Editor’s word: Ubisoft India supplied IGN India a PC key of Prince of Persia: The Misplaced Crown for this overview.
For anybody who began their gaming journey within the late Nineties or early 2000s, it’s greater than seemingly that the Prince of Persia sequence holds a particular place of their coronary heart. The franchise gained recognition round this time throughout a number of platforms, be it the DOS period of Home windows or the PlayStation 2 period on the console facet.
Ubisoft bought the rights to the franchise in 2001 and took it to new heights of recognition. The writer went from power to power with the discharge of The Sands of Time, Warrior Inside, and The Two Thrones. Anybody who performed video games throughout the 2000s remembers how widespread these video games had been within the nation’s gaming cafés as properly. On condition that the final main Prince of Persia (PoP) sport was launched virtually 15 years again, in 2010, it was excessive time for Ubisoft to revisit the franchise. Now, the writer is again with Prince of Persia: The Misplaced Crown. Is it a worthy successor for the PoP franchise, and is it value your cash? Let’s try the solutions to those questions and extra within the full overview of Prince of Persia: The Misplaced Crown.
Variations, expectations, and the sport of extremes
This newest entry is not the same old 3D sport with a third-person view that all of us keep in mind from the Prince of Persia sequence. As a substitute, it’s a 2.5D side-scroller.
Now, earlier than we dive into the overview, I need you to cease your doable assumption that Misplaced Crown is only a minor sport within the sequence with not a lot effort put into it, since you could be significantly mistaken. Contemplating the variations between the earlier mainstream titles within the PoP franchise and this sport, it’s pure to have low expectations. Nevertheless, Prince of Persia: The Misplaced Crown is a labour of affection, and builders at Ubisoft Montpellier have put numerous effort into creating the sport.
To start with, Prince of Persia: The Misplaced Crown encompasses a new, standalone story distinct from the mainline PoP video games. This makes the title accessible to individuals who have by no means performed a PoP sport earlier than. Regardless of my low expectations initially, I totally loved The Misplaced Crown. I used to be pleasantly shocked by the quantity of effort and a spotlight to element invested within the story, platforming, gameplay mechanics, visuals, and music of the sport.
Even with all the hassle and a spotlight to element, Prince of Persia: The Misplaced Crown will seemingly be a divisive sport. You will both like it or dislike it as a result of it’s a Metroidvania title. Not everybody enjoys a non-linear platformer the place they need to revisit components of the map they’ve already explored and unlock extra areas to find. I perceive why some folks won’t be keen on that, however Prince of Persia: The Misplaced Crown managed to maintain issues participating for me and did not flip the navigation and exploration elements of the map right into a chore.
Story of Prince of Persia: The Misplaced Crown
Whereas the story differs from the earlier Prince of Persia video games, The Misplaced Crown is about in a well-known universe. We comply with the journey of Sargon, a member of The Immortals, an elite military comprising warriors.
After efficiently defeating a Kushan Empire normal throughout the Empire’s invasion of the crumbling Persian Empire, Sargon receives recognition and reward for his valiant efforts from the Queen. Nevertheless, the celebration is short-lived when Prince Ghassan is kidnapped and brought to the sacred Mount Qaf. This place homes the Citadel and is the house of the Simurgh, an impressive hen creature from Persian mythology. Sargon mounts a rescue, however after all, issues don’t go as deliberate, and he finds himself trapped within the place along with his ragtag bunch of Immortals. Your objective within the sport is to uncover the mysteries behind this place and discover the Prince.
It must be evident that this isn’t a story-heavy sport. Moreover, the one side that didn’t impress me a lot was the opposite characters within the sport past Sargon. They don’t seem to be memorable and don’t have anything to write down house about after ending the sport. Nevertheless, the principle story and extra particulars from the lore objects scattered all through the in-game world had sufficient narrative momentum to maintain me hooked. The sport even consists of side-quests for those who actually wish to delve deeper into the story.
Fight
The fight felt crisp and extremely satisfying proper from the second I began taking part in the sport. You wield your double-handed sword to slash enemies, and the responsiveness of the in-game mechanics is outstanding.
However there’s extra depth to the fight past easy slashing. Enemies supply several types of assaults, just like the reckless assault, which lets you parry and set off a “Vengeful Counter.” Then there’s the unstoppable assault, which you’ll’t parry or interrupt, forcing you to dodge. I appreciated the range in fight mechanics, making certain you do not depend on a single technique all through the sport.
Your assaults additionally construct up a power-up gauge known as “Athra.” When it’s full, you possibly can unleash an “Athra Surge,” akin to a Tremendous-Saiyan-like assault, full with its personal fast assault cutscene. There are several types of Athra Surges. Later within the sport, a bow is launched, which serves not solely in fight but additionally permits you to shoot arrows at particular targets to traverse the world.
Visuals
As I discussed above, Prince of Persia: The Misplaced Crown is a 2.5D sport. However this doesn’t imply it impacts the visuals of the sport in any means. In reality, I actually admire the visible fashion of The Misplaced Crown. It is not precisely cel-shaded, but it surely has an analogous vibe. The sick cutscenes keep the identical graphical fashion because the gameplay.
The transitions between cutscenes and side-scrolling views are seamless and well-executed. You do not really feel like you’ve instantly shifted from a full-motion video to a very completely different visible fashion after the cutscene ends; it’s clean and is not jarring, which, in any other case, could break your immersion.
The platforming mechanics, together with sliding, working, and wall-jumping, are fairly responsive and classy, complementing properly with the fight.
One distinctive function in Prince of Persia: The Misplaced Crown is the “Recollections” perform. Since it is a Metroidvania sport, you usually encounter puzzles or areas you possibly can’t entry instantly however can return to later. With the “Reminiscence Shards” merchandise, you possibly can create “recollections” on the map, like a snapshot of your location on the map. It helps you keep in mind and simply return to a specific spot later.
Along with drawing heavy inspiration from real-life Iranian mythologies, places, and creatures, Prince of Persia: The Misplaced Crown additionally incorporates influences from genuine Iranian music as an alternative of generic Arabian tunes. It embraces Persian music and devices whereas additionally mixing them with different genres like rock and steel, suiting the varied conditions and settings of the sport. This artistic fusion comes from the collaboration between Gareth Coker, recognized for his online game compositions, and Mentrix, an Iranian-born Muslim musician.
I used to be significantly impressed by the addition of a Persian (Farsi) language dub by the localisation crew. I instantly switched to it to totally immerse myself within the genuine expertise, so to talk. It’s clear that the crew at Ubisoft handled this sport with care, not solely by way of its gameplay, but additionally in its respectful portrayal of the inspiration it attracts from. This can be a vital plus level for me.
Is shopping for Prince of Persia: The Misplaced Crown value it?
In my view, Prince of Persia: The Misplaced Crown is value contemplating for those who take pleasure in platformer video games and are a fan of the Prince of Persia sequence. The sport maintains the essence of the sequence, providing a well-known expertise. Even for individuals who usually are not conversant in the sequence, The Misplaced Crown may be very welcoming and approachable. It affords an pleasurable expertise with loads of enjoyable available, no matter prior information of the sequence.
On PC, the bottom sport is priced at ₹2,499 on the Epic Video games Retailer, whereas the Deluxe Version prices ₹2,999. These costs are affordable contemplating the content material provided. The sport can be out there on the Ubisoft Retailer, however I would not advocate shopping for from there as a result of it has no regional pricing (the sport prices €49.99 — ₹4,400 only for the Customary Version).
Nevertheless, the PlayStation model of The Misplaced Crown is comparatively costly, priced at ₹3,499 for the bottom model and ₹3,999 for the Deluxe Version.
On Xbox, the sport is on the market with the Ubisoft+ membership, which prices ₹899 for one month. This subscription gives entry to The Misplaced Crown and different Ubisoft titles, making it a cheap choice for Xbox gamers.
A Prince of Persia Metroidvania 2.5D side-scroller was not on my bingo card in 2024, however the sport left me pleasantly shocked. Whereas The Misplaced Crown will not be a high-budget blockbuster title, Ubisoft definitely understood the project and delivered a title that gives loads of enjoyment. This can be a strong sport with its fast-paced and satisfying fight, fascinating story and setting, and incorporation of genuine Persian mythology and artwork. I can advocate The Misplaced Crown not solely to Prince of Persia followers but additionally to platformer lovers normally.