Prince of Persia is one of the longest-running franchises in video games, with the original game released in 1989. Ubisoft subsequently bought the IP in 2001 and made it one of the biggest IPs of the mid-2000s with the release of The Sands of Time, Warrior Within and The Two Thrones in subsequent years. Ubisoft released two more titles, another reboot and then another entry in their original rebooted series, before the franchise went dormant, possibly on the back of the disappointing Jake Gyllenhaal-starring film adaptation or more likely with Ubisoft shifting focus to the Assassin’s Creed franchise. Either way, we are now getting our first new Prince of Persia game in 14 years and it’s from Ubisoft Montpellier, the team behind the excellent Rayman platformers Rayman Origins and Rayman Legends.
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is a 2.5D side-scrolling Meteroidvania which sees players take the role of Sargon, a young member of a warrior clan named The Immortals, who are tasked with retrieving the kidnapped Prince Ghassan from the cursed city of Mount Qaf. Running, jumping, dodging and time manipulation ensue.
The Koalaty Critics were all very positive on the game with the bar seeming to have been set for 2024 Game of The Year contention. The platforming and combat were regularly praised, as were the introduction of great accessibility features. ‘Memory Shards’, which let you take a screenshot of something you don’t have the ability to get past yet and pin it on the map so you can remember where it was when you can access it, was a feature that many said should become a Metroidvania staple. There was some disappointment amongst the critics in the main story and the art style not being to some people’s tastes, but for the longtime Prince of Persia fans who were initially sceptical of this new entry in a new genre with a new protagonist, The Lost Crown won them over.
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown releases on the 18th of January 2024 for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC
KOALATY CRITICS – AUSTRALIAN CRITICS
Here’s what Australian critics are saying about the game.
The Beta Network – 9/10 (Anthony Culinas)
“Taking heavy inspiration from past titles in the series, this game is packed with hidden collectables, tight platforming segments and environmental puzzles that’ll truly test your perception and mastery of the controls. You want spikes? You got ’em! How about some swinging saw blades for breakfast? Better make sure those jumps and air dashes are on point! “
Checkpoint Gaming – 8.5/10 (Bree Maybe)
“From even the first few minutes it’s incredibly clear that combat and platforming in Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is fluid, fun and outstandingly intuitive. The basic attack feels punchy and the three-hit combo is satisfying to throw out. Movement is a joy as well with precise and fast-paced wall jumps, slides and backsteps that merge with the combat to create an absolutely enormous number of ways to tackle any encounter that only grows the more you play.”
Explosion Network – 9.5/10 (Dylan Blight)
“I need to double down on how great the boss battles are in Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown. Each creature or human enemy you face gets a flashy introduction screen with their name, the music is fantastic, and the battles are usually two or three phases with the edge-of-your-seat balancing of parrying, dodging, and whittling down their health bars. They are very challenging, but there’s a fantastic feeling in each victory, and even though we’re only a couple weeks into the year, I know some of these fights will be some of my favourites for the year.”
Games Crater – 8/10 (Jayden Hellyar)
“A crucial aspect of any good Metroidvania is a compelling, interconnected world. Despite not being my favorite element in the genre, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown made this journey surprisingly enjoyable, particularly in the early stages. Navigating diverse paths and unlocking new avenues remains a constant until the narrative concludes. “
GamesHub – 4/5 (Leah J. Williams)
“The process is daunting at first, but Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is patient and understanding. It teaches you the skills you need in bouts against towering enemies, with new skills added as you conquer your latest set of challenges. Even on easier modes, this dance proves challenging – but in its approach to the Metroidvania genre, Ubisoft has thankfully accounted for that.”
Maxi-Geek – 8.5/10 (Luke Henderson)
“How the story ends feels cheap but also it’s open for more so I can see why they’ve gone for it, but as it builds to that moment, the payoff feels very anti-climactic. The combat is not going to be for everyone, with the game letting you dictate how challenging things can be, across a number of areas, it shouldn’t stop you from playing the game. If you’re a fan of the series or of Metroidvania titles, then this is one adventure worthy of a tale of legend.”
MKAU Gaming – 9/10 (Sammy Hanson)
“The overall art style has a very graphic novel feel that compliments the Middle Eastern setting with beautiful architecture, weapons, and armour details. The well-acted cutscenes help provide an even closer look at all those details. Unlike most of the previous games, there is a large cast of characters with diverse personalities, creating a livelier and colourful atmosphere despite the circumstances.”
Read the review.
NextPlay – 9/10 (Mikeey Barrow)
“Now you can’t talk about a Prince of Persia game without talking about the platforming. Well, I’m here to tell you it’s some of the best I’ve encountered since the last game in the series, Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands. The team at Ubisoft Montpellier did a fantastic job of easing you into the platforming of the game, and by the end of the game, I walked away so satisfied with it. “
Player2 – A- (Tom Koch)
“The developers have created this great flow of attacks that is simple to learn and allows you to be constantly creative with your combos. With this variety, it almost feels like a fighting game as you’re given low, mid, and high-angled attacks, as well as mid-air juggles, bow attacks, and special abilities to keep the flow going as much as possible. It’s like they put Smash Brothers into a Metroidvania game and I was absolutely loving all the way through my playthrough.”
PowerUp Gaming – 8/10 (Adam Mathew)
“Whichever way you look at it, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is another fine entry in the modern-era Metroidvania renaissance. It absolutely deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as games like Hollow Knight, Dead Cells, and Metroid Dread. Furthermore, the ‘Avatar Formerly Known as Prince’ proves to be a decent refresher on a beloved OG gaming hero.”
Press Start – 9/10 (Steven Impson)
“Not only does it have the considered world design and structure that a game of this genre needs to succeed, it adds fluid movement and combat, well-considered accessibility options and some genuine innovation to the mix, resulting in one of my favourite entries to the genre in a long time.”
Progress Bar – 8.5/10 (Darcy Tranter-Cook)
“The Lost Crown wastes no time in letting you know you’re in for a treat. While it may play in only two dimensions, the detail to be found in the backgrounds is nothing short of incredible. Screenshots don’t do this game justice. The prologue takes place during a battle against an invading army, the sky is stained blood red, arrows fly, fires burn and soldiers fight in the background.”
Stevivor – 9.5/10 (Jay Ball)
“No doubt many of us are waiting with bated breath for the upcoming Sands of Time remake. Though for now, Prince of Persia The Lost Crown is more than enough to scratch that Prince of Persia itch. It graciously blends the best components of previous iterations — the original game included — into what is easily the best Metroidvania game we’ve seen in recent years. Metroid Dread fans take note: this is better.”
Vooks – 5/5 (Paul Roberts)
” The Lost Crown is just a joy to play; the platforming is fast-paced, smooth and makes you feel like a real badass for nailing some of the more tricky areas on the first go. Sargon and the Immortals are characters you care about, the story is one that I wanted to see through (and of course I have to finish it). As much as I try to think about my little gripes, none of it made the game worse. In fact, after I finish this review, I will be going back to track down all the out-of-the-way places I didn’t get to explore in my initial run.”
WellPlayed – 9.5/10 (James Wood)
“The Lost Crown feels as if it fell of the back of a truck from the early 2010s. A tightly focused and sharply crafted action-platformer that stands starkly opposed to what we’ve come to expect from Ubisoft, this stylised soft-reboot is both a tremendous standalone title and deeply cathartic shot across the bow of the rapidly sinking ship that is the mainstream game development market.”
Koalaty Critics
Aggregator Score
