown that you will slowly put together as you encounter the other Immortals around Mount Qaf and even past versions of yourself. It was cool seeing the other Immortals confused at so much time passing, while it seems like only hours of your time were spent exploring the labyrinth. During our demo, we battled a suped-up version of Sargon and found dead versions of ourselves. You will also encounter other soldiers trapped on Mount Qaf and offer you subquests to complete on top of the game’s main missions, so there will still be plenty to do.

The Lost Crown Is A Metroidvania With Prince of Persia Style

Source: Ubisoft Montpellier / Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown

If you love Metroidvanias like me, then Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown will be right up your alley. Exploration is pushed immediately as you enter Mount Qaf, where you can visit different areas. Still, you will quickly learn your Sargon is not fully equipped to venture into that particular section. So that means you can venture back to that area later after acquiring the upgrade needed, and just so you don’t forget the site, The Lost Crown has a feature allowing you to take snapshots of locations that will live on your map. Now, you don’t have unlimited snapshots and will have to earn them during your playthrough. Saving your progress is also imperative and can be done by visiting Wak Wak Trees sprinkled throughout Mount Qafs’ different sections. I appreciated how the developers made finding Wak Wak Trees an accomplishment because there were moments I passed one only to end up dying and have to start back at my last known save instead of the closest save point. Traversal also gets easier when these portal-like devices open up for you, allowing you to zip from one location to another to avoid the classic Prince of Persia-esque type traps. The puzzles were also a call back to the classic games requiring quick thinking and fast responses, recapturing the feeling from Prince of Persia games.

Source: Ubisoft Montpellier / Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown

By the end of my preview, I wanted to explore more Mount Qaf.

Stylish Action

Source: Ubisoft Montpellier / Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown

Sargon can pull off combos and juggle foes, allowing for stylish, speedy gameplay as you make your way through Mount Qaf.

The Last Crown’s combat system is very snappy and fun to use. At the start of your time-warping adventure, Sargon will have primary light and heavy attacks combined with a parry system and limited abilities. While the combat system will come off as simple, as you push it on, it becomes complicated as you face more formidable enemies and gigantic bosses who each have unique attack patterns you will need to figure out. Sargon can pull off combos and juggle foes, allowing for stylish, speedy gameplay as you make your way through Mount Qaf.

Source: Ubisoft Montpellier / Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown

Speaking of boss battles, we did square off with one of the game’s first big bads, Jahandar, and I must admit I found it very challenging and could only imagine how bosses later on would feel. During the fight, you have to put all your skills to use as bosses’ attacks become stronger and the pattern switches up a bit. There was also an incredible parrying moment that triggered a small cutscene moment, leading to a blow that knocks the boss down for a bit, allowing you to administer more damage.

Source: Ubisoft Montpellier / Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown

But it would be best to catch the boss when it glows a particular color to trigger the moment.

A Much-Needed Deviation From An Old Formula

Source: Ubisoft Montpellier / Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is not Sands of Time or any other games that came before it, and that’s a great thing. Prince of Persia is a franchise that found itself in limbo, but The Lost Crown can be the injection of new energy it needs to be put on a new path to greatness. Now, I am not saying to ditch the classic model that made Prince of Persia the iconic video game franchise it is, BUT with The Lost Crown, this is just another way fans can love it. It’s also a gorgeous game that will have you marvel at locations as you go through Mount Qaf and encounter the mysteries the site holds. Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown intrigues me, and I cannot wait to finish the journey I began when the game arrives on PC, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox One & Xbox Series X|S.

— Photo: Ubisoft Montpellier / Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown