Prince of Persia, once a top Ubisoft franchise, saw frequent releases from 2003's Sands of Time to 2010's Forgotten Sands, but has been dormant until the upcoming Sands of Time remake and Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown. The Lost Crown, a 2.5D Metroidvania, takes a bold yet divisive direction. While some may view it as a downgrade, it stands as one of the franchise's best games.

In The Lost Crown, players control Sargon, an Immortal warrior tasked with rescuing kidnapped Prince Ghassan from Mount Qaf, where time and space operate differently. The game features an engaging story with anime-like action sequences.

The cartoony art style of Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown suits its stylish cut-scenes, but some might find it underwhelming in the actual gameplay. While it doesn't look bad, there are instances where it appears dated and somewhat generic, despite its stylized approach. While many players won't be bothered by the game's visuals, it's reasonable that some fans may feel a bit disappointed, especially as they explore Mount Qaf.

Upon reaching Mount Qaf, Sargon gains freedom to explore within the limits of his abilities. Following a typical Metroidvania approach, players encounter inaccessible areas that become reachable as Sargon acquires new powers. Sargon's abilities in Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown include standard moves like dash and double jump, along with more intriguing time-based skills cleverly integrated into the gameplay.

The game's mechanics encompass combat, platforming, and puzzle-solving. Starting with basic strikes, Sargon learns advanced moves throughout the game, expanding his attack repertoire. His dash, double jump, and undisclosed abilities enable intricate platforming. Between battling enemies and navigating perilous traps, players engage in solving challenging puzzles that demand strategic use of Sargon's unique skills.

The Lost Crown offers challenging platforming and combat, with particularly demanding boss fights. While regular adversaries pose manageable threats, the game's bosses provide intense challenges, requiring players to leverage all of Sargon's abilities for survival.

While not a Souls-like game, The Lost Crown's boss battles, especially on standard difficulty, can be quite challenging and may result in multiple player deaths. The developers skillfully balance difficulty, ensuring that these encounters are exhilarating without becoming frustrating.

The boss fights in Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown constitute its most memorable moments, offering a sense of accomplishment akin to overcoming tough bosses in Souls-like games. The only drawback is some repetition with certain bosses, but overall, the battles are thrilling and keep players on the edge of their seats.

Players struggling with a challenging boss in The Lost Crown have options to tip the odds in their favor. While Sargon doesn't level up, enhancing his stats is possible by discovering items in Mount Qaf or purchasing weapon upgrades and amulets. The game's expansive map includes optional areas that, although skippable, offer valuable rewards.

Mount Qaf in Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is vast, featuring secret rooms and hidden areas that enhance the exploration experience, despite occasional excessive backtracking. Instead of enabling fast-travel between save points, the game incorporates dedicated fast-travel rooms, although they may not be abundant enough, resulting in some tedious backtracking during certain parts of the game.

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown includes a handy feature called Memory Shards, marking the map and capturing the immediate area. This allows players to photograph obstacles, making it easier to decide whether backtracking is necessary. This innovative addition serves as a game-changer for Metroidvania titles, and it's hoped that other games in the genre adopt this useful feature.

Memory Shards isn't the only quality-of-life feature enhancing accessibility in The Lost Crown. Players can customize their experience by choosing pre-set difficulties or creating a custom one. This allows adjustments in combat or platforming preferences, with optional objective markers for a traditional Metroidvania feel.

Both newcomers and hardcore Metroidvania fans will appreciate Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown. While it's too early to predict if it will reach the iconic status of Super Metroid or Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, The Lost Crown stands as a fantastic Metroidvania, ranking among the best in the Prince of Persia franchise.