It seems clear thatPrince of Persia: The Lost Crownis set to be one of 2024’s early highlights. Not only is it a welcome sign to see the return ofPrince of Persiaafter more than a decade, but the application of the Metroidvania genre to the franchise seems like a no-brainer, blending perfectly with the core elements of combat, traversal, and world-building at the heart of the series. One of the early standouts of Game Rant’spreview ofPrince of Persia: The Lost Crownwere the incredible boss fights, which incorporate spectacle in a completely unexpected way.
Game Rant’s recent conversation with key members from thePrince of Persia: The Lost Crownteam at Ubisoft Montpellier reveals that the insane spectacle of the boss fights, as well as the power creep and abilities of main character Sargon, have their roots in a surprising influence. In addition to using thePrince of Persiaseries,Persian mythology, and the all-time greats of the Metroidvania genre as disparate influences forThe Lost Crown’s story and combat, it’s also taking some cues from anime. Specifically, Akira Toriyama’s legendaryDragon BallandDragon Ball Zserve as an important inspiration for the game’s action and set pieces.
How Dragon Ball Z’s Bombastic Spectacle Influenced Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown
TheMetroidvania genreis practically built on the rewarding loop of exploration and discovery, thus paving the way for a satisfying power creep. As players explore more and more of a game’s large, interconnected map, the gated progression requiring players to unlock certain abilities or pieces of equipment provides dual feelings of accomplishment. On one hand, the next area or areas open up for players to continue on the critical path, while on the other, it’s now possible to return to previously visited areas and explore more and readily take on previously challenging foes.
Prince of Persia: The Lost CrownDirector Mounir Radi notes that this kind of progression is at the heart of the game’s design philosophy, stating “One of the things we wanted to achieve the most was to feel that the more Sargon absorbs the Simurgh’s powers, the closer he gets to a Super Hero, or a demigod.” Of course, to maintainThe Lost Crown’s sense of balance and challenge, Sargon’s increasingly potent abilities give way to a series of progressively challenging boss encounters.
…we made sure that every encounter against the bosses was the promise of an ever more impressive show, until the end of the game. Realization-wise, it means that, like in a shonen anime where a new arc is the promise of pushing the boundaries of your heroes' powers, the Boss fights in the Lost Crown progressively become more impressive, in their context, their choreography, their animations and VFX,… like in the Dragon Ball series for example!
To date, only a handful ofPrince of Persia: The Lost Crown’s boss fights have been revealed, and each of them visually aligns with this idea of having them get progressively more and more spectacular, whether that be through their visual presentation or the challenge that they provide players. IncorporatingDragon Ballas an influenceinto a Metroidvania game is certainly not common, and it bodes well for the rest of Sargon’s rogue’s gallery and fights against them forThe Lost Crownto incorporate this unexpected, but welcome, inspiration.
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown
WHERE TO PLAY
Dash into a stylish and thrilling action-adventure platformer set in a mythological Persian world where the boundaries of time and space are yours to manipulate. Play as Sargon and evolve from sword-wielding prodigy to extraordinary legend as you master acrobatic combat and unlock new Time Powers and unique super abilities.UNLEASH YOUR INNER WARRIORUse your Time Powers, combat, and platforming skills to perform deadly combos and defeat time-corrupted enemies and mythological creatures.LOSE YOURSELF IN THE PRODIGIOUS MOUNT QAFDiscover a cursed Persian-inspired world filled with larger-than-life landmarks and explore a variety of highly detailed biomes, each with their own identity, wonder, and danger.LIVE AN EPIC ADVENTUREImmerse yourself in a Persian mythological fantasy through an intriguing and original story as you use your wits to solve puzzles, find hidden treasures, and complete quests to learn more about this corrupted place.
