Impressions - Prince of Persia The Lost Crown

 Available on Switch, PS4|5, XBox Series S|X, PC

Thoughts on the Story & Gameplay

The story in this game follows the youngest member of Persia's elite fighters, The Immortals, as they race to save the Prince Ghassan. About as straightforward as straightforward can be, am I right? 

The gameplay is for lack of a better term, 'metroidvania' (I really wish we could retire that word). Its a fast paced 2.5D action game with puzzle elements and a truly ginormous map. The best comparison I can make is probably 2021's Metroid Dread. The combat has a simplicity to it that I like but also has challenge to it as the timing of the attacks vary depending on how you play and what enemy you're fighting. Needless to say but there is a lot to like here, I have to give UbiSoft credit they did a great job on the gameplay.

Thoughts on the Good

This game is so good on so many different levels. While I have not completed the game at the time of this posting I am definitely enjoying the story so far. The characters are interesting as well. I like the rest of the Immortals and the banter that they have with each other. The gameplay is also a standout. Fast and fluid are the best ways to describe the protagonist, Sargon, fighting style. The powers that he acquires are also fun and provide for some cool puzzle solving when revisiting areas. I have also found myself enjoying the boss fights in this game as well. I also have to add that the visuals as well as the musical score match very well.  The game has different difficulty and accessibility options to help players of different skill levels. 

Thoughts on the Bad

I don't really have all that much to bring up other than the fact of where they place the "tutorial". During the early portion of the game one of the Immortals is not able to continue so he offers to "train" you. This is the tutorial portion where you get to learn moves and how to chain together juggles and combos. The problem is by the time this happens I have already fought 2 mini bosses and countless other enemies. I wish that sequence was a bit earlier in the game as that would have seriously helped with the mini bosses. The other thing is I wish there was a minimap or something because you have to go back and forth to check the map a lot in this game. Kinda makes me wish the game was on the Wii U so I can have the map on the Gamepad and play the game with the Pro Controller but I digress. 

For Parents

Prince of Persia The Lost Crown is rated T for Teen. There is a lot of action and swashbuckling in it. There is some blood letting, I haven't come across anything really gory yet in my playthrough. There is some mild language but nothing out of the realm of PG-13 in tone. The game is said to run about 25 hours which is not bad and just by the nature of this game I can tell there will be plenty of replayability. Speed runners will love this game.

Overall Thoughts

I am enjoying myself immensely. The game runs very well. The combat is fast and fluid. The puzzles can be challenging but not frustrating and the soundtrack is amazing. This is a FULL PRICE buy for me and there is a playable demo so you can judge for yourself. Honestly, the demo is what convinced me to go ahead and purchase the game and if you need more convincing check out the intro to the game in the video below. Leave a comment and let me know what you think about the game. Would you be up for more games in the Prince of Persia franchise made like this? As always thanks for reading and feel free to share it out and check out more of my content. 

Intro to the Game