Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is a 2D Metroidvania in a cursed mountain

There's an old cliche that goes around across many facets of life. People like to say "This isn't your father's [insert whatever here]." In the case of Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, that expression actually fits. This isn't the prince that past generations have grown up with. In fact, this isn't even the titular "Prince of Persia" at all. Regardless of who he is, though, this new main character brings a lot to the table and brings Ubisoft's long-neglected franchise to some exciting new places. Shacknews recently had the opportunity to go hands-on with The Lost Crown to take a greater look at this new adventure.

First announced at this year's Summer Game Fest, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown follows Sargon, an orphaned street tough who has found his place in a team of elite warriors called the Immortals. They're often called into action to defend the kingdom from invading forces, but this latest call comes from within. A close confidant of the royal family (and of Sargon) suddenly kidnaps Prince Ghassan out of the blue and it's up to Sargon and the Immortals to rescue him. Their chase leads them to a mysterious stronghold on Mount Qaf where the large majority of the ensuing story unfolds. What Sargon and his team come to find out is that Mount Qaf is under a mysterious curse, one that threatens to imprison them in an ever-changing, torturous trap of time and space. Without spoiling some of the bigger story events that we saw in our time with the game, however, it'll soon turn out that Mount Qaf's curse is just one of several problems that Sargon will have to face head-on.

The Lost Crown plays much closer to the original Prince of Persia games, taking players back to the franchise's 2D roots. However, the art style is a first for the series, invoking elements of the watercolor style from the 2008 Prince of Persia title and mixing it with a more modern anime aesthetic. It's a style that pops out at the player once they're presented with magical enemies, otherworldly bosses, and the various effects of Mount Qaf's curse.

In terms of gameplay style, Sargon defends himself with a standard melee combo system. His dual daggers, which he names Qays and Layla, are his main line of defense. Enemies are more than ready for whatever Sargon dishes out. Players will often have to parry enemy blows in order to keep damage from piling up. However, parries serve a twofold purpose. Sargon has an Athra meter that will allow him to execute special moves. It fills up as he performs combos and parries, but will diminish if he's hit. To perform some of the game's bigger hits, players will have to master the parry in order to keep the Athra-based specials coming. A common issue I shared with other members of the press in attendance is that the parry window is a little tight, but there is a custom difficulty option where players can adjust the parry timing. It's a setting that has to be tuned before starting a save file, but there is something there.

In some cases, enemies will glow yellow to give a cue for the parry button. When timed right, Sargon will execute a more cinematic parry that will do intense damage and often finish lesser foes. Over the course of the game, he comes to pick up a bow and a Chakram to further aid him against stronger enemies. The Chakram is good for ranged attacks in a pinch and often acts as a way to flip switches and solve puzzles.

Speaking of puzzles, The Lost Crown features some strong Metroidvania-style puzzles that will utilize Sargon's various abilities. Disappearing platforms, long gaps for air dashing, and some time-based shenanigans are among the things that inhabit Mount Qaf's many puzzle chambers. When those aren't testing Sargon's mettle, players will encounter some classic Prince of Persia traps. Be on the lookout for spike traps and swinging blades, which are just some of the environmental hazards that will litter Mount Qaf's grounds. As one might expect from a Prince of Persia game, Sargon will learn helpful parkour maneuvers, like the aforementioned air dash, to help him get around and also access new areas.

As players uncover more of Mount Qaf, they'll unlock fast travel statues that will help them bounce back and forth to and from previous areas. That'll prove especially useful once they find Mount Qaf's shopkeepers. There's a mischievous little girl named Fariba who will provide Sargon with some useful information, as well as sell maps to different parts of the mountain. Her mother runs the shop in the middle of Mount Qaf where Sargon can purchase upgrades for his abilities. Further upgrades can be found in a nearby chamber that leads to a forager goddess named Kaheva the Blacksmith, who can further sharpen Sargon's blades and upgrade his Amulets.

Ah, almost forgot to talk about the Amulets. Amulets are upgradable pieces of equipment that Sargon will find over the course of his journey. They'll add some punch to some of his abilities and give him some much-needed boosts. Players will have to manage their Amulet slots carefully, because there are limited slots and some of the Amulets will take up more than one. While I didn't unlock a lot of Amulets over the course of my time with the game, there are already a few modestly different builds that players can utilize depending on what they have equipped.

The Mount Qaf journey looks like an interesting one. Beyond the platforming challenges and puzzles, players will encounter a variety of different dangers as they explore the cursed mountain. While most of my experience felt like a perfectly competent Metroidvania, a few moments stood out, like a stealth section where a blind jailer would relentlessly pursue Sargon if he makes too much noise in his vicinity. If the jailer caught him, Sargon would get warped into a prison, at which point players would have to use Sargon's parkour skills to make their own jailbreak.

Sargon's journey to save the prince and his struggle to escape Mount Qaf will begin in a matter of weeks. Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown will release on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch (with Ubisoft boasting that the Switch version will run at a full 1080p at 60fps) on Thursday, January 18.

Ozzie Mejia

Senior Editor

Ozzie has been playing video games since picking up his first NES controller at age 5. He has been into games ever since, only briefly stepping away during his college years. But he was pulled back in after spending years in QA circles for both THQ and Activision, mostly spending time helping to push forward the Guitar Hero series at its peak. Ozzie has become a big fan of platformers, puzzle games, shooters, and RPGs, just to name a few genres, but he’s also a huge sucker for anything with a good, compelling narrative behind it. Because what are video games if you can't enjoy a good story with a fresh Cherry Coke?