Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown review - a design triumph, and a love-letter to the original

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is a 2.5D Metroidvania and not a full 3D adventure, but get over it because this is the best game in the PoP series since the 2008 PS3 release. The choice to relaunch this classic series as a 2D platform adventure is one I love, particularly as someone who played the original Jordan Mechner release on an Amiga; this is a hit of nostalgia wrapped in modern garbs and it’s, well… just brilliant.

I’m reviewing the Nintendo Switch as it feels like the perfect fit, particularly after Metroid Dread showed the way back in 2021. If you loved Mercury Steam’s take on Metroid you’re going to adore Ubisoft’s new approach to Prince of Persia. (The Lost Crown is also available on PC, Xbox Series X and PS5, which run at 120fps.)

The story starts swiftly and really doesn’t hold back, with plenty of twists and surprises as young upstart Sargon, a member of Persia’s elite band of warriors, The Immortals, race to the abandoned Mount Qaf to rescue the kidnapped Prince Ghassan and stave off a challenge to the royal line.

If that sounds a little tame, then it is, but the story needs to be as simple and direct as possible to enable the dev’s to crack their knuckles and really let their imaginations rip across the game’s detailed and imaginative environments, enemy designs and and ability-enabled puzzles. A game like Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown needs a stable if familiar platform to leap from, in order to make the design complexities land.

The story does veer into weird and dark places, particularly if you explore the main side quests and weird denizens of Mount Qaf, including a rags wearing prisoner who’s convinced the moon is a fake, placed in the sky by thieves and you need to find pieces of the real one scattered in the dungeons and caverns of Mount Qaf. Discovering and embracing the weirdness of Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown reveals an underbelly of folktale-led mysticism that really helps embellish the world.

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is a large and complex take on the standard Metroidvania formula, that manages to translate the wall-running, athletic combat of older games into a 2.5D perspective. Combat is swift and satisfying, Sargon can slide-kick enemies into air-juggles; swords combos can be upgraded as well as mixed into bow shots. The game’s counter system is a joy - perfectly-time parries will leave enemies open, red-eyed attacks need to be dodged and golden ‘Reckless Attacks’ when parried ignite some sublime anime-style cinematics for one-hit kills. 

A cascade of items, power-ups, powers enable you to perfect new combat techniques but also access previously inaccessible areas of the grow map. Athra Surge abilities enable our hero to unleash powerful energy strikes while time powers, like Shadow of the Simurgh, offer creative ways to fight and explore - this one leaves a Sargon ‘double’ fixed in time and space, a place to be recalled to once a platform, door or enemy passes by. It’s just one of six inventive uses of the Prince of Persia time-bending gameplay the series is famous for.

The art direction is just beautiful too, with each themed area of Mount Qaf a distinct and engaging space lovingly designed, painted and animated. The world, even in this 2.5D form, feels alive and layered with interesting facets. There’s always a secret to spy and a new route to unlock and plan for; above all the map design is paced wonderfully with narrow, cramped caverns opening to reveal vast spaces scattered with sunken ships and ancient coggy-contraptions.

Of course the Metroidvania formula is nothing new, but here the familiar is invested with a new sense of urgency as the Prince of Persia gameplay brings a new personality to what could have been a rerun of conventions. This is more than a simple retro game in Princely clothes or a me-too Blasphemous 2.

There’s one fantastic new idea too - Memory Shards capture a screenshot of where you are, saved to the map for reference. The age-old issue with Metroidvanias of struggling to remember a hidden room or recall a locked door to return to is solved. There are also a mix of difficulty settings and play modes that can make the game more accessible or harder, depending on your preference for blind exploring or hand-holding.

If you're expecting a simple, short-lived adventure then you're in for a surprise; Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is a solid 25-hour play-through with reasons to return too. The thirteen environments consistently surprise and have a degree of artistry that keeps you exploring, likewise the nine fantastical bosses and over 60 weird and challenging enemies. In a word: big.

When everything is combing, when Sargon is jumping and time-shifting with aplomb, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown feels and, well, is, a lovely game, and a perfect Nintendo Switch release. This is a genuine love letter to the original Prince of Persia, and a great way to start 2024.