Ubisoft surprised the internet with an announcement Prince of Persia The Lost Crown. The game looks like it’s very modern, but still a return to its roots: a side-scrolling platformer with parkour and immersive moves, traps and puzzles. However, the community was not satisfied: let’s find out what is wrong this time and whose problem is it – Ubisoft or the players?
There’s always a lot of noise around Prince of Persia. Why?
In short, “Prince of Persia” was one of the most important series in the industry and made a huge contribution to its development. Most modern projects are somehow beholden to the “Prince”.
It is believed that the first games in the early 90s laid the foundations of the adventure (adventure) genre. They showed how the mechanics of traps, riddles, puzzles, time travel with overcoming obstacles by rolling, sliding and jumping should work. Hence “grew” Tomb Raider, Uncharted and Mirror’s Edge.
When did you first meet Prince of Persia?
The early 2000s trilogy laid out hand-to-hand combat and parkour mechanics in a body-controlled 3D environment. In the future, this was used in Batman: Arkham and other third-person action games. Most important is that The Sands of Time was the starting point and proving ground for the Assassin’s Creed game series, not only in terms of gameplay, but also in terms of locations and landscapes.
Today, the Prince of Persia series has a small but highly charged community waiting – nay, thirsty! – a new cool game from 2005. It is it that makes a loud noise on the Internet, demands suitability from Ubisoft and remains dissatisfied again and again.
It seems that the series has been dead for a long time, no new fans are added (and from where – the games are completely outdated or in terms of mechanics), you have to let it die in peace, then start it all over again . Actually, this is exactly what Ubisoft has been doing for 15 years, but every time something fails. What’s the catch?
Ubisoft has nothing to hold on to
Being a pioneer, Prince of Persia often changed the genre, the authors added or removed many game mechanics, invented something new – although not always successfully. A side-view platformer, a 3D platformer, a third-person action game, a kind of fighting game with parkour and puzzles, an action-adventure quest – in which the series about hot sand and the scorching sun did not play.
Similar vicissitudes befell the design of locations, the art design of the environment, and the overall visual style. Even successive projects could differ significantly in style and atmosphere, as different people and studios worked on them, with different visions. Some made a beautiful oriental story, others made a tough and gloomy story full of violence and mutilation.
Because of this, Prince of Persia does not have a preferred set of mechanics and visual style – which, for example, is not so glorified Watchdogs or Splinter cell. Those who do not trust the development of “Prince of Persia” will always be a different game, a bit like the previous one. Of course, Ubisoft is not averse to releasing goodness, but when it comes to the design document of such a project, the artists have nothing to cling to – to ensure commercial success.
Toxic community
Here many will object: “Yes, what is there to mess with? There is a favorite of many The Sands of Time. This is an easy platform game. Update it on the combat side, make spectacular parkour with finishing moves, work out animations, draw more beautiful levels, more difficult puzzles – that’s the whole secret of a good game.
As the situation with the remake presented in 2020 showed, everything is not simple at all. The community showed itself as toxic as possible at the announcement: Ubisoft was nicked for the idea of ”such a sweet remake” and the overall low budget.
Remarkably, Prince of Persia is in the same position as Half-Life and every other cult game of the past, now in obscurity. To continue, the community sets the highest standards. The general message is this: “If Ubisoft doesn’t shell out a hundred million, or even two hundred, for a remake, then nothing will happen.” At the same time, “Prince of Persia” does not sell well – about two million copies in the same period for which Assassin’s Creed makes ten.
Yes, with the remake of The Sands of Time, Ubisoft management rushed, made a mistake in something. Still, the cultural divide cannot be overcome and Ubisoft India sees the “Arab fairytale” differently from Ubisoft Montreal – not good and not bad, just different. They made a mistake in positioning and proudly called a “remake” game, at best made from the original. The remake was supposed to carefully convey the locations, images of the characters and important aspects, while maintaining the style, which it did not.
However, it was precisely the fancore’s rejection of any developers’ opinions on the future of the series that became Prince of Persia’s biggest problem.
Prince of Persia of your dreams?
Cold reception The Lost Crown
To prove this is quite easy using the example of Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown. The announcement has just taken place, but what feedback have we heard?
“Prince of Numibia, Prince of the Apocalypse, Prince of TikTok”
“This is the most zoomer hero of them all”
“The prince was stolen as a girl, but the kingdom of nameless men is saved”
“We have learned nothing over the years”
“We will not see a normal “Prince” for a long time”
“What you need for mobile phones. So hold on…”
“Oh, Ubisoft, let the “Prince” already die in peace”
And these are the most understated.
In general, it will be possible to understand whether everything is the same with Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown or not only after six months. The project looks good, but the wave of negativity has already started – and the old fans are blowing it up.
It is clear why Ubisoft does not even want to attract a new, but a very young audience. They will try to refuse the fancore: it is impossible to work with it, it is pointless to conquer it. Almost everyone claims that Ubisoft “has no idea what the real Prince of Persia is”, forgetting that there are no main features. All the “princes” in the history of the series are different.
The hipster outfit of the updated main character, ragged editing, magical special effects and deliberate simplification of graphics – all this is just right for young people who love Fortnite and stuck on TikTok. And there is nothing reprehensible about that.
Whether the game can win new hearts will be announced on January 18, 2024. What do you think? Write in the comments!
Source: VG Times
Christina Moncayo is a contributing writer for “Social Bites”. Her focus is on the gaming industry and she provides in-depth coverage of the latest news and trends in the world of gaming.