Time moves differently in this version of the Prince of Persia. Fans have already had to wait 13 years to get their hands on a fresh instalment of the franchise, so a few more hours of wondering what the heck is going on before getting the hang of things only adds to the excitement.
Our hero is Sargon, a delightfully cocky protagonist who is not a prince but a dual-sword wielding warrior, one of a gang of seven immortals sworn to protect the Persian royal family. After a pacyintroduction cutscene, where the immortal crew enter in an anime-style blaze of colour-coded lights (Sargon favours a blast of blue), the player is thrust onto a battlefield tutorial mode that culminates in the first boss battle.
The plot really starts when the prince of Persia himself, Ghassan, is kidnapped and whisked away to a castle temple. Sargon and his ragtag band set off to rescue him, only to become ensnared in a terrible curse that’s turned the once lovely Mount Qaf into a timey wimey nightmare with people trapped in different timelines.
Everything that isn’t fighting is puzzles. Some puzzles or boss fights were so infuriatingly fiddly, I’d have to put my Switch down and come back later with a cooler head. There were times when I came across a non-playing character from another era trapped in time for three decades, crumbling to dust or driven insane, and related a bit too hard.
But this bedevilment is very much a feature not a bug, as fans of the Metroidvania sub-genre will happily explain. For the uninitiated, this fan-coined portmanteau of the games Metroid and Castlevaniademands that players explore the game world in a nonlinear fashion, trekking backwards and forwards to unlock the map, with some routes barred until a new power is unlocked.
It took me far too long to realise that, as I was playing with the more helpful guided mode engaged, a little blue diamond marker would show me the road untaken that I should be pursuing.
The frustration is more than tempered by the regular moments of pure elation. The controls are so responsive that Sargon’s parkour skills quickly begin to feel like second nature. Discovering a sickfighting combo, such as sliding under an enemy and kicking them from underneath, without having to be taught, had me cackling with glee.
Parrying, usually a chore in other games (Legend of Zelda, cough cough) is a complete delight. Time it right against enemies when their eyes glow yellow and be rewarded with a kick-ass animation. In boss fights, the stakes are higher, but deflecting the right blow will result in a gorgeous cutscene, where Sargon deliver a unique move against each boss that’s another love letter to classic anime.
Until fast travel is unlocked, saving at a Wak-wak tree (these sprouts of golden foliage can be found by following a tell-tale path of enchanting golden leaves) is your only friend. And I did feel a little friendless along my path to find, as one mentor figure intoned, what’s “at the end of my blade”.
While the denizens of Mount Qaf that aren’t actively murder-ey are friendly enough, the other immortals range from mildly patronising to downright hostile. In fact, Sargon's only companion is a littleparrot, unlocked by an amulet, that twitters and flaps to alert the player to treasure.
Another very minor gripe is that there are no dialogue paths to go down or unique relationships to build with the other characters in game. Perhaps I’ve been spoilt by Hades, where the hero Zag can curb stomp baddies and enjoy a dating sim, but I would have really enjoyed the opportunity to romance Kaheva, the super buff blacksmith goddess of the forge.
That’s on the gorgeous character design and top-notch voice acting, though. Sargon, with his red dreadlock Mohawk, looks particularly cool. And yes, there were Black people in medieval Persia. WhileHollywood loves to cast wite actors as non-white characters, hopefully this means if we get another Prince of Persia film, Jake Gyllenhal won’t be reprising the role. My personal fancast would be John Boyega, who deserves another stab at a franchise with weapons powered by a mysterious glow.
There’s a wealth of varied environments to explore, from poison-filled sewers to an enchanted forest full of temperamental fungi. Prince’s 2.5D backgrounds look so tempting to explore that it's easy toforget that Sargon can only move back and forth across the screen. The soundtrack is also full of atmospheric earworms that ramp up to pulse-racing battle songs for big fights, aided by generous dollops of the controller’s vibration haptics.
Prince of Persia: the Lost Crown is a beautiful, addictive game that will keep even the fastest-fingered players on their toes. Just don't get sucked into your own time loop playing it.
