PRINCE OF PERSIA: THE LOST CROWN

Not the Prince of Persia game you wanted, but the one you need

- Mollie Taylor

Prince of Persia meets Dragon Ball Z wasn’t the elevator pitch I expected when I visited Ubisoft’s Montpellier studio last month, but that’s exactly what I got. The team frequently cite anime—and their love for it—as the inspiration behind the exuberant visual style for the upcoming Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown.

You wouldn’t think it would work, but it does. The Lost Crown is still filled with gorgeous Persian architecture. Sprawling sandy columns and intricate statues adorn the small section I was given a hands-on with. But when I parry an enemy or unleash a super move, the landscapes are splattered by explosions of colour and animations that look like they’re straight out of Street Fighter or Dragon Ball FighterZ. Prince of Persia is back, and this time it’s brimming with style.

EMBRACE TRADITION

I know it’s not exactly the Prince of Persia fans have come to expect, especially with the hotly-anticipated Sands of Time remake currently drifting on the desert winds. I’d consider it no bad thing that it’s going for such a different feel, though. With the team behind Rayman Legends working on The Lost Crown for the last four years, the result is a gorgeous 2.5D sidescroller that hearkens back to Prince of Persia’s origins, plus all sorts of utterly devious puzzle platforming and some mighty satisfying execution.