We at Nerdist were lucky enough to attend an in-depth, hands-on preview event for Ubisoft’s Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown. Incredibly, though we were able to play for a couple of hours and got an excellent feel for the game’s world, this was but a taste of what The Lost Crown‘s release will hold for players. But if these preview hours were any testament to the full experience, we know that fans of every kind will be sucked right in. And then, no amount of time will feel like enough in this world. Whether players are long-standing Prince of Persia aficionados or new-to-the-franchise gamers curious about The Lost Crown specifically, an excellent time is in store.
Here are some of our favorite takeaways from Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown‘s preview event.
Jump to: Persian Mythology as Inspiration // Clever Gameplay and Puzzles // Flexible Customization Options // Sleek and Acrobatic Fighting Style // Gorgeous Design and Artwork // An Engaging Narrative // Great Balance of Both Focused and Expansive Play // The Lost Crown‘s Release Date and More
Persian Mythology, Folklore, and Culture Play a Huge Role in the Game
Although Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is not a historical game and does not seek to be, it was very important to Ubisoft and the game’s creators that Persian mythology, folklore, and culture be a huge inspiration in it. The Last Crown‘s Cinematic Lead, Joseph-Antoine Clavet, shared with Nerdist, “It was really taking elements that we liked from those myths, being respectful to those myths and making sure we were shown them in a mythical way if I can say. Like Manticore, everybody’s like, ‘It’s a Greek creature.’ Well, I mean it came from Persia before, so it was taking those elements and putting them together.”
Persian folklore influences everything in the game, from settings to characters to gods, from plant life to creatures to monsters. And, as with fictional properties based on other mythologies, the hope is that The Lost Crown inspires players to seek out the actual stories and narratives and learn more about them and their origins after playing.
Additionally, the game has an audio dub available in Farsi, and players can play the entire way through in the language—a beautiful option to explore.
The Lost Crown‘s Gameplay Will Keep You On Your Toes
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown requires more from you than just gaming skills. Knowing how to take down a really tough boss won’t get you through the game’s quests alone (although that is incredibly helpful). Nope, the game pushes you to use your brain when playing. Puzzle-solving is, after all, one of the core tenets on which The Lost Crown was built (in addition to exploration and intricate acrobatic combat.) The puzzles in Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown go easy on you at first, but soon you’re shooting at arrows to move stone statues, trying to remember which lever does what, and forcing yourself to combine everything you’ve learned to manifest creative solutions to the problems at hand.
But happily, although the puzzles get convoluted, they are never so difficult they cannot be overcome. And once beaten, you’re left with the satisfying feeling of accomplishing a difficult task. (And also that you’re super smart.)
The puzzles in Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown are almost boss battles themselves, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.
From Beginner to Expert, The Lost Crown‘s Customization Options Have You Covered
Creating a successful game can be tough; players come to a new adventure from all skill levels and with many different gaming backgrounds. But happily, the customization options on Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown are incredibly solid. Do you need assists in melee targeting or aim? Done. Do you need a little more time on a disappearing platform? Check. Or maybe you’d prefer none of those things, also good. Enemy damage, enemy health, parry timing, special attack charge and deplete rate, and more can also all be adjusted. You can choose from a preset fight difficulty (Rookie, Warrior, Hero, or Immortal) or customize a level to suit your needs. Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown also allows you a guided version or lets you wander around with only your intuition.
All of these choices let the user themselves shape the game in many different ways and thus allow Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown to flexibly entertain any kind of player.
Additionally, there are a whole host of accessibility features that are baked into the design of Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, and that can be further adjusted. For instance, the game is colorblind-accessible by design and offers enhanced contrast to distinguish between important gameplay elements. A full listing of accessibility features can be found here.
Jump to: Persian Mythology as Inspiration // Clever Gameplay and Puzzles // Flexible Customization Options // Sleek and Acrobatic Fighting Style // Gorgeous Design and Artwork // An Engaging Narrative // Great Balance of Both Focused and Expansive Play // The Lost Crown‘s Release Date and More
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown Highlights a Sleek, Acrobatic Fighter with a Unique Style
Joseph-Antoine Clavet shared with Nerdist that one of his favorite compliments about The Lost Crown was someone asking when the main character, Sargon, would arrive on Super Smash Bros. And after playing as Sargon for a good few hours, we can definitely see why we’d want him around in that game. Sargon’s fighting style is like nothing else. Ubisoft aimed to highlight an acrobatic combat style in The Lost Crown, and I could not say more emphatically that they nailed it. Sargon flips, slides, swings, and truly dances through his battles. Athleticism and grace come together to form one sleek fighter.
Clavet shared that key to Sargon’s combat style was “The martial art of tricking modern martial art, where it combines Wushu, Capoeira, Taekwondo, and breakdance to make him move like a really powerful small dude scared of nothing.” And the ultimate philosophy behind Sargon is “Why would I need an armor if nobody can touch me?” Enough said.
The Lost Crown ultimately brought Sargon and others to life using a hybrid between motion capture and keyframe. Clavet noted, “We block out the scene, so we have the weight and the emotion of how the body moves. But then, when you get the fight scene, you have the stuntman doing the fights, but then you remove most of the keys, and you just animate it in keyframe by exaggerating some of the poses, keeping some of the anticipation, to have this shonen anime feel that we wanted to have throughout the visuals” Job well done.
The Game’s Artwork and Design Is Next-Level Gorgeous
The fights are tremendous in The Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown. But every single thing in the game has a beautiful design. The game’s main setting, Mount Qaf, allowed the creators of the game to leave the castle behind as it were and explore a variety of different biomes. From dank dungeon to glorious forest to the inner workings of time itself, there isn’t a single frame that isn’t just jaw-droppingly beautiful.
I was constantly taken with just how pleased I felt to look at this game. And even if you’re not a seasoned gamer, that alone is worth the exploration of the universe.
If You Think You Know The Lost Crown‘s Story, You Definitely Do Not
Gameplay is king in Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, but the narrative is equally important. And the game has some excellent twists and turns, so much so that I literally gasped aloud toward the end of my playthrough. When you begin to play, you set out with the idea that the plot centers on saving Prince Ghassan after his kidnapping. However, toward the end of the Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown‘s preview content, someone we initially call a friend stabs Prince Ghassan and throws him to his doom. Excuse me?! I was already buying into the friendship between him and Sargon! And this was hour two. In addition, not one but two of Sargon’s mentors betray him in the blink of an eye. The motivations behind both sudden turnabouts remain unknown as of the end of the preview play. That’s not even to get into the time-travel shenanigans that are at work.
In only a couple of hours, I became deeply invested in The Lost Crown‘s array of characters and their fates. And that, for me, is key to a successful game. Also, I’m a sucker for a found family, and that’s present in spades.
You can click through the images below to get a taste of the adventure so far.
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown Successfully Balances Tremendous Variety with a Focused Adventure
More and more, there feels like a push in the gaming landscape toward increasingly open worlds. Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, however, keeps its gameplay very focused while giving the player enough different settings, visuals, enemies, and hidden secrets to keep them feeling intrigued and exploring every step of the way. I, for one, really appreciated this well-balanced approach and feel The Lost Crown offers a quality experience from an expansive and narrow point of view.
Jump to: Persian Mythology as Inspiration // Clever Gameplay and Puzzles // Flexible Customization Options // Sleek and Acrobatic Fighting Style // Gorgeous Design and Artwork // An Engaging Narrative // Great Balance of Both Focused and Expansive Play // The Lost Crown‘s Release Date and More
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown Release Date, Platforms, and Other Information
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown releases on January 18 across all platforms. It will be available to play on PC, Switch, PS4/5, Xbox, and Luna. Excitingly, it will run at 60 FPS on Switch. The Lost Crown will have the same power and fluidity on Switch as it will on PC, which is an amazing achievement.
Those eager to play can pre-order the game now and look out for a free demo launching on January 11, 2024. Additionally, those who purchase the Deluxe Edition of The Lost Crown or subscribe to Ubisoft+ can access the game earlier than its official release, starting January 15.
We don’t know about you, but we can’t wait to dive into everything Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown has to offer.
