Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown Review

While some fans may be sad that they’re not getting another third-person mainline entry into the Prince of Persia franchise, The Lost Crown is an incredible game that harks back to the best bits of the 1989 original, albeit with some modern stylings.

This side-scrolling, 2.5D action-platformer is expansive, hard as nails, and has a gorgeous anime-inspired artstyle that actually works incredibly well for the fantastical Persian fiction.

Playing as a powerful warrior, Sargon, you’re tasked with saving the titular Prince of Persia from evil forces, and have to work your way through an ancient palace full of magic and mysteries. The labyrinthine routes, which are full of traps, enemies, and obstacles, are a joy to work through, and there is a great sense of satisfaction learning the layout, unlocking shortcuts, and stumbling into secret hidden areas.

While you do move at a frenetic pace through the palace, combat itself is a little more discerning, as you have to master parrying and dodging to take out enemies, with no sustained block ability of any kind. It almost replicates the more nuanced sword-fights of old, and throw in some Dragon Ball Z-esque super moves, you’ve got a very fun combat system that’ll test your skills.

Of course, fans love Prince of Persia games for their tricky platforming too, and The Lost Crown has some stellar time-manipulation puzzles that challenge reaction time and lateral thinking.

Overall, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown might look like a ‘smaller’ spin-off title, but it’s anything but. It’s a well-executed and dense action platformer that combines all the best bits from Prince of Persia adventures throughout the years.

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is available on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Switch on 18 January 2023.

Check out our video review below, too: