At Summer Game Fest, we had the chance to play Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, a new 2D Metroidvania, which quickly became my favorite game of the show.

My hands-on demo begins as protagonist Sargon, a member of the royal guard, is tracking down the missing Persian prince. After his fellow protectors split up to search other areas, Sargon finds himself inside an ancient city carved out of stone, full of reanimated skeletons and other mythological creatures. You have various combat abilities, including a dash, bow, spinning Chakram, and blades to slice through foes on the ground or mid-air. The Lost Crown regularly presents scenarios with many enemies on screen, requiring gracefully executing combat on the fly. Overcoming these challenges amidst interspersed platforming segments is thrilling.

The more modern Prince of Persia series is known for its time-manipulation gameplay, and The Lost Crown introduces players to brand-new powers. Sargon’s dash propels the character forward, visibly tearing a hole through spacetime – a handy tactic for dodging attacks or evading hazardous spike pits while platforming. Another ability has the protagonist create a past version of himself, frozen in place, that he can rewind to on demand. The latter power is useful when fighting shield-bearing opponents, which damage from behind. Though I didn’t do it, creative players can use the ability as a safety net during grueling platforming sections.

The Lost Crown’s detail-rich environments are a joy to explore. Blocked-off paths taunt me to return with appropriate powers; intricate spiked tunnels, reminiscent of my favorite levels in 2018’s Celeste, guard valuable treasure chests, and time portals reconstruct the ruins around Sargon, unlocking new pathways in real-time. Importantly, Ubisoft balances fidelity and readability – the signature of a strong art style.

Exiting the Persian city, protagonist Sargon finds himself in a wooded grove full of red-leaved trees, overgrown briars, and mushroom caps to jump between. Fast-striking enemies, adorned with spears and colorful masks, take the place of skeletal foes in this area. However, after following the path into a small cave, I find myself in the Lower City’s dungeon depths. Inside is a checkpoint, a small golden tree replenishing Sargon’s health flask charges, and common enemy types. However, there are no foes inside the dungeon. Instead, piles of bones and skulls mark the way forward.

After jumping through a hatch and pushing open a giant door, a voracious beast called Jahandar greets me from the shadows. The massive boss emerges from the dark, revealing itself as a manticore, a Persian mythological creature with the face of a man, the body of a lion, wings, and a scorpion tail. I evade the beast’s lunge by dashing away, but it quickly flies upwards off-screen and plummets down, crushing Sargon and thrusting him across the arena. As Jahandar rushes toward me, its eyes flash yellow, signaling an opportunity to execute a stylish parry animation; however, the boss overwhelms me, quickly dismantling my last-ditch evasion efforts.

The Lost Crown’s fluid movements and combat shine in the fight against the citadel’s guardian, but unfortunately, my preview session ends before I best the beast. My next attempt has to wait for a later date, and I’m looking forward to it.

This preview originally appeared in Issue #358 of Game Informer