Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown on Mobile – An Analysis of the Mobile Port

The Prince of Persia series has a long history and a solid fan base, being considered a milestone for action-adventure games, especially during its transition from classic 2D, made with rotoscoping, to 3D, which has even been adapted for the silver screen.

Recently, Ubisoft surprised the gaming community by releasing Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown for mobile devices, a title that has arrived for Android and iOS, bringing the traditional experience of the franchise to the palm of your hand.

Although this game shares many elements with the console and PC versions, the adaptation to mobile platforms brings new challenges, especially when it comes to controls and performance. In this review, we’ll explore how Ubisoft managed to transfer The Lost Crown’s successful formula to mobile, and what players can expect when playing on their phones. If you have any questions, leave a comment.

Challenges and Solutions of Mobile Ports

When a huge game is released for mobile platforms, people get concerned about what might be lost in the adaptation. Many games suffer from simplified graphics and gameplay mechanics, which can affect the overall experience. In the case of Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, Ubisoft did a good job of preserving the main aspects of the original title, including its fluid gameplay, fast-paced combat mechanics, and challenging platforming puzzles, but with some adjustments to make the experience more accessible to mobile players.

The first impression when starting the game on the phone is its fidelity to the graphics and art style seen in the console and PC versions. The mobile port kept an impressive visual quality, even for more modest phones. The animations flow well and the cartoonish design was a smart choice to make sure that the game was visually appealing, even without trying to compete with more realistic titles. The game's visuals, therefore, stand out as a positive point, respecting the legacy of the franchise.

Mobile Gameplay

When it comes to Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, one of the most important elements that were kept in the mobile port is the gameplay. The game offers a balance between action, platforming and exploration, where the player must master the combat mechanics, such as quick attacks, dodges and combos, as well as using a series of special abilities to overcome obstacles and enemies. However, the central question for any platform game on mobile is: how does the gameplay adapt to touch controls?

Even though the game has been optimized for mobile devices, the lack of a physical controller may be a limitation for some players. Touching the screen offers precision, but Prince of Persia’s complexity requires a higher level of accuracy, which can be challenging depending on the device, the screen protector or even your fingers.

However, Ubisoft has implemented several customization options, allowing players to adjust the controls so that they have a more comfortable experience. It’s possible to adjust the layout of the buttons on the screen and even activate automatic functionalities for some actions, such as executing attacks, which makes the experience easier for beginners or those who aren’t used to touch-sensitive controls.

But, as you might expect, even with these tweaks, the experience of playing on a phone isn’t quite as good as using a physical controller. For more demanding players, the option of using a Bluetooth controller is highly recommended, since this ensures a much more precise response during combat and parkour moments.

Technical Challenges and Performance on Mobile

While the game is visually impressive and runs well on most high-end devices, players with more modest or older phones may experience performance drops, with occasional freezes or graphical glitches, especially during area transitions or when using certain heavier visual effects.

Ubisoft has done a good job of optimizing the title for a wide range of devices, but there are still some limitations, especially in terms of graphical adjustments. The lack of advanced settings for frame rate or graphical quality may be a downside, as those with more powerful devices would like to enjoy a more fluid and visually impressive experience.

Despite these minor issues, the experience on the fifth-generation iPad Air, which features the M1 chip, was quite satisfactory. The gameplay was smooth and the graphics were consistent, with only slight delays when starting it up, which is common in large games. The fact that the game doesn’t allow for fine-tuning of the graphics is a limitation that doesn’t completely compromise the experience, but could’ve been improved to offer a more customizable one.

Exploration During the Journey

In Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, exploration is one of the main elements of the game. The vast, interconnected world is full of secret rooms, challenging enemies, and puzzles that require quick thinking and creativity. On mobile, the navigation and exploration system has been intelligently adapted to make sure that players can easily walk through the areas, even on smaller screens.

The map, which can be accessed at any time, gives players a good overview of what’s to come, but there’s still a good dose of free exploration. For those who prefer a more guided experience, the game offers assistance modes, such as icons on the map to highlight important areas.

Puzzles, one of the pillars of the Prince of Persia series, are also present, challenging players to think outside the box to solve challenges that require both skill and strategy. On mobile, however, it’s important to keep in mind that the touchscreen interface can make some of these puzzles more difficult to solve, especially those that involve precise movement or the use of multiple controls at the same time.

Monetization

Ubisoft's monetization strategy for the mobile version of Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown follows a straightforward model without any tricks: the game is made available to download for free, allowing players to try out the tutorial and prologue before deciding to buy the full content.

This approach, known as “free-to-start”, offers a good evaluation window for the public and doesn’t impose invasive advertising or aggressive monetization mechanics - something rare in the current mobile scenario. The price to fully unlock the game is set at USD 14.99, but during the release period it was offered at a significant discount, for USD 4.99. This transparency, combined with the absence of additional microtransactions or battle passes, gives the title a fair proposal, in line with what’s expected of a premium adaptation for mobile devices.

Conclusion

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown for mobile is a solid port that preserves many of the aspects of the original game. Ubisoft has managed to deliver a complete mobile experience, with beautiful graphics, engaging combat mechanics, and a vast world to explore. However, the mobile experience isn’t perfect and there are technical challenges, especially when it comes to touch controls and performance on lower-end devices.

If you’re a fan of the series or if you’re looking for a challenging title to play on your phone, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is without a doubt one of the best options available on the market. The adaptation is not perfect, but it’s a great step in the evolution of mobile gaming, keeping the spirit and quality of the original version.

Pros

• Vibrant visual design: The cartoonish art is impressive, offering a striking visual experience that stands out on mobile.

• Fluid and responsive gameplay: Even with touchscreen controls, the game keeps a fast response time, without presenting significant delays.

• Immersive exploration mechanics: The mixture of exploration and action offers a rich experience, with many secret areas and challenges, that doesn’t leave the player bored.

Cons

• High difficulty can be frustrating: Some players may find the difficulty level to be too high, especially on a smaller screen, which can harm the experience for those looking for something more casual.

• Limitations of customization on the touchscreen controller: Although the customization is good, the touchscreen controller cannot offer the same precision as a physical controller. • Lack of advanced graphics options: There aren’t any options to run the game at 120 Hz or more advanced graphics settings, which may disappoint those looking for a more refined visual experience.

Now, talk to us and tell us: did you enjoy the original Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown game? (if you haven't read the review on our site, take the opportunity to read it now). And leave a comment saying what you think of the franchise.