Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is part metroidvania, part soulslike, and all fun

theverge.com:

Days into 2024 and we’ve already got a strong contender for Game of the Year. Yes, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is that good. I want to get back to playing as quickly as possible so I’ll keep this brief.

(Editor’s note: She does not keep this brief.)

The Lost Crown is a 2D sidescrolling metroidvania. You play as Sargon, a member of the Persian army’s elite Immortals squad. After the prince is kidnapped, Sargon and the Immortals journey to Mount Qaf to rescue him. During the journey, Sargon will acquire an arsenal of tools, weapons, and trinkets that will help him overcome the perils of navigating the mysterious (and massive) mountain.

This is only a fraction of the map. It’s huge.

This may sound a bit counterintuitive, but the interesting thing about The Lost Crown is that, mechanically, it doesn’t do anything particularly new. The powers Sargon acquires to solve the various platforming puzzles are all things you’ve probably seen elsewhere. There’s an air dash, a bow and arrow (that transforms into a boomerang-type weapon that ricochets off surfaces), a dimension-shifting power that reveals incorporeal platforms, and an imprinting power that allows Sargon to essentially “save” his spot in a location then teleport back to it.

I’m not done with the game just yet so this isn’t a comprehensive list of powers, but Ubisoft isn’t reinventing the platformer wheel here. What it has done is craft a game that makes using each and every one of these standard powers ridiculously fun. Shout out to the level designers because the best part of The Lost Crown is figuring out the complex waltz of buttons I need to press to get from point A to point B, executing that waltz, then basking in my godlike prowess. Sargon’s movement is