Summary
Hadesreinvented what roguelike games should be like, taking the highly niche and commonly arduous genre and giving it much-needed representation with fantastic quality. Its infinite replayability is bolstered by an excellent story and fully fleshed-out characters whose dialogue is always refreshing and new when players come back around each run. But whereHadesis most immediately striking is in its art style, which is now echoed comparably inPrince of Persia: The Lost Crown.
Interestingly,Prince of Persia: The Lost Crownis doing for the 2.5D Metroidvania genre whatHadesdid for roguelikes. Already making its way to early Game of the Year 2024 debates, this outing ofPrince of Persiamay well be redefining the franchise for the modern era and if Metroidvanias are how it’ll succeed then it’s great it found a genre where it can thrive. That said, while the only similarityPrince of Persia: The Lost Crownshares withHadesis its presentation, the nextPrince of Persiagame could easily shift gears once more and dive fully into aHades-like roguelike to stay unpredictable.
Prince of Persia Should Platform from Metroidvania to Roguelike
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crownmay not share much of a common bond withHades, but assessingwhat makes the IP adapt fluidly toThe Lost Crown’s Metroidvania genreis also a way to see how it could adapt well to a roguelike, too. The art style is definitely similar within its stylish portrait work and animations, albeit from a 2.5D side-scroller perspective and 3D cutscenes whileHadesperpetually looks down on its characters and settings from a bird’s-eye view.
Still, the fact thatPrince of Persiawas already known for its platforming made it easily transferrable to a Metroidvania, and its combat and time-related abilities could make for fascinating mechanics ina roguelike comparable toHades.
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown’s Sequel Could Be a Hades-Like Roguelike
Each room players enter could have its own platforming to navigate so that the franchise doesn’t have to abandon that staple entirely, but rolling random abilities and skills such as any ofSargon’s Athra specials inThe Lost Crownwould be a great implementation ofHades’ Boons. This hypothetical roguelike could behave like a sequel toThe Lost Crownas well, preserving its illustrative art direction wholly and continuing Sargon’s journey as he heads out on horseback.
IfThe Lost Crownis popular and successful enough another Metroidvania is likely to follow it, and yetPrince of Persiashould take this opportunity to branch out into other genres and test those waters while they’re trending. It will hopefully only serve as a reminder to everyonehow excellent the roguelike genre is whenHades 2releasesand reaches its fullest potential, and Ubisoft would be smart to hop on that train while it’s white-hot and begin creatively experimenting with those gameplay adaptations.
Prince of Persia Doesn’t Need to Be Nailed Down to One Genre
Either way, it’s wonderful to seePrince of Persiareinvent itself as a 2.5D Metroidvania, which already wasn’t much of a stretch of the imagination. If that transition could happen as smoothly as it did, it would be great to see it also attempt a roguelike transition, even if just in associableDLC or some sort of expansion forThe Lost Crown, and Ubisoft has provenPrince of Persia’s best asset right now is that the IP has no ceiling. Perhaps an over-the-shoulder approach likeGod of War’s latest saga might not be the most apt use ofPrince of Persia’s traits, but a top-down roguelike would certainly accommodate them.
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.
