I loved the original – stabbing yourself to get past and all the puzzles.
This doesn’t have the Seppuku element to the game (I’m guessing for the kids), but still has all the puzzles. Kept me entertained for hours, jumping and swinging around the different levels.
After trying, and enjoying, the demo; I had an itch for a good platform game.
I had already played, and enjoyed Metriod Dread so I needed something new…
Enter Prince of Persia. I was hooked.
The combat is simple, but deep and challenging. I died, you will die. It’s part of the game as you can’t hack and slash, you will need to dodge, block, and parry. The progression feels natural and with the added ability to not just mark objects you want to come back, it screen shots so you can see it (a feature all games should have) and make your way back to them when you can unlock them.
If you like platformers, and very specifically metroidvanias, then I recommend this game!
This was developed initially on the Switch so the performance is perfect and its a title that suits gaming on the move.
There’s a great variety of areas on the huge world map, along with silky smooth movement and easy to grasp but rewarding to master combat. This is a textbook “Metroidvania”, which means backtracking and verticality are a core part of the gameplay loop. It is easy to get lost in the game for hours.
Definitely one for more dedicated gamers as the difficulty is very high at times, but well worth it for any fan of adventure games, especially the 2D Metroid series.
I should start with the obligatory if somewhat embarrassing confession that, prior to playing the Lost Crown, I was not only unfamiliar with the Prince of Persia series but had never heard of it. Considering that I am a huge fan of action-adventure RPGs, platformers and puzzle orientated games and I am left more than a little perplexed by my seeming ignorance. The fact that the series is very nearly as old as myself makes this all the more inexplicable.
Not that this matters in the least. You see, as it turns out, the Lost Crown is not only the first Prince of Persia entry in 14 years but also one in which you play as an entirely new character with little connection to previous titles beyond oblique references, easter eggs and fan service.
Crucially, it is also the series first attempt at a Metroidvania, a genre that is simultaneously hard to define, beautifully rewarding to play and devilishly difficult to make. When executed well such games belong in the top drawer of AAA releases. When botched they scream pale imitation.
Metroidvanias have seen something of a renaissance in recent years with entries such as Ori and the Blind Forest and Hollow Knight achieving unexpected critical acclaim. With such esteemed competition it is a brave and risky gamble for any developer to take on the genre.
So how does Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown fair?
The answer is beautifully just beautifully.
Allow me to elaborate. When it comes to my gaming habits I am not known for being adventurous. With limited time to indulge my favourite hobby I tend to stick to what I know and enjoy. Given my lack of familiarity with the Prince of Persia franchise I was therefore a little hesitant about picking this one up. It was my penchant for Metroidvanias that piqued my interest and even then only just.
The reward for my curiosity was the joy of experiencing one of the most exceptionally well crafted games I have had the privilege of playing in years.
The Story is engaging without overshadowing the gameplay. The lore is subtle and complex without being overbearing. The beautiful anime inspired art style gives birth to biomes that are varied, unique and never hackneyed. Exploration is rewarded without becoming tedious or repetitive. Combat is fiendishly challenging but always fair. Boss battles are epic without being overwhelming. Side quests are involved but not tedious. Puzzles are intricate without being convoluted. And the game has, hands down, some of the best platforming set-pieces of any modern console release where razor sharp reflexes and pitch perfect precision are seldom compulsory but always richly rewarded.
Moreover the game passes the litmus test of any successful Metroidvania in leaving the player never entirely sure whether they are missing a key item or unlockable move-set or simply lacking patience and skill. That lack of certainty, with its constant teasing and beckoning to explore and level up, is a beautiful sweet spot and one that the game hits continually.
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is a rare gem of a game. It consistently surprises and delights throughout its many hours of play time proving a tour de force in delivering an exceptionally well calibrated Metroidvania adventure.
Really great game, movement is fluid and puzzles are logical. Only drawback is ubisoft dropping the price so quickly after release, if I’d waited just another week before buying I’d have saved almost 20 quid!
This game has got to be one of the best I’ve played on Nintendo Switch, it’s amazing to me that this seems to have gone under the radar. It should be way more popular than it is.
Visuals are gorgeous, the gameplay is fluid, fun and responsive. The story surprised me with how interesting it was, the lore and Persian mythology certainly helped in that regard. It’s not the easiest platformer, but it’s rewarding enough that you will persevere through those tough boss fights and difficult platforming sections.
Overall just a top notch high quality game, which is not something you can always say for a Ubisoft game, but you certainly can with this one. It’s clear to see the people who made it put a lot of effort in.
I highly recommend this game. The story is gripping, the world is rich with diversity, the combat system is fantastic, and the boss fights extremely rewarding once completed. You will not be dissapointed. If you are a fan of 2D Metroidvanias then this really is one of the best.
In the 1st few hours of gameplay i was really undecided if i was going to send it back or not. All i could do was go in one direction, forwards and i found it really irritating, but once i got to the palace it opened up and i was able to explore in more detail.
This game is all about solving puzzles, and gaining items to get more items to solve additional puzzles. In between you have to fight monsters and increase the capacity of your weapons to enable you to beat the monsters without dying. You go backwards and forwards a lot. You have to go forwards to go backwards so use the memory shards to take pictures of areas you need to go back too.
I finished this game in 65 hours of gameplay. The developers claim you can do it in 25 hours. Not a chance. The puzzles are really hard, some of them are impossible and ive had to leave them. There are 2 areas in the game i cant explore because i cant get there. Ive completed 88% of the game and beaten the final boss, but i cant into 2 areas to get items to finish side quests. One of them is the hidden village, i just cant do it, requires an exceptional level of skill that i cant do on my switch, perhaps its easier on another game system.
Another thing, there is a lot of flying about once you get a certain item and that is the issue, having to fly from one port to another without dying on the pink spikes. I tried to access one area a whopping 250 times before i gave up. I tried for 2 days straight. The spikes are too close together and there are no rest spaces inbetween so its Impossible. Again might be easier on a different game system
Also, before you play it download the patch. If you dont the game will completely crash when you get to the pirates lair quest, it just freezes and you have to abandon the game and start again losing vital game play because its not easy to get there.
Overall its an excellent game, however its almost impossible to complete it, you can complete the main quests easily, just not the side quests. I found that really irritating though, like i can only get 29 of the sand jars as the one in the hidden village i cant get too.
I would also say to the developers, can we have another one please. I really enjoyed it and its on par with zelda for me. Not the same obviously as zelda is far better with it being completely open world and you can explore more areas, but from a puzzle solving perspective and platforming they are quite similar. I would happily play another one and the end credits, if you can get past them as they are an hour long, has a little scene that sets up a possible sequel.
When will these people stop introducing anything timed, or if they do, give an option to skip. Halfway down the game I had to abandon it. I have no time for timed puzzles
As a kid, I used to play the first PoP game on the PC (or it might have been Atari, but I’m not sure…) and loved it. This game brings back the same feeling and more!
The story is ok, but what stands out is the “look and feel” of the game. The sounds and music are great; the combat is fun and satisfying; the puzzles are decent, and the whole platformer aspect is done brilliantly.
Love it so far!
I loved the original – stabbing yourself to get past and all the puzzles.
This doesn’t have the Seppuku element to the game (I’m guessing for the kids), but still has all the puzzles. Kept me entertained for hours, jumping and swinging around the different levels.
After trying, and enjoying, the demo; I had an itch for a good platform game.
I had already played, and enjoyed Metriod Dread so I needed something new…
Enter Prince of Persia. I was hooked.
The combat is simple, but deep and challenging. I died, you will die. It’s part of the game as you can’t hack and slash, you will need to dodge, block, and parry. The progression feels natural and with the added ability to not just mark objects you want to come back, it screen shots so you can see it (a feature all games should have) and make your way back to them when you can unlock them.
If you like platformers, and very specifically metroidvanias, then I recommend this game!
There’s a great variety of areas on the huge world map, along with silky smooth movement and easy to grasp but rewarding to master combat. This is a textbook “Metroidvania”, which means backtracking and verticality are a core part of the gameplay loop. It is easy to get lost in the game for hours.
Definitely one for more dedicated gamers as the difficulty is very high at times, but well worth it for any fan of adventure games, especially the 2D Metroid series.
Not that this matters in the least. You see, as it turns out, the Lost Crown is not only the first Prince of Persia entry in 14 years but also one in which you play as an entirely new character with little connection to previous titles beyond oblique references, easter eggs and fan service.
Crucially, it is also the series first attempt at a Metroidvania, a genre that is simultaneously hard to define, beautifully rewarding to play and devilishly difficult to make. When executed well such games belong in the top drawer of AAA releases. When botched they scream pale imitation.
Metroidvanias have seen something of a renaissance in recent years with entries such as Ori and the Blind Forest and Hollow Knight achieving unexpected critical acclaim. With such esteemed competition it is a brave and risky gamble for any developer to take on the genre.
So how does Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown fair?
The answer is beautifully just beautifully.
Allow me to elaborate. When it comes to my gaming habits I am not known for being adventurous. With limited time to indulge my favourite hobby I tend to stick to what I know and enjoy. Given my lack of familiarity with the Prince of Persia franchise I was therefore a little hesitant about picking this one up. It was my penchant for Metroidvanias that piqued my interest and even then only just.
The reward for my curiosity was the joy of experiencing one of the most exceptionally well crafted games I have had the privilege of playing in years.
The Story is engaging without overshadowing the gameplay. The lore is subtle and complex without being overbearing. The beautiful anime inspired art style gives birth to biomes that are varied, unique and never hackneyed. Exploration is rewarded without becoming tedious or repetitive. Combat is fiendishly challenging but always fair. Boss battles are epic without being overwhelming. Side quests are involved but not tedious. Puzzles are intricate without being convoluted. And the game has, hands down, some of the best platforming set-pieces of any modern console release where razor sharp reflexes and pitch perfect precision are seldom compulsory but always richly rewarded.
Moreover the game passes the litmus test of any successful Metroidvania in leaving the player never entirely sure whether they are missing a key item or unlockable move-set or simply lacking patience and skill. That lack of certainty, with its constant teasing and beckoning to explore and level up, is a beautiful sweet spot and one that the game hits continually.
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is a rare gem of a game. It consistently surprises and delights throughout its many hours of play time proving a tour de force in delivering an exceptionally well calibrated Metroidvania adventure.
Move over Samus Aran, this is how it’s done.
Really great game, movement is fluid and puzzles are logical. Only drawback is ubisoft dropping the price so quickly after release, if I’d waited just another week before buying I’d have saved almost 20 quid!
This game has got to be one of the best I’ve played on Nintendo Switch, it’s amazing to me that this seems to have gone under the radar. It should be way more popular than it is.
Visuals are gorgeous, the gameplay is fluid, fun and responsive. The story surprised me with how interesting it was, the lore and Persian mythology certainly helped in that regard. It’s not the easiest platformer, but it’s rewarding enough that you will persevere through those tough boss fights and difficult platforming sections.
Overall just a top notch high quality game, which is not something you can always say for a Ubisoft game, but you certainly can with this one. It’s clear to see the people who made it put a lot of effort in.
I highly recommend this game. The story is gripping, the world is rich with diversity, the combat system is fantastic, and the boss fights extremely rewarding once completed. You will not be dissapointed. If you are a fan of 2D Metroidvanias then this really is one of the best.
This game is all about solving puzzles, and gaining items to get more items to solve additional puzzles. In between you have to fight monsters and increase the capacity of your weapons to enable you to beat the monsters without dying. You go backwards and forwards a lot. You have to go forwards to go backwards so use the memory shards to take pictures of areas you need to go back too.
I finished this game in 65 hours of gameplay. The developers claim you can do it in 25 hours. Not a chance. The puzzles are really hard, some of them are impossible and ive had to leave them. There are 2 areas in the game i cant explore because i cant get there. Ive completed 88% of the game and beaten the final boss, but i cant into 2 areas to get items to finish side quests. One of them is the hidden village, i just cant do it, requires an exceptional level of skill that i cant do on my switch, perhaps its easier on another game system.
Another thing, there is a lot of flying about once you get a certain item and that is the issue, having to fly from one port to another without dying on the pink spikes. I tried to access one area a whopping 250 times before i gave up. I tried for 2 days straight. The spikes are too close together and there are no rest spaces inbetween so its Impossible. Again might be easier on a different game system
Also, before you play it download the patch. If you dont the game will completely crash when you get to the pirates lair quest, it just freezes and you have to abandon the game and start again losing vital game play because its not easy to get there.
Overall its an excellent game, however its almost impossible to complete it, you can complete the main quests easily, just not the side quests. I found that really irritating though, like i can only get 29 of the sand jars as the one in the hidden village i cant get too.
I would also say to the developers, can we have another one please. I really enjoyed it and its on par with zelda for me. Not the same obviously as zelda is far better with it being completely open world and you can explore more areas, but from a puzzle solving perspective and platforming they are quite similar. I would happily play another one and the end credits, if you can get past them as they are an hour long, has a little scene that sets up a possible sequel.
Overall 4/5.
When will these people stop introducing anything timed, or if they do, give an option to skip. Halfway down the game I had to abandon it. I have no time for timed puzzles
As a kid, I used to play the first PoP game on the PC (or it might have been Atari, but I’m not sure…) and loved it. This game brings back the same feeling and more!
The story is ok, but what stands out is the “look and feel” of the game. The sounds and music are great; the combat is fun and satisfying; the puzzles are decent, and the whole platformer aspect is done brilliantly.
Love it so far!