Prince of Persiafans had every reason to believe that the series would get nothing more than a potential few remasters afterThe Forgotten Sandsreleased on the PSP in 2010. But to everyone’s surprise,Prince of Persia: The Lost Crownwas announced at Summer Games Fest 2023, kicking off a brand-new era in this beloved franchise.
Ubisoft has stated that they intend to re-capture the charm of the earlier games. However, it’s also clear from the brief gameplay trailers thatLost Crownis introducing a bunch of new features and mechanics that will help this game stand out from its predecessors. A fresh and exciting take on thePrince of Persiaformula,Lost Crownis shaping up to be a game that veterans and newcomers alike can jump into and enjoy when it releases in January 2024.
7Visual Style
ManyPrince of Persiagames have experimented with a unique visual style, such as the delicate cell shading that was seen inPrince of Persia (2008). ButLost Crownis going all in with its anime-like aesthetic. Each character and enemy moves fluidly, without any grounded realism slowing them down.
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When combined with the flashy combat, it results in one of the most stylized and visually appealing games that has been announced so far this year. It’s a nice change of pace from the dark and gritty aesthetic seen in the previous games.
6Changes To Iconic Time Abilities
Theiconic time powersthat fans of the series have been accustomed to are going to work a little differently inLost Crown. The developers have said that the Prince’s usual “Iconic” time powers won’t belong to him in this game, but instead will be in the hands of the main antagonist.
However, Sargon will still be able to make use of a few new time powers. These include the Rush of the Simurgh, which sees him bending time to dash forward; and the Shadow of the Simurgh, which lets him drop a show marker that he can recall back to at any point, making it ideal for escaping tricky enemy encounters. As of right now, it’s unclear how the antagonist is going to use these powers to mess with Sargon, but it will no doubt lead to some thrilling enemy encounters.
5Different Protagonist
Multiple protagonists throughout the games all call themselvesthe “Prince,“and tend to have the same behavioral traits and features. But this time around, Sargon is very much his own character. He is tasked with saving Prince Ghassan from Mount Qaf, a cursed city full of monsters and evil spirits.
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Sargon is just as agile and acrobatic as the hero players are used to controlling. But having a protagonist separate from the Prince offers Ubisoft the opportunity to tell a story that isn’t as closely related to the similar plots shared between the Princes before.
4Amulets
Sargon can find Amulets while on his mission to save the Prince. These are used to upgrade the protagonist’s abilities throughout the game. Using an Amulet won’t just buff an ability’s stats; it can even change the way it works. For example, one upgrade will fire lasers from the Shadow Marker once Sargonteleport back to it. This can make the ability a little more strategic, as players must think about where the Shadow will deal the most damage.
Amulets can be used on all Sargon’s abilities and weapons. They’re a great way to keep the experience fresh without it feeling stale or predictable.
3Powerful Parries
Some of thePrince of Persiagames do have their own deflect system, such asPrince of Persia (2008).However, rarely would this be of any use. The deflects were nearly impossible to execute, and would usually only leave the enemy open for a short window of time.
Lost Crownhas done away with deflections and introduceda whole new parry system. It is still tricky to use, but will result in a devastating and visually stunning attack that can obliterate weaker enemies in a single hit. Parrying is actually essential in this game, because it fills up the gauge Sargon uses to unleash his most powerful abilities. Players will need these in order to take down the menacing bosses that they will encounter.
2Modern Metroidvania Level Design
The first twoPrince of Persiagames were2D side scrollers. However, they were designed at a time when this genre was still being realized, and received a low budget for their development. For these reasons, these games didn’t incorporate many mechanics that players nowadays would associate with amodern “metroidvania” game.
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Lost Crownharkens back to the roots of the series, providing 2D gameplay that hasn’t been seen in a mainline game in the series for over two decades. It also plans to implement a lot of modern elements that help flesh out the gameplay loop and keep it entertaining. Interconnected worlds, secret rooms, and resting points between areas are a few ways Ubisoft is building on level design in an attempt to bring the formula into a new era.
1Revamped Combat
Combat inPrince of Persiahas always been divisive among fans. Earlier games likeSands of Timestruck the perfect balance between button mashing gameplay and strategic movement. However, as the series progressed, it becae more action oriented. Players were tackling hordes of up to 50 enemies by the timeForgotten Sandsreleased, which felt repetitive and boring. It’s clear that Ubisoft realized the disastrous direction the combat was going in. In the new title, they’ve decided to make it more closely related to the older games, while injecting it with a dose of adrenaline to speed up the pacing.
As Sargon slices through enemies, colors and effects make each attack feel as impactful as possible. Players will also be able to perform some devastating moves which, with the right timing, can annihilate entire groups at once. The faster pace of the combat and more strategic gameplay will no doubt be good news to players who may have become frustrated with the combat in the more modern games.
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crownis set to release on PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S and X, Nintendo Switch, and PC on June 09, 2025.
