2023 marks an important anniversary for Ubisoft, which in the coming months will celebrate 20 years since the release of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. And awaiting the arrival of the remake of the action-game dated 2003, stuck in a tortuous development at Ubisoft Montreal, the French company took part in the Summer Game Fest 2023 presenting Prince of Persia The Lost Crown, “a new twist” for the series and which embodies a potential and interesting marriage between the past, the present and perhaps even the future of the series.
Ok, but where is the Prince of Persia?
To the detriment of what the title or the premise of the other games could have implied, in Prince of Persia The Lost Crown the player will not interpret the deeds of Dastan, but will take control of an Immortal, a member of this “society of secret elite” closely linked – from what transpires from the trailer – to the royal family of Persia. One of these immortals in particular, the player’s surrogate who at the moment does not seem to have a specific name, will be called upon to fulfill his destiny and save the prince from a curse that has threatened the crown and its people since time immemorial. With these premises, the Immortal sets out for Mount Qaf, a forbidden land where chimeras, ancient monsters and other dark secrets will be ready to await him.
Although at the moment there is no more specific information on the plot of this new chapter, most likely waiting for the Ubisoft Forward on Monday 12 June, Prince of Persia The Lost Crown could represent a new beginning for the series. Not so much from a visual point of view, which between cartoonish aesthetics and the design of the protagonist oscillating between “either you love him or hate him” seems to remain among the canons of the second incarnation of the prince (therefore between The Sands of Time and the Warrior Spirit), aiming but to explore what surrounds the world of Prince of Persia, its mythology and the link between the royal family and the shadows of time.
Not quite like in 1989
Not quite like in 1989The first thing that becomes evident looking at the trailer of Prince of Persia The Lost Crown is Ubisoft’s willingness to jump on a recently very popular gameplay model, which is the action-adventure structure Metroidvania, trying however to restore identity to a series that he suffered from various amnesias. Therefore, albeit in a 2.5D sauce, the tight platforming tests where the player’s reflexes and alertness will make the difference, puzzles and hidden treasures that will lead the player to explore every nook and cranny of Mount Qaf return. To these is also added a combat system at first sight fast and above all beautiful to play, with Boss Fights that promise not only great challenges that are apparently insurmountable and during which the recognition of the opponents’ patterns and their weaknesses will make the difference, but which from a directorial/choreographic point of view they could lead to topical moments destined to be remembered.
In all this, however, there is a small “but”. Because net of all these beautiful premises, this desire by Ubisoft to throw itself back into two dimensions and smaller productions, the harsh reality of the market – especially if we are talking about a genre that is not quite a niche but still full of giants like the Metroidvania – will require the developers of Prince of Persia The Lost Crown to ingenuity and “leave a mark”, perhaps even during the next Ubisoft Forward through an in-depth showcase on the mechanics and game flow. That said, the conditions for this to happen and the game does not look bad in front of other more popular titlesi come Hollow Knight, Metroid Dread o Blasphemous 2 ci sono. In these few seconds of gameplay shown we see the Immortal use supernatural powers such as the ability to rewind time, throw magic darts, soar in flight and even summon a warrior spirit of divine origins. We’ll see if the Ubisoft team will be able to combine all these elements in a meticulous and above all original way and offer their audience a nice transitional title and why not, maybe even the first of a “new parallel cycle” for Prince of Persia.
Piattaforme: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, Xbox One, Switch, Amazon Luna
Sviluppatore: Ubisoft
Publisher: Ubisoft
Release Date: January 24, 2023
Prince of Persia The Lost Crown is the first step in a new cycle for Ubisoft, a tortuous recovery path not only for the franchise dedicated to Middle Eastern civilization, but also for the company itself which has made more than one misstep in recent years in its management and in its communication. The premises that this new two-dimensional route can carve out a small glimmer of glory are all there, both from a gameplay and narrative point of view, but at the same time there are still many shadows. Judging by the collective reaction of the community, what was shown during the opening event of the Summer Game Fest 2023 was confused and accompanied by an atypical soundtrack for the series. It is now up to Ubisoft to choose whether to continue on this path, with the possible consequences and distrust on the part of the public, or to save itself in a corner kick.
We’ll see what Sunday’s Ubisoft Forward brings.
