Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown - Complete Edition

Returning to a 2D perspective lets Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown perfect its controls and combat while capturing everything that was great about the heyday of the series.

Prince of Persia boldly reinvents itself as a metroidvania, and it feels like it has found its new home.

Ubisoft ditches its normal formula and finds the ideal way to bring gaming's original Prince back to life.

A palatable metroidvania with a mediocre story, my biggest frustration with The Lost Crown is how long it takes to get to the good stuff.

For those wanting more in the same vein as 3D adventures like The Sands of Time, this ain't it. But it is a return to relative form for a series whose last mainline outing landed 14 years ago – it's just disappointing that this very good game was held back from true greatness.

The Lost Crown makes it hard to put the controller down, constantly urging players to follow its paths just a little further. Following its persistent pull to explore more of Mount Qaf is easy, though, thanks to how good it feels to do so. Between its first-rate platforming and engaging combat and progression, The Lost Crown’s various parts coalesce into a sublime loop. Gameplay is king, and this Prince of Persia understands that.

Prince of Persia was long in need of a resurrection, and in The Lost Crown, it's found it. Excellent platforming, clever puzzles and a huge map make one of the best Metroidvania's in years, and kicks off 2024 in style.

Fearless but intensely friendly, Prince Of Persia: The Lost Crown is a deep and challenging Metroid-like with some of the best platforming this side of Moon's Ori games.

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is a smart game that makes you feel even smarter. It’s a Metroidvania that’s learned from the best, but without sacrificing any element of its own personality – for better and for worse.

The glimpses of tedium definitely hamper the experience, but few games have managed to get me so excited just for reaching the next boss. If you are a fan of Metroidvania-style games or even just a fan of fast-paced combat with a focus on boss fights, you’ll love this iteration of the Prince (of Persia).