00:02When Prince of Persia The Lost Crown launches on January 18th, players will be able to discover
00:08the metroidvania-inspired Mount Khaf, a place where time has ceased to hold sway and monsters
00:14straight out of Persian myth roam the maze-like pathways. A labyrinthine, freely explorable
00:202.5D world filled with elaborate puzzles, strange phenomena, and no shortage of lethal
00:26spikes, Mount Khaf is the real star of Prince of Persia The Lost Crown. And while Sargon,
00:32youngest member of the elite Immortars, certainly cuts a memorable figure with his paired swords
00:37and superhuman combat abilities, the diverse biomes and elaborate traps of the world he
00:43explores are what stayed with me after my most comprehensive hands-on with Prince of Persia
00:48The Lost Crown yet. But let's start with Sargon. Our hands-on preview threw Sargon and the Immortals
00:55into a prologue battle prior to their arrival at Mount Khaf. The battle's climax set Sargon
01:01against Uvishka, a towering general on horseback. Uvishka introduced us to the concept of vengeful
01:07counters. That is, if an enemy winds up with a glowing yellow attack, parrying it will let
01:12you throw it back in their face with a deadly counter of your own. Just be aware that if the
01:17enemy starts glowing red, that's your cue to dodge an imminent, unblockable attack.
01:22Following Uvishka's defeat, the titular Prince of Persia, Hassan, is kidnapped during the victory
01:28celebration and taken to Mount Khaf. The Immortals arrive to find that a disaster has warped time at
01:34the mountain, blending past with future and opening the door to strange new possibilities,
01:39leaving Sargon to pick his own way through the undead soldiers, spinning spike traps,
01:44and other dangers that lie in wait throughout Mount Khaf. Mount Khaf's lower city is where Prince of
01:49the Lost Crown begins in earnest and where Sargon's full skillset begins to shine. An impressive
01:55leaper, Sargon can jump off just about any wall, provided it's not lined with spikes, and this
02:00comes in especially handy when he's near one of Mount Khaf's many, many horizontal flagpoles,
02:05which actually let you pick a direction before somersaulting off them. Sargon will also unlock a
02:11suite of powers that make him even more versatile over the course of the game, like the air dash,
02:16which he can trigger in midair to reach platforms or sail past obstacles that a normal jump just
02:21isn't enough to clear. The lower city has features you might expect from a Prince of Persia game,
02:27zombie soldiers ravaged by time, swinging spiked rollers, giant water-activated machinery,
02:33and lots of opportunities for acrobatic platforming. Once you leave the confines of the city, however,
02:39which you can do by fighting the undead prisoner, a massive oak who swings a stone pillar like a club,
02:51out in the Hurtanian forest, things start to get much stranger. Here, you'll likely stumble into
02:57a fight with Ehrlich, a giant corrupted boar who's easy to slip behind as he charges or vomits corrosive
03:04goo, but he's perfectly capable of kicking backward, so watch out. Ehrlich guards a bow, which technically
03:12belongs to Sargon's friend Menelias, but it's a time anomalous copy that Sargon finds on his own
03:18corpse in an event that hints at the extreme strangeness players will find in Mount Koff's
03:23further reaches. This bow quickly becomes one of the most indispensable tools in Sargon's arson.
03:28Not only can it fire arrows in any direction, with just a hint of aim assist for hitting those moving
03:34targets, but it can target distant objects like the pulsing blooms at the heart of the forest's vine
03:39clusters, which can grow platform-like petals for you to jump across once triggered. The bow itself
03:45also folds into a boomerang-like chakram which Sargon can toss enemies or through barred openings
03:51to activate switches or gears, with the latter staying activated until Sargon calls the chakram back.
03:58Things get weirder in the Sacred Archives, where you'll find a maze of stairways that switch direction
04:03depending on which way you're facing. Manipulating them the way you want can be tricky,
04:07especially when the resident scholars, driven mad by the time anomaly, are continually hurling firebombs
04:14that can rapidly sap your health if you catch fire. Sargon's ability to slide backward comes in handy
04:20here, both for climbing stairs in reverse and for dipping away from the bombers. Once past the stairways,
04:26you may be faced with ghostly blue platforms that solidify only for as long as a nearby bell is ringing.
04:33Or you might meet the jailer, a blind giant with keen ears who will chase you relentlessly if you make
04:38a noise within his radius of hearing. And if he catches you, you'll need to find your way out of
04:43the hazard-filled prison far below the Archives. Should you manage to find your way back up and
04:48out of the Sacred Archives, your reward will be a meeting with Jahondar, a mythical manticore captured
04:53by King Darius who packs a highly venomous stinger in that scorpion-like tail, as well as a few magical
05:00attacks you might not be expecting from a giant man-eating monster.
05:06As you might have surmised by now, Mount Kaff is an extremely dangerous place.
05:10Luckily, Sargon can activate checkpoints in the form of whack-whack trees,
05:15which send out tendrils of beckoning light when they're nearby. Resting at a whack-whack restores
05:20Sargon's health and any health potions he's carrying, but that comes at the cost of making
05:24all the enemies you've killed reappear. If you're defeated in battle or meet the wrong end of a
05:29bladed trap too many times, you'll respawn at the last whack-whack tree you visited.
05:34And there also you can swap out Sargon's athra attacks, which include things like energy waves
05:39and healing pools, powered by the athra power built up from damaging enemies.
05:45You can also swap out his amulets, which grant new abilities, buffs, and other enhancements,
05:49so long as you've got enough slots in Sargon's necklace. Want an extra attack to cap off your
05:55combos or a boost to your attack power? You'll want to pay attention to amulets.
06:00Now, Mount Kaff isn't entirely hostile. As Sargon journeys through the labyrinth,
06:05he'll meet helpful NPCs who will sell treasures or provide other services for a price,
06:10like Theraba, the mysterious little girl who has the run of the place,
06:13and will share her knowledge by filling out Sargon's map once he reaches a new area.
06:17She'll also give you a device that will actually take a picture of your surroundings and drop it
06:22on the map. Don't remember what kept you from fully uncovering a partially explored area?
06:27Now it's easy to find out, provided you took a snapshot of it.
06:31You'll also meet others trapped in Mount Kaff who need your assistance. That is to say,
06:36who'll reward you if you take on side quests for them. The Moongatherer, who needs help finding pieces
06:41of the moon scattered around the mountain. Seems doable, sure. Sargon can also discover
06:46Houma statues that let him fast travel around the game world, and to a safe haven in the lower city,
06:52where players can get hints from Faribba, buy amulets and other essential upgrades from her
06:56grandmother the mage, or improve their weapons with the help of Kahiva, the forge goddess.
07:02As the adventure progresses, this will also be where players can find Artaban, a fellow immortal who
07:07becomes too injured to continue the search for the prince, but who's more than happy to provide you
07:11with tutorial lessons so you can hone your skills. Completing these will reward you with time crystals
07:17to use as currency, and can teach you how to do things like extend combos, along with other tricks
07:22for maximizing Sargon's combat effectiveness. Our journey through Mount Kaff's grandiose
07:28architecture and forbidding forests wouldn't have been complete without a visit to its sewers,
07:32a revolting maze of tunnels, spinning spike rollers, rat people, giant wasps, and acidic slime,
07:41where unexpected treasures lie in wait. But it was in the heights of the upper citadel that the
07:48adventure hit its climax. Sargon finally tracks down Prince Hassan, but in the process meets an
07:54unexpected enemy whose fighting prowess and command over time far exceed his own. We won't get into
08:00spoilers just yet, but suffice to say things look grim. Although hitting rock bottom, in this case
08:05literally, is an opportunity to crawl your way back up and discover more for yourself.
08:11And that's just the end of the first act. There are still plenty of mysteries to uncover on Mount
08:15Kaff, many of which are heavily influenced by the history and mythology of ancient Persia.
08:20For maximum immersion, you can even play in Farsi,
08:24with a fully voiced audio track you can switch to at any time. A world of strange surprises,
08:31unforeseen twists, and time-based trickery awaits, and you'll be able to confront Mount Kaff's mysteries
08:36yourself when Prince of Persia the Lost Crown launches on January 18th for Switch, PlayStation 5,
08:42PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X and S, Xbox One, PC, and Amazon Luna. Free order now at the Ubisoft store,
08:50or sign up for Ubisoft Plus to get three-day early access.
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