Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown
MSRP $50.00
“Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is a monumental achievement in approachable, seamless Metroidvania design.”
Pros
Insightful character moments
Seamless Metroidvania design
Fluid platforming and fight
Innovative Memory Shard system
Lots of accessibility choices
Cons
Overcrowded forged of characters
In Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, even the tutorials are enjoyable.
A few hours into Ubisoft’s riveting 2D journey, the heroic Sargon arrives at The Haven. Nestled in the course of the big interconnected map, this place serves as a hub for all of The Lost Crown’s most necessary distributors. One such character taking residence right here is Artaban, a fellow Immortal serving to Sargon on his quest to seek out the kidnapped prince. Artaban decides to assist Sargon perceive and refine his fight talents as he slowly explores each nook and cranny of Mount Qaf. Artaban’s challenges function primary tutorials for methods like parrying and air juggling, however the banter interspersed between these tutorials proves to be useful perception into every character.
By doing this, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown earns engagement in one thing players often must slog via. Completing these challenges made me care deeply for Sargon and Artaban, all whereas making me a greater participant. It serves as a microcosm of what Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown does so effectively: taking tried-and-true recreation design components and making them totally fascinating.
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is the very best Metroidvania since 2021’s Metroid Dread. It sticks to the rewarding model of exploration that makes this style nice whereas guaranteeing that have is as seamless as potential because of the revolutionary Memory Shards system and useful Guided Mode choice. All of that’s held up by a spine of silky easy platforming and fight that’s as simple or tough as you need it to be.
Quite a lot of lore
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown follows Sargon, a member of the Immortals, who function Queen Thomyris’ champions in battle. Led by regal-looking warrior Vahram and taught by the crafty Anahita, this group of seven warriors feels unstoppable in The Lost Crown‘s action-packed intro. One betrayal later, Sargon finds himself hunting down the kidnapped prince Ghassan, who has been taken to Mount Qaf. That place contains the ruins of the previous King’s empire and time flows oddly right here. That solely scratches the floor of the narratively loaded journey.
Ubisoft
My foremost qualm with the in any other case wonderful journey is its narrative bloat, particularly in its opening. It introduces so many characters so rapidly that it’s exhausting to care a lot when one character betrays the group and kidnaps Prince Ghassan since you barely know both of them. Metroidvania narratives are usually finest after they say much less and present extra, however early on, The Lost Crown makes an attempt to clarify all of it. In that approach, it appears like a sequel to a Prince of Persia recreation that doesn’t exist, as that is the franchise’s first recreation in years and a whole reboot of the collection that doesn’t require data of any earlier titles.
Thankfully, this situation resolves itself over time. Through smaller, extra private moments with characters like Sargon, Artaban, and Vahram, I got here to care extra about their struggles and located extra delicate and well-scripted moments because the story progressed.
As a bonus, I additionally recognize the way it approaches telling a narrative about a number of timelines. Thankfully, it doesn’t fall into zeitgeisty multiverse concepts which have grown tiresome in media over the previous few years. Even if you happen to don’t love The Lost Crown’s story, it’s a minor a part of a a lot grander Metroidvania recreation, top-of-the-line ones I’ve performed in years.
Metroidvania completed proper
If you’ve performed a Metroidvania earlier than, whether or not they be extra hardcore titles like Hollow Knight or lighthearted affairs like Disney Illusion Island, you’ll acknowledge the fundamental construction of The Lost Crown. Mount Qaf is made up of a number of biomes, all of which lead into one another and are stuffed with interconnected rooms. Access to sure paths is linear at first, however as Sargon obtains new talents, extra paths open up, enabling story development and including unexplored depth to beforehand visited areas. On a floor stage, The Lost Crown nails its world design; every room has a transparent sense of place throughout the wider setting of Mount Qaf, and most of them have a secret or two that make them value revisiting later within the journey.
Ubisoft
It’s a beefy Metroidvania too; it took me 20 hours to finish the primary story, and even then, I’d solely found about 70% of the sport’s content material total, in keeping with in-game information. Story development is the primary objective for exploration, however The Lost Crown rewards gamers who discover and tackle challenges with elective boss fights, sidequests that add extra persona to this recreation’s world, numerous currencies, fight modifying amulets, and extra. When I unlocked new talents (like a double leap), I all the time took the time to revisit some older areas and see what new secrets and techniques I may uncover with these powers. That’s one of many greatest compliments I can provide a Metroidvania.
Part of why I did that’s as a result of The Lost Crown gives gameplay methods that make exploration seamless. When the journey begins, gamers can select between an Exploration Mode, which supplies much less data to gamers about the place they should go subsequent and what paths they will probably open with their new talents, and a extra informative Guided Mode. For most of my playtime, I caught with Exploration Mode, and The Lost Crown’s world design and in-game trace system have been intuitive sufficient that I not often felt misplaced or uncertain of the place to go subsequent.
This is a quest Ubisoft Montpellier desires gamers to see via to the tip.
At the beginning of a brand new play session, I’d briefly activate Guided Mode within the choices menu to realign by bearings and acquire a basic concept of the place to move. Another useful instrument that makes it simple to choose up the place I left off is Memory Shards. By urgent down on the D-pad at any time, I can take a screenshot and pin it to my map. Often, I did so for puzzles or platforming challenges I knew I couldn’t full but. The revolutionary characteristic is a godsend for a sprawling Metroidvania like The Lost Crown, as a Memory Shard presents a a lot clearer image for why the participant must return to a spot than a random marker positioned on the map (which The Lost Crown additionally has if you happen to choose that system). It’s such a helpful instrument that I hope to see in additional Metroidvania video games going ahead.
No matter how usually you tweak issue, place Memory Shards, and allow Guided Mode or the Platforming Assist that skips over some harder impediment programs, The Lost Crown doesn’t punish or reprimand gamers for utilizing them. Accessibility and issue choices are thorough and extremely customizable, so whereas Mount Qaf could appear intimidating at first, it is a quest Ubisoft Montpellier desires gamers to see via to the tip.
Great on Nintendo Switch
Memorable characters and fascinating Metroidvania design alone make The Lost Crown a must-play, however the wonderful fight and platforming assist convey this journey to a different stage. The growth staff’s roots in video games like Rayman Origins and Legends shine within the platforming, which finds inventive methods to mix all of Sargon’s instruments. A very memorable midgame set piece had me following big bugs as they destroy elements of a sand-filled temple. I leap via these open sections, dodging lethal spikes that adorn the partitions.
The Lost Crown is a good match for Nintendo Switch.
The Platforming Assist accessibility choice will get you thru story-required platforming challenges, nevertheless it doesn’t apply to lots of the hidden elective rooms that present a few of the most tough moments. At occasions, the platforming jogs my memory of Celeste, maybe as a result of air dashing and wall leaping are main elements. That’s a giant recreation for The Lost Crown to reside as much as, however Ubisoft’s newest holds its personal in opposition to style greats, even when performed on a system stuffed with them like Nintendo Switch.
Intricate, fast-paced platformers like this have to run easily, so I used to be initially nervous about making an attempt The Lost Crown on Nintendo Switch. Thankfully, Ubisoft proved as soon as once more that it makes a few of the best-performing video games on the platform. The Lost Crown persistently runs at a secure body price in docked and handheld mode. I solely noticed some minor drops throughout a pair extra graphically intensive cutscenes.
Ubisoft
The solely important glitch I encountered triggered the primary boss’ enviornment to vanish through the combat, however that rapidly resolved itself after I died and didn’t hamper my enjoyment of the general recreation a lot. The Lost Crown is a good match for Nintendo Switch, though it’s possible you’ll need to use a Pro Controller if you happen to don’t just like the Joy-Cons triggers; this recreation makes use of them quite a bit for dodging and parrying.
Don’t neglect to parry
Combat can generally really feel misplaced in platformers, nevertheless it’s harmoniously dealt with right here. Sargon’s primary three-hit combo offers with most enemies, however has hidden depth like air juggling combos and assaults primarily based on directional inputs. Amulets obtained all through the journey can add much more expertise, like a parry that slows time, whereas lots of Sargon’s platforming talents additionally see use in battle. A teleport capacity, the place Sargon leaves a duplicate of himself mid-action to rapidly transfer again to, could make a three-hit combo right into a six-hit or extra combo if used accurately.
Ubisoft
Following within the footsteps of video games like Hollow Knight and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, the important thing to “getting good” at fight in The Lost Crown is studying to grasp the parry and dodge. Those strategies rapidly grew to become my finest pals as I bobbed and weaved round assaults, chipping away on the enemy’s well being and build up the Athra power to tug off one in every of a number of Surge talents that may deal large injury, heal Sargon, or have a big space of impact. If you ignore these methods, even some primary enemies can simply take down Sargon.
Enemies dotted all through Mount Qaf always check my expertise, making me glad that Ubisoft received me to concentrate throughout Artaban’s tutorials. The Lost Crown’s boss designs are spectacular too, with a diverse suite of bosses that stored me on my toes all through each main battle. These are the very best boss fights I’ve seen in a recreation since Remnant II, and a few of the later-game ones include an emotional heft meaning I received’t neglect about them anytime quickly.
The first must-play recreation of 2024.
Taken as an entire, The Lost Crown is an unforgettable expertise. The Metroidvania style is a totally explored one at this level, however Ubisoft’s newest breathes new life into it by providing a easy gameplay expertise after an early recreation lore dump. Platforming and fight drive a enjoyable energy fantasy, whereas fascinating world design and the Memory Shard system make Mount Qaf a spot I used to be desirous to revisit after beating the story. Ubisoft gives greater than sufficient accessibility and issue toggles to make the expertise palatable to every kind of gamers, even making issues like primary tutorial challenges value your consideration. Releasing Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is by far Ubisoft’s most refreshing transfer since Mario first crossed over with the Rabbids, and it’s the primary must-play recreation of 2024.
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown was examined on Nintendo Switch.
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