Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown gameplay wowed at Ubisoft Forward

Prince of Persia’s unexpected return to its side-scrolling, platforming roots continues to impress. The announcement was made at Summer Game Fest. Lost Crown: Prince of Persia On Monday, we got a lengthy gameplay reveal that may even be the surprise hit at the Ubisoft Forward show.

Seriously! And yes, Star Wars, Avatar, and Assassin’s Creed-themed open-world games were all shown in the same 90-minute stretch. But Lost Crown: Prince of Persia’s gameplay captivates. It’s a slick blend of modern 2D platforming with cinematic super-attacks and fully acted cutscenes.

The combos, juggles, wall-jumping, and jump-dashing all have their traditions in gameplay more than 30 years old now, and the “semi-open world” built here properly honors them, rather than trying to interpret that in a new playing space.

Truthfully, I love it all. But I can’t help but remember my enthusiasm back then. Bionic Commando Rearmed Oh my God, it was 15 years ago. It was the perfect reboot for the time, conjuring not just nostalgia for the original — again, side-scroller — but also making the gameplay sing with distinction on new hardware. Third-person 3D action-adventure followed, and it was an absolute smash.

The delay will be indefinitely extended to 2021. The Sands of Time: Prince of Persia’s remake has since been palmed off on Ubisoft Montreal, which literally went back to the drawing board on the idea. Then maybe Crown Lost Stealing the show can be a positive thing. This doesn’t have to be overthought; sometimes what seems like the simplest execution is actually the most correct.

Lost Crown: Prince of Persia Launches Jan. 18, 2020 on Amazon Luna and Xbox One.