Whether it’s the Sands of Time or the Forgotten Sands, Prince of Persia has been known to breathe a new life into action-adventure games. The game is set in a mythical Persian world, and players get to play as Sargon, a young, gifted Persian warrior with powerful abilities. As chaos falls on the kingdom with Prince Ghassan abducted, Sargon will have to travel to Mount Qaf, a beautiful place turned into ruins. Curse and hostility are all you will get as you explore the different regions.
For Prince of Persia fans, it’s a no-brainer that you must have this game as soon as possible. However, if you are not a biased fan, this Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown review will help you with any indecision that you are having about getting this game. After playing the game in Guided and Exploration mode, here are my two cents after exploring much of Mount Qaf.
Prince of Persia the Lost Crown Review Introduction
Set to release on January 15th, 2024, via Early Access, Prince of Persia the Lost Crown takes you on an ecstatic journey full of exploration, mind-bending puzzles, an easy-to-master combat system, and twists and turns. Since The Forgotten Sands in 2010, this is the first major installment in the Prince of Persia series. Whether you have played platform games before or not, The Lost Crown allows you to traverse multiple landscapes while bending some time and space.
My first playthrough was quite immersive, and what impressed me was how easy it was to catch on to the story and get a feel. Apart from the scenic of the gameplay, there are moments in the game where your characters use special powers, and the graphics are phenomenal. The attention to detail is exhilarating and probably one of the major reasons for the game to shine even better.
Story and Setting
The story of Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is set in the Kingdom of Persia, under the protection of the Immortals led by Vahram. The protagonist, Sargon, is one of the Immortals poised to keep Persia safe from all enemies. However, things turned for the worse once Prince Ghassan was abducted. As the Immortals make their way to Mount Qaf, where the Prince is taken, sudden surprises will turn the element of the game.
The Ancient City, Mount Qaf, is home to the Simurgh, God of time and knowledge and protector of the Persians. However, since the Simurgh has been missing for the past 30 years, the place is in ruins as chaos and anarchy take over. Time no longer flows the same here as in the normal world, with many alternate timelines getting entangled with one another.
Through all the mess on board, Sargon (you) must rescue Prince Ghassan against all odds. While mastering Time Powers, the protagonist grows stronger and eventually races against time to fulfill his duty.
Graphics and Environment
The environment of Mount Qaf is set in 13 distinct biomes, with the player having to explore most of it in the main quest itself. Each environment is unique, with numerous enemies and some terrifying boss fights. While the game can be played on low specs, the attention to detail in each unique scene and the features for every biome need to be enjoyed on a device with good specs.
Different cutscenes shape the main storyline, and each is worth it for the amazing views and the ecstatic beauty surrounding it. Along with that, the fight scenes and finishes impressed me, considering that there were some high-tier animations right up there. Every time the player gains a Time Power, there is an energetic cutscene I would never want to skip.
Remember that all of these graphics won’t come cheap, and players will have to give the game the recommended specs it deserves. It is the return of Prince of Persia after a decade-long break, so it’s no surprise that they have gone all out with it.
Since there are two modes, people can either enjoy the entirety of the game quest by quest with the Guided mode or choose the Exploration mode to be thrilled with the experience. With much information in the Guided mode, players can focus on the combat, exploration, and biomes they travel to.
New to Prince of Persia? No Problem!
While the Prince of Persia series has been ongoing for a long time, there isn’t much information that is missed in the game. Even if you want to enjoy the game based on its platform action-adventure genre, everything is laid out plainly. Since many players are unfamiliar with the game’s setting, they commonly feel they would need a backstory to the game.
However, that’s not the case with Prince of Persia The Lost Crown, and everything you need to start the game has been provided in this review. Of course, we would want you to explore on your own, so we have kept most of it spoiler-free apart from the base setting of the game.
Controls and Gameplay
As mentioned earlier, the gameplay has two options: guided and exploration mode, which allows you to follow the main storyline or explore the entirety of Mount Qaf without any in-game detail. It doesn’t matter which one you choose because you are definitely in for a treat whichever way you swing.
I found the controls very easy and smooth, and having played the likes of Elden Ring and Sekiro, I found it quite easy to master them quickly. For boss fights and many other unique ones, players must remember each control and use every playbook, without which beating them can be difficult.
While I played via a Controller, the keyboard and mouse options didn’t let me down either. It was fairly simple and easy to play the game, and at the same time, it was challenging. Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is filled with mind-bending puzzles, many of which took me a lot of time to figure out. That is one of the biggest gameplay challenges one can look at while playing the game.
Each area is filled with deadly enemies and equally difficult puzzles. While a few are not part of the main quest, if you are a completionist, you will find it difficult to get to them without unlocking Time Powers.
The one thing that I found difficult and that could be updated is the Fast Travel system. Currently, players can save their games at the Wak-Wak Tree. However, to Fast Travel, you need to find and unlock one of the Altars dedicated to it. Since I am already habituated to a common Fast Travel and Save Point, traveling for two different things was too much for me.
Day 1 Patch
Luckily, according to the developers, there has already been a Day 1 patch that was included in my review copy. It included numerous changes that made the gameplay experience even better. The devs focused on:
- Improved Balancing of Bosses and Enemy fights
- Improved Guided mode experience for better player guidance & understanding
- UI – Polish and various improvements.
- Updated Audio Mix.
- General bug fixes.
- Sony & Microsoft Trophies – Improved Trophy Names, Icons, and Description for better player experience & understanding.
- Xbox Series X – Supports 120 FPS.
Verdict
Prince of Persia: the Lost Crown is a mind-blowing experience that should not be missed. Whether you are a fan of the series or simply a passerby who enjoys platform action-adventure games, the game does absolute justice to the genre. I have been playing the game for hours, and I can’t seem to find an end to my gaming time since it is such bliss. It’s too good for me to leave it behind and play something else. Prince of Persia: the Lost Crown will certainly be one of my favorite games in the genre, and I would recommend you give it a shot as well.
That’s all we have from this Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown review. For more Review coverage, check out our dedicated section here at Gamer Tweak.
