A Crown Well Earned
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is the comeback nobody expected and everyone needed. After years of dormancy, Ubisoft Montpellier — the studio behind the beloved Rayman Origins and Legends — has reimagined the franchise as a side-scrolling Metroidvania, and the results are spectacular.
You play as Sargon, a young member of the elite Immortals warrior group, who ventures into the cursed Mount Qaf to rescue the kidnapped Prince Ghassan. The story quickly takes a time-bending turn, with the mountain's corrupted temporal magic creating a labyrinthine world where past, present, and future collide in fascinating ways.
The art direction is immediately striking. The game uses a vibrant, stylized visual approach that combines Persian-inspired architecture with fantastical elements — crystalline caverns, time-frozen waterfalls, and ancient temples warped by temporal anomalies. Every biome has a distinct visual identity, and the animation quality during combat and traversal is buttery smooth.
Platforming and Puzzles
Movement in The Lost Crown is an absolute joy. Sargon starts nimble and only gets more acrobatic as you unlock new time powers. The dash, wall-jump, and air-slide mechanics are tight and responsive, making simply navigating the world satisfying. As you gain abilities like the time-freeze and dimensional shift, platforming challenges evolve from simple reflex tests to complex spatial puzzles that are genuinely clever.
The Memory Shard feature is a brilliant accessibility innovation. When you encounter a locked door or unreachable platform, you can take a screenshot pinned to that location on the map, making backtracking — the Metroidvania bane — far more manageable. It's a simple idea that dramatically improves quality of life.
Boss fights are outstanding, each testing your mastery of specific mechanics in multi-phase encounters that are challenging but fair. The final boss gauntlet is one of the most satisfying climactic sequences in recent Metroidvania history.
A Strong Foundation
The combat system is fast-paced and rewarding, with a combo system that encourages aggressive play while punishing recklessness. The amulet system provides meaningful build variety — equipping different combinations of passive abilities lets you tailor your playstyle toward offense, defense, or balanced approaches. The time powers add unique combat options, like freezing an enemy mid-attack then unleashing a devastating countercombo.
At roughly 20-25 hours for completion, The Lost Crown respects your time while offering enough content for thorough exploration. The map is dense with secrets, collectibles, and optional challenges that reward completionists without padding the experience.
✅ Pros
- Tight, responsive platforming controls
- Gorgeous Persian-inspired art direction
- Memory Shard system is a genius QoL feature
- Excellent boss encounters
- Strong Metroidvania map design
- Satisfying combat with meaningful build variety
❌ Cons
- Story takes a while to find its footing
- Some backtracking still feels tedious
- Sargon is a serviceable but unmemorable protagonist
- Could benefit from more enemy variety
The Verdict
The Lost Crown is a triumphant return for Prince of Persia and one of the best Metroidvanias in years. It proves that the franchise has a bright future and that Ubisoft Montpellier remains one of gaming's most talented 2D studios.
"The Lost Crown doesn't just revive Prince of Persia — it proves the franchise can thrive in entirely new genres."