Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown Preview – A triumphant return for a beloved series

After almost 15 years, a new Prince of Persia game, The Lost Crown, is set to release in 2024. Continue reading for Dexerto’s hands-on preview of the upcoming game ahead of its release.

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is an upcoming 2.5D platform action-adventure game developed and published by Ubisoft. It is the first new major installment in the Prince of Persia series since 2010’s The Forgotten Sands

After almost 15 years, Prince of Persia fans are finally getting treated to a brand-new game. The newest installment in the beloved franchise, The Lost Crown, is set to release on January 15, 2024.

Within this new experience, players take control of Sargon, a member of an elite group of seven unique warriors known as the Immortals.

At PAX Australia, Dexerto was lucky enough to get their hands on the game ahead of release, sitting down and playing through early parts of the title. Without further ado, here is everything we took away from the preview from gameplay, art design, and more.

Gameplay as addictive as it is fun

Right off the bat, the game utilizes its dimensions well, the side-scrolling combat and mechanics smooth and addictive. We were lucky enough to play the game ahead of release on the Switch in handheld mode. 

From the get-go, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown felt like the perfect game for the Switch, a great pick-up and put-down game that lends itself to the nature of Nintendo’s handled beast. While the game will be releasing on other consoles as well as the PC, The Lost Crown just felt right being played in a handheld fashion.

Gameplay includes light and heavy attacks, some dodging abilities as well as various mechanics to allow players to traverse up and through the obstacles of the land. For more long-range combat, you’re also equipped with a bow as well as Sargon’s Chakram, a projectile that charges up and can bounce off of walls.

Pairing this with slides, jumps, parry, air attacks, and more, the game allows players to engage in combat in a multitude of different ways. And while simple, the difficulty of some encounters will have you getting creative on how you engage with enemies. Unique enemy designs also kept us on our toes in just this brief session.

Beautiful art design that holds onto the roots of Prince of Persia

The biggest standout playing through this demo, however, is how stylized it is. From the get-go, a clear and beautiful art design sets the groundwork for the world. Paying homage to the old-school Prince of Persia games while also venturing forth and standing out from the pack.

The color gradient is bright and saturated but in contrast with the yellows of the sand and desert setting, this juxtaposition spells gold. Protagonist Sargon has a distinct design that immediately grabs you in as being that of an epic hero and swordsman.

As well as this, the design of the various enemies and boss fights is varied and unique. Ubisoft has done well to create a distinct feel for the upcoming Prince of Persia title without losing sight of the history of the franchise.

Puzzle’s galore for those wanting a mental challenge

Of course, part of the fun of any Prince of Persia experience is the puzzle-focused gameplay. From what we played through, The Lost Crown has interwoven both simple and intricate puzzles into gameplay. 

Whether that be climbing up walls to venture forward or figuring out a way to open a door, those who love a challenge and mental stretch will be in for a treat with this game. While plenty of it appears optional, with multiple routes to take at any given juncture, you’ll want to backtrack and see all it has to offer.,

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is set to release on January 15, 2024 on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC.