One of the many ways thatPrince of Persia: The Lost Crowndiverts from past games in the franchise is in its art style, adopting a very anime-oriented approach. It’s hardly the only way the title breaks from the franchise, as players no longer control the nameless Prince, that nameless Prince actually receives a name (Ghassan), and the iconic Sands of Time are controlled by the antagonist. Still, taking the franchise in an anime direction is something that immediately catches the eyes of any would-bePrince of Persia: The Lost Crownplayer.
Game Rant recently sat down with several Ubisoft devs to discuss all thingsPrince of Persia: The Lost Crownahead of its release. Among them were game director Mounir Radi and art director Jean-Christophe Alessandri who discussed the use of anime in its style, hiding references to these anime shows throughout the game, and how anime came to shape thenew protagonist Sargon’s journey.
As Alessandri would explain,Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown"draws heavily on anime and comics to transcribe action scenes on screen, but also for the development of Sargon’s story, which has a very nekketsu shonen vibe." Nekketsu is arguably the most common form of shonen, where a young protagonist, typically orphaned or abandoned, defies all odds and rises to something akin to god-like status through the use of magical powers. Perfect examples are Naruto’s rise to Hokage or the ever-escalating Saiyan race inDragon Ball. As such, fans can expect Sargon to have a similar trajectory, as well asPrince of Persia: The Lost Crown’s combat.
One thing, Radi explained, that the studio aimed to do with Sargon is have him reach that god-like status as players absorb more of the Simurgh’s power. This puts the game’s combat on a similar trajectory asNarutoorDragon Ball Zwhere every boss is more powerful, more impressive, more daunting, and constantly pushing the protagonist to break their limits. Just like a shonen anime arc, Radi explained,
The Boss fights in the Lost Crown progressively become more impressive, in their context, their choreography, their animations, and their VFX…like in the Dragon Ball series, for example!
In terms of art style, Alessandri said that Ubisoft pulls fromDragon Ball Z, One Piece, My Hero Academia, Sword of the Stranger, andNinja Scroll, but thatPrince of Persia: The Lost Crown’s mature story follows moreseinen anime likeBerserk, Vinland Saga, and Vagabond. These influences are obviously entrenched in different ways, but ultimately the game is a love letter to all of them and honors them in various ways, according to Alessandri. In fact, players should keep an eye out for key references and possible Easter eggs. Not giving any clues as to what or where, Alessandri would add,
We invite you to find all the hidden winks in the game!
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.
