THE LOST CROWN’s Cinematic Lead Breaks Down PRINCE OF PERSIA’s Newest Era

The Prince of Persia series is one long-running franchise in gaming. First created by Jordan Mechner in 1989, the game’s most recent entry came from Ubisoft in 2010. And now, over ten years later, the franchise will rise again with a brand new adventure, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown. At a hands-on preview event for the new Ubisoft release, Nerdist was lucky enough to sit down with the game’s Cinematic Lead, Joseph-Antoine Clavet. Clavet chatted with us about the future of the franchise, the intricacies of The Lost Crown‘s story, and some of the mysteries and Easter eggs that await Prince of Persia fans, new and old.

Opening a New Chapter in the World of Prince of Persia

Prince of Persia The Lost Crown Still, Sargon Fighting
Ubisoft

We can imagine that picking an entry point into this fresh chapter of the series was no easy feat. But for Clavet and the rest of the development team, there were some fairly clear north stars. Clavet shares, “We wanted to stay true to the pillars of what we think makes the game great: Exploration, puzzle solving, and an intricate acrobatic combat system.” But, of course, these then had to be “Cranked to 11,” at the behest of the game’s director Mounir Radi.

Clavet reveals that The Lost Crown remixes the best parts of all its preceding chapters to bring something all its own to life. He notes, “It was finding what we really like from when we’re playing Jordan Mechner’s Prince of Persia—this sense of dread, and you’re in a castle, and you don’t really know where you’re going. It’s like you fear every step you’re taking. And then thinking about what Ubisoft did in terms of, like I said, exploration, puzzle, and solving combat. And what about we mash them together and create a game that we really feel like we want to play without wanting to be linked to the other narrative, having our own story, having our own style. Without wanting to have a redirection of the brand, just having something that has its own story in Persian folklore.”

Persian Mythology in The Lost Crown

Prince of Persia the Lost Crown Wak-Wak tree
Ubisoft

Persian folklore and mythology indeed played a huge role in the creation of this chapter of Prince of Persia. Clavet wants players to imagine The Lost Crown as a gateway to Persian myths, bringing attention and representation to these important stories. He reminds players, however, that The Lost Crown is not a historical game, nor is it meant to be, but that it depicts the myths in a, well, mythical way. Among other things, “Gods, character names, and landmarks” are inspired by Persian mythology. And Clavet considers that after playing, players can “go search them, go online and see what it is. Some of the trees you saw, go see it, and maybe you’re going to have a meaning with that.”

Prince of Persia the Lost Crown mount Qaf
Ubisoft
The goddess Kaheya from Prince of Persia the lost crown
Ubisoft

Additionally, Clavet emphasizes, “Something I’ve been repeating a lot is if I ask you a Greek god, can you name me one? A Norse god, an Egyptian god, a Mesopotamian god? We can do it. But if I ask you a Zoroastrian god, it’s kind of tough. And we’re like, ‘What about we make that shine? What about we make the parallel between all the beautiful human cultures and how some of those myths have an interconnection? They all have someone forging for the gods. They all have a god of time, a god of knowledge. So it was really taking elements that we liked from those myths, being respectful to those myths, and making sure we were shown them in a mythical way. Like the Manticore, everybody’s like, ‘It’s a Greek creature.’ Well, I mean, it came from Persia before, so it was taking those elements and putting them together.”

The Manticore Prince of Persia The Lost Crown
Ubisoft

A Sneak Peek of the Creatures We Meet Along the Way

Prince of Persia the lost crown, the boar Erlik from mythology
Ubisoft

In addition to the Manticore, we can expect many cool mythological creatures to come. Clavet doesn’t want to share too much information in order to keep the biomes fresh for players. But he points interested parties at a giant boar named Erlik that lives in the bowels of Mount Qaf. This figure alludes to a mythological deity of the underworld who brings death and torment. Of course, Mount Qaf, itself, the chief setting of the game, hails from Persian legend. It is known as the farthest point of the Earth.

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown‘s Easter Eggs

Clavet plays it similarly close to the vest regarding Easter eggs in Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown. He shares, “I think Easter eggs… they mean something because of nostalgia. And I think there’s nothing worse than breaking someone’s relationship with their own nostalgia.” In response to whether there are Easter eggs not only for the Prince of Persia games in The Lost Crown, but potentially for other Ubisoft properties, he mysteriously notes, “You will see.”

However, he will share this, “Listen to the potions. Elements like that. Listen to some of the sounds.” These very well might connect back to the Mechner games, a deep cut for long-time fans. And even more interestingly, Clavet adds, “Here’s an Easter Egg that I’m not going to state directly, but there were time powers in the other game. Maybe some might be back, but not in the way that player might expect it. So, I’m just going to keep it to a mystery.”

For what it’s worth, Clavet wants you to know that his favorite Easter egg in The Lost Crown is “very horizontal.” Additionally, “You’ll discover at about 15 hours of gameplay… There’s very vibrant color there. The music is great. That’s all I’ll say.” Clavet is obviously joking and yet also obviously thinking of something in particular. So, hey, maybe at 15 hours, you’ll know it when you see it.

Meet Sargon, ‘A Really Powerful Small Dude Scared of Nothing

Sargon Fighting in the air in Prince of Persia the Lost Crown
Ubisoft

Story-wise, the narrative centers on our main character, Sargon, who is, if I may say, effortlessly cool. And he should be. Clavet notes that the whole philosophy behind the character is, “Why would I need an armor if nobody can touch me?” And that certainly shows. A lot went into designing Sargon’s fighting style, including “the modern martial art of tricking, where it combines Wushu, Capoeira, Taekwondo, and breakdance to make him move like a really powerful small dude scared of nothing.” We love a small dude scared of nothing! Sargon’s movements and fighting style are beautiful, but he isn’t alone in the game. Instead, Sargon has the Immortals, who make up a family of characters that help define him.

Clavet reveals, “You develop through others; this is how we are as social animals. And you’re going to find out in the story that these relationships will forge who he is in different manners.” Very early in the story, for instance, “We realize that Neith as maybe more of a big sister figure to Sargon, we realize quickly that Artaban, he’s the man of knowledge, he’s the man of teaching you elements. So it’s maybe less about the sword, more about the brain, which will help Sargon develop more than just his muscles. You have Orod, who’s like the big brother that you want on your side in the brawl. And it was creating a beautiful arc of characters.”

Of course, abandonment requires expectation. And “having a main character that is not alone in the world, might bring some issues further down the road.” Dun, dun, dun.

Story Meets Gameplay in Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown

Puzzle Level Shooting Bow
Ubisoft

But it’s not all about the story; in this case, story serves the greater purpose of the game. Although games continue to become more cinematic in feeling, for Clavet, the priorities are very clear. Speaking about what it’s like to balance gameplay and story, he offers, “When you make a game, gameplay comes first. People really want to play a game, that’s it.”

But personally, he also believes that “We learn so much from stories. From Little Red Riding Hood, we learn that maybe we should be careful about strangers. So, I think having a narrative structure gives more weight to the relationship you have with the character. So, the balance is always to have a cinematic that is short enough for the purpose it serves. Is it a big story beat that you need to tell? Is it closing an arc or closing a character beat? Or is it to foreshadow something or showcase something? Or is it a gift after you kill the boss, and you’re like, ‘I’m badass.’ And this even goes into all the vengeful counter or the finisher moves that you see. That needs to be short enough so you feel like, ‘Bam, I did this,’ but long enough to give the weight of like, ‘Oh, I’m super powerful.’ So I think, why more story? Because we learn so much by telling each other stories. And that felt right to have Sargon’s evolution and coming-of-age story connect more with the player and what we felt was right for him.”

The Art of Storytelling in Games

Prince of Persia The Lost Crown, Pit of Eternal Sand
Ubisoft

Speaking more generally about the beauty of telling a cinematic story in games versus other mediums, Clavet, who has worked on films and other genres, also had this to say. “Watching a movie or a video clip is passive. I think they’re great, but it’s passive. You can feel for the character, but the sense of empathy is divided for the character. And you can be like, ‘I feel for them. But buddy, you should not have done that.’ Like in a horror movie, you ask, ‘Why are you doing this?!’ In a game, it’s different. The question becomes, “Why am I doing this?” And I think it’s really this relationship between character and player that I think is fascinating.”

Here’s What Will Draw Fans, New and Old, to Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown

Finally, Clavet touched on what will endear fans, new and old, to Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown. He offered, “I think the brand has two types of eras right now, and we’re kind of opening the third era or chapter. But I think the people who grew up with Jordan Mechner’s game are going to find again this sense of adventure and being scared at every corner. ‘Might I fall? Is there a trap there?’ So this sense of being stuck somewhere.”

Meanwhile, the people who grew up more with the Prince of Persia from Ubisoft will also have much to enjoy. Clavet points to “exploration, the sense of larger than life and Persian culture. The puzzle solving that is I think really intricate. I think the gameplay design did an amazing job with the puzzle-solving and how it evolves.” He adds, “You’re not just using the skill of the controller. You’re using your brains, which I think makes the best game.”

Sargon stopping a blade from attacking in Prince of Persia The Lost Crown
Ubisoft

All and sundry will enjoy “the really fast-paced, intricate acrobatic combat.” Clavet notes, “I think for a Metroidvania, we have something that is super, super cool to play the flow.”

Taken altogether, Clavet sums up The Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown by taking it back to its core. “I think exploration, puzzle solving, and intricate acrobatic combat for sure will connect with a lot of players. And I think the Metroidvania structure is going to surprise the players. Why? Because it’s going to allow them to see so many more interconnected biomes and so much more of Persian folklore that maybe a confined castle cannot provide.”

In a sentence, “We wanted to do something that felt bigger.”

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown will release on January 18, 2024.

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