Summary
Building a multi-decade-spanning franchise off the back of one character is no easy feat, but somehow, that’s exactly whatPrince of Persiahas managed to do. While he may not be quite as iconic asLink, Samus, or Mario, the titular Prince of Persia has been around for almost as long, and though his silhouette might not be easy to pick out of a crowd, he’s done a decent amount for the gaming industry. It’s quite the choice, then, forPrince of Persia: The Lost Crownto push him out of the spotlight.
WhilePrince of Persia: The Lost Crowncertainly has a Prince, players aren’t controlling him this time, but instead trying to save him.The Lost Crownsees players take control of Sargon, the youngest member of the elite Persian warrior squad known as The Immortals, and while this may feel a little disingenuous at first, there’s a lot to love about Sargon, and there’s a lot he shares with the belovedSands of TimePrince.
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown’s Sargon Vs. Sands of Time’s Prince
The Sands of Time Made the Prince a Compelling Character
ThoughSands of Timewas technically the fourth installment inthePrince of Persiafranchise, it was the first to really give the Prince a distinct character. Due to the limitations of the technology of the time, the first twoPrince of Persiagames featured a voiceless Prince whose motivation was to simply rescue the Princess, andPrince of Persia 3Dwas essentially the same but the Prince would now awkwardly scream one or two lines of clunky dialogue during cutscenes.
But it wasPrince of Persia: The Sands of Timewhere the Prince really found his voice and personality. Voiced by the incredible and now well-loved Yuri Lowenthal,Sands of Time’s Prince, much like Insomniac’s Spider-Man, strikes the perfect balance between delivering snarky quips and having genuine moments of vulnerability. It’s nothing too groundbreaking now in the light of games likeGod of War RagnarokandThe Last of Us, butPrince of Persia: The Sands of Time’s Prince has a clear and compelling character arc that sees him go from being an arrogant child only invested in appeasing his father, to a hardened warrior who understands the importance of his decisions and actions.
While Yuri Lowenthal returned to voice the Prince in severalPrince of Persiasequels, their drastically different tones, writing styles, and convoluted storylines have somewhat marred the legacy of Lowenthal’s original Prince.
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown’s Sargon Isn’t Fully Formed Just Yet
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown’s Sargondefinitely channelsSands of Time’s Prince with a few of his character traits and mannerisms, but over the course of the game he quickly begins to stand out from the Prince’s shadow. Sargon begins his character journey in a very similar spot toSands of Time’s Prince, desperately wanting the approval of his found family and trying to earn it through battle, but asThe Lost Crown’s story unfolds, and some friends become villains, Sargon’s journey soon becomes a more introspective one.
Much ofPrince of Persia: The Lost Crown’s storycenters around Sargon’s self-worth, to himself, his friends, and the empire he serves. Without spoiling too much, by the time credits roll, Sargon has proven to himself time and time again that he has more worth than anyone has ever given him credit for, yet he doesn’t seem entirely satisfied by the end ofLost Crown’s campaign. WhileSands of Time’s Prince had a pretty simplistic, one-and-done arc, Sargon’s is a little more complex and personal, and hopefully this is just the first step in exploring what his character has to offer.
