Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown: PS5 Review

Developed by Ubisoft
Published by Ubisoft
Platform: PS5

How you feel about Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown may depend entirely on how you feel about adapting to the change the gaming franchise is going in for its latest incarnation.

A 2.5D side-scrolling Metroidvania style game, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown's sole MO is about ease of gameplay and accessibility for all.  Putting you in the role of Sargon, a member of an elite warrior force, the game quickly becomes a little more than just a hack and slash piece that sees you holding off marauding elements as they attack.

When Prince Ghassan is kidnapped, it falls to Sargon and his fellow fightres to travel to Mount Qaf, where hordes of baddies and troves of treasures stand in the way of Sargon achieving his goal.

Essentially a fighting platformer, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown plays well thanks to simplicity of execution - but some of that simplicity has translated into the look of the game as well, which doesn't really feel like a true next generation title in terms of depth and visuals.

More cartoony than fully-realised world, the game sometimes struggles to find its own identity and be outstanding in what's been committed to the screen.

Thankfully, the gameplay triumphs the visuals and the mechanics help paper over the simplicity of the fighting and the somewhat irritating fact you will need to revisit large swathes of the map to discover new previously inaccessible areas.

From dashing to double jump, to boosted attacks, there's much that Sargon can do to help in the platforming sphere, and while in truth, none of this is revolutionary by any stretch of the imagination, the way it's executed makes it perfectly enjoyable and pleasant to partake in.

From fighting to platforming, there's also puzzle-solving to mix the game up - racing around the map is full of variety as well as boss fights. While these increase in scope and complexity, there is a tangible joy at defeating them. But for other threats within the map, it's disappointing to see that the philosophy of reanimating beaten baddies is in play if you have to revisit areas - it's a mechanic that's sorely outdated and completely unnecessary.

Ultimately though, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown (which has a free demo to entice you out now) is a well-constructed perfectly impressive and playable game that relies on stylish combat and ease of gameplay to reveal a treasure in the Persian sand.