Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown shit was a banger, and I know, bangers. Need to put out that this is my first review ever, and I’m so lowered and energetic about this open door. Couldn’t be any more grateful to have the option to offer my viewpoint and gifts through explicitly gaming, and different types of media. I would harm if I didn’t get this review going by expressing that if one possesses a Nintendo Switch they ought to make this purchase right away. It doesn’t make any difference if you’re into a specific genre of gaming. This game is pretty dope, basic.
Although I’m not sure what I anticipated from a Switch game, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown exceeded my expectations. In terms of the story and the gameplay, Ubisoft nailed this one. I was not excessively hip with the Prince of Persia series before Lost Crown, this is an unknown area honestly. But don’t worry the game starts with a lot of action and stays that way throughout the gameplay. For me to comprehend the series significantly more, I want to write about the history of the Prince of Persia.
Jordan Mechner imagined the Prince of Persia as a computer game establishment. It is based on a series of action-adventure games with multiple princes set in ancient and medieval Persia. The first two games in the series are Prince of Persia (1989) and Prince of Persia 2: The Shadow and Fire (1993). Since I was born in 1997, this franchise existed long before I was even considered. The series continued with Prince of Persia 3D developed by Red Orb Entertainment and released in 1999 by The Learning Company for PC.
After the 1999 release on PC, the series continued on the Dreamcast, and the game was developed by Avalanche Software and published by Mattel Interactive. Ubisoft eventually bought the brand in 2001 and resurrected it with Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2003), and since have released more games in the series from their internal development team which includes Prince of Persia Warrior Within (2004), Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones (2005), Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands (2010) and Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown (2024), the latter of which we will be assessing.
With all that rich history, one can imagine that they stood on business when it came to their latest release, and with that being said, let’s dive into some of the things offered by their latest release.
Story
The game’s story begins with a drawn-out instructional exercise fight, as players are quickly acquainted with Queen Thomyris, the ruler of Persia, and her child, Ruler Ghassan. As Sargon who is the protagonist and the other Immortals celebrate their most recent palm, Prince Ghassan is kidnapped by Anahita, Sargon’s teacher, and taken to Mount Qaf, the enigmatic fort that houses the grave of the legendary, all-important raspberry god Simurgh. To confront Anahita and learn where she is, Sargon kills the manticore Jahandar and climbs Mount Qaf as he adjusts to his new surroundings. Sargon is going to challenge Anahita when Vahram, the commandant of The Immortals, shows up all of a sudden. Before plunging Sargon into The Depths, which are located at the base of Mount Qaf, he kills Prince Ghassan in cold blood and beats Sargon to death within an inch of his life. Sargon meets an odd old man in The Depths who tells him that if he goes into the Eternal Sands, he might be able to change the Prince’s fortune. However, he must first gather additional Simurgh feathers because each one grants him a unique magical ability and that ability is to manipulate time so he could get an advantage over the opposition before he can do this.
With the quills in a hitch, Sargon enters the opening and meets the snake goddess Azhdaha, who provides him the request to venture out up to the four Elysian watchmen overhead. While voyaging, Sargon finds that Vahram fooled The Immortals into thinking Sargon had killed the Ruler. Despite Neith and Arteban’s distrust, The other Immortals believe Vahram’s falsehoods, which powers Sargon, Menolias, and Orod to stand up to one another. Sargon also meets Vahram’s younger, possibly time-displaced counterpart while crossing Mount Qaf.
Despite having been deceived by his older self, Sargon forms friendships with young Vahram. Sargon sets out to rescue Vahram once more now that he knows more about his terrible past and his quest for power. After Sargon discovers that Vahram is seated at the tomb of his father, King Darius, Vahram vanishes before Sargon can speak with him. This forces Sargon to confront the reanimated body of his father. After overcoming Darius, Sargon battles Vahram in the last fight. Vahram wants to control Simurgh’s heart so he can do whatever he wants with reality. Vahram understands the demolition he would make and offers himself as penance to return Simurgh’s heart after a long battle against Sargon. Getting back to Persepolis, Prince Ghassan surrenders his position and Sovereign Thomyris is forced by Sargon to recognize her bad behaviors. Sargon sees little Vahram with Neith and Arteban, and the two of them vow to care for him. After that, Sargon rides off into the sunset without knowing where he is going.
My personal opinion of this story is that it is amazing. This is one of my first Nintendo Switch games where I was locked in and focused on the story instead of skipping through and not paying attention. I thoroughly enjoyed it to be honest. I love ancient mythology, so the Persian history behind the story was in a way similar. I feel like the methodical details put into the story in this game were extremely thought out and passionate from beginning to end.
Gameplay
Before beginning Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown the main games that I played on the Nintendo Switch ahead of time were from the Pokémon and Mario Kart series. Both of those games are completely different from Prince of Persia. Although it may be a long shot, I believe they are somewhat comparable. I’m specifically referring to the combat mechanics of Pokémon, puzzle solving, and the fast-paced, action-packed racing of Mario Kart. Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown ought to require somewhere between 20-30 hours to finish. Sword attacks can be launched with just one button, though there are other options of attack like dashing or sliding into opponents. Ultimately, the controls are very simple. I had no issues becoming accustomed to them, as they are intuitive. In addition to easy controls, there are some power moves as well. For example, Sargon has a counter and can impede assaults. The player can also build up a power meter to release a strong unique assault, which is significant to control, especially during manager sessions. Sargon can also dash through a room and bounce across walls with easy-to-use controls.
When action isn’t hitting on all cylinders, the game features a variety of puzzles that are engaging and interesting and help balance the action offered. The time spent solving puzzles and engaging in physical activity is fairly varied. It’s nothing that you ponder because the interactivity is great, yet the story is stunningly better.
My thought process being a primary console player and not having much experience with Nintendo Switch would be how the game presents itself.
Presentation
This is such a difficult topic to speak on when you are talking about Nintendo Switch games. I would want one to take it with a grain of salt because gamers have different tastes and opinions on the little console that could. Now, having put that disclaimer out there, I feel as though the graphics were fine, Nothing insane which I would not expect from a Switch game. The graphics pretty much do exactly what they need to do to get by, as the system pushes 60 FPS at 720p (handheld) and 1080p (docked). Nothing terrible, but certainly not on par with other consoles.
All things considered, whether we’re talking about the graphics, frame rate, texture details, or audio, Ubisoft did a phenomenal job, Switch game or not.
Value
This may be my favorite category out of all the categories. Gaming is an art and the beauty of art is in the eye of the beholder. Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown should take 20-30 hours to complete. I believe for any game to get that much time out of it would be a victory in my book. Sitting at a price tag of $49.99 brand new, this seems like a steep price for a Switch game but that’s my opinion. I don’t think any handheld game should be similar in price to more powerful consoles pushing more out of their games. I’m sure the experience you get from a PS5/Xbox when compared to a Switch game is night and day, but the actual gameplay experience is a bit more on level with each other. Regardless, I would purchase this game knowing what I know, as it was extremely entertaining.
Conclusion
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown contains one of the more entertaining stories I have played this year. Combine the story with a strong action and puzzle gameplay backdrop and it’s certainly one to remember in the Prince of Persia series. The price may not hit the right notes, but the gaming certainly does.
