Prince of Persia fans hope The Lost Crown's Metroidvania twist can "bring the franchise back to life" after an excellent demo
Jan. 12, 2024Coming back after a 14-year slumber
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Prince of Persia: The Lost Crownis due to release in just a few days on January 15, but after briefly jumping through the Metroidvania’s new demo, some hopefuls are already convinced that it’s the refresh the series needed.
The sands of time can be a tricky thing to follow, so let’s run the dial back for the uninitiated.Ubisoft’s The Lost Crown retains the series' acrobatic platforming, time-twisting abilities, and alternate magical setting - but plants all that into a side-scrolling Metroidvania world that has more in common with the Ori games than the publisher’s own Assassin’s Creed.
That’s certainly a far cry from the series' third-person action-platformer roots, justifying some initial skepticism, but after trying out The Lost Crown’s newly-released demo, longtime fans are hopeful it “might bring the franchise back to life.”
Other praise-worthy aspects include aninnovative map featureand its beautiful soundtrack - courtesy of Gareth Coker, who’s no stranger to soaring platformers after his work on Ori and the Blind Forest, and the Iranian-born Mentrix, who pushes the music past the stereotypical sounds that usually accompany Middle Eastern games from the Big Big Studios.
Fans aren’t alone in their praise, though. Gamesradar’sPrince of Persia: The Lost Crown reviewsaid it was “filled with intrigue, neat brain-teasing puzzles, masterful platforming, and spectacle-fueled boss battles.” That quality should come as no surprise since The Lost Crown comes from Ubisoft Montpellier, the studio behind bangers such as Rayman Legends and Valiant Hearts. Hopefully the full game can make just as big a mark as the brief demo.
Perhaps The Lost Crown can join ourbest Metroidvaniarankings.
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Kaan freelances for various websites including Rock Paper Shotgun, Eurogamer, and this one, Gamesradar. He particularly enjoys writing about spooky indies, throwback RPGs, and anything that’s vaguely silly. Also has an English Literature and Film Studies degree that he’ll soon forget.
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