The prince of parkour is making a comeback! Ubisoft debuted a brand-new trailer at Summer Game Fest’s opening night, showcasing the upcoming Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown – a 2D side-scrolling, action-adventure title.
The trailer looks great. It reveals stylised characters, bright and beautiful handcrafted backgrounds, plus fast, fluid gameplay, and animations. Not forgetting to mention, a little bit of story through dialogued cutscenes thrown in the mix.
According to the game’s web page, player’s will, “Use your Time Powers, combat and platforming skills to perform deadly combos and defeat time-corrupted enemies and mythological creatures.” So basically, the genre is inspired by the 2D side-scrolling antics of the original and draws gameplay inspiration from Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. I like your style, Ubisoft.
It is also said that the game will utilise a Metroidvania structure; acquire and unlock new time-based powers, use those powers to unlock new areas through fighting enemies, platforming and solving puzzles. All in a day’s work.
Story-wise, the game is inspired by Persian Mythology, and as such, The Lost Crown puts you in the shoes of Sargon, a young Persian warrior belonging to a group called the Immortals. So, not a Prince, got it. Instead, the plot revolves around rescuing a kidnapped Prince from cursed Mount Qaf, and ultimately culminates in a bigger plot that involves saving the world. Nice.
The Prince of Persia has meant something to many gamers over the decades. O.G gamers might have fond memories of the original 1989 platformer and its sequels from the good, old MS DOS days. Others might have found great enjoyment experiencing the first-ever 3D title released in 1999. While I myself grew up playing the rebooted franchise from the PS2 era, which alongside Ratchet and Clank, basically revitalised interest in the then-ailing action-adventure platformer genre.
Nonetheless, a slow decline in interest started around the third PS2 game, and a gorgeous-yet-disappointing Prince of Persia reboot for seventh-generation consoles led to the franchise’s early demise. Not forgetting to mention, the surge in popularity for Ubisoft’s very own Assassin’s Creed franchise, which surprisingly started its days as a Prince of Persia game. Imagine that.
Ultimately, between the upcoming Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake, and a brand-new 2D side-scroller, I’m really happy that Ubisoft is giving the franchise a second chance. Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is coming to PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and Amazon Luna on January 18, 2024.
