When a game comes out of the Ubisoft studio in Montpellier (Hérault), it always has that little something that makes it irresistible. Rayman, Beyond good and evil, The Rabbids And Unknown Soldiersdeveloped in Hérault by the video game giant, were all, at their time, innovative and exhilarating. Prince of Persia: The lost crown does not escape this tradition. By remaking this cult franchise, Ubisoft has produced a memorable game.
On the occasion of the release of this new opus on all platforms this Thursday, 20 minutes opened the doors of the very secret Montpellier studio. From our discussions with the artists who imagined this new odyssey in ancient Persia, we have learned five things that all players must know before embarking on this epic.
A hero who is not cold in his ears
In Prince of Persia: The lost crown, we no longer play the famous prince with the saber, who has traveled the length and breadth of the Orient since the advent of the saga, 35 years ago. Retire, your highness! Or almost. In this reboot, the player controls Sargon, a warrior of unfailing agility, launched to the rescue… of the prince, who has been kidnapped.
“We wanted to offer a new character, who is not the prince,” explains to 20 Minutes Jean-Christophe Alessandri, the artistic director of the game. A hero who has a real journey, throughout the adventure. A hero who is not quite, in the end, who he was at the beginning. » We thus control Sargon, an elite soldier “a bit of a hothead”, very sure of himself, very physically exposed, details Jean-Christophe Alessandri. We imagined him as a real superhero. » But, as his misadventures progress, the impetuous Sargon will become (perhaps?) another man.
A world inspired by ancient Persia
Prince of Persia: The lost crown immerses players in a fictional Persia, but very largely inspired by the culture of this vanished empire. Sargon thus crosses majestic palaces, oppressive catacombs and inhospitable forests, which are teeming with mythological creatures with lion or boar heads.
“We definitely started from a historical basis,” confides Jean-Christophe Alessandri. But we allowed ourselves a lot of freedom. Because it is, above all, a fantastic world. We did not seek authenticity at all costs, nor a faithful historical reconstruction. On the other hand, we sought, above all, never to betray. We always wanted to transcribe this flavor of ancient Persia, even if it was our own interpretation. »
A heady return to the 1980s
The strength of this opus is to have reconnected (finally) with the fundamentals of the first Prince of Persia, developed in the second half of the 1980s by Jordan Mechner. Exit 3D, which allowed the hero, in the last major episodes, to move without limits in space. Ubisoft has opted for a 2.5D game, halfway between 2D and 3D: Sargon can only move from left to right, right to left, top to bottom and bottom to top. A choice that will remind older players of the hours they spent roaming the stifling corridors of the Prince of Persia from 1989.
Did the developers want, from the start, to return to the origins of the saga? “There was, perhaps, an unconscious will,” replies Jean-Christophe Alessandri. But there was, above all, a desire to respect the original material, to take this heritage and not betray it. That we find the DNA of Prince of Persia. » A milestone, however, which did not prevent the team from creating a game with a very modern look, which has nothing retro. “The bridge between yesterday and today was made in a very natural way,” adds the artistic director. “We were keen to respect the emotions that the players felt at the time of the first Prince of Persia, while modernizing the brand, confides Abdelhak Elguess, the producer of the title. Within the Ubisoft studio in Montpellier, there are both experts, but also young recruits. This game looks like his team. »
The influence of Japanese anime
If the players who experienced the Prince of Persia original will, for sure, take a big dose of nostalgia by controlling Sargon in this drifting Persia, the youngest will also find what they are looking for. ” It’s a Prince of Persiawe do not betray the essence of this saga, but at the same time, our objective was to ask ourselves “What could a Prince of Persia Today ? In what ways can we bring something new?”, confides Jean-Christophe Alessandri. The studio has set its sights on “codes that the younger generation knows”. Particularly Japanese anime.
The postures of the hero, particularly in the combat phases, are in fact very inspired by those found in these works which sell by the millions. “The “punch” of the anime, their graphic design, are solid references, which we all have” in the game development team, confirms Lucie Goiran, the technical director in charge of the characters. “It’s a way to take this generation by the hand and say ‘Welcome to Prince of Persia !”, smiles the artistic director.
A fair mix of genres
Prince of Persia: The lost crown is difficult to define as it borrows mechanics from different genres. It is, above all, a perfect Metroidvania, which refers to games where you wander through connected universes, requiring incessant back and forth, to recover new powers and unlock new rooms. This hit also tends towards platform games, with numerous sequences that lovers of precise jumps will love. There is also something for those who like little puzzles.
And, above all, for those who swear by fighting. Because the combat is one of the strong points of this opus. “We wanted super impressive acrobatic fights! », assures the artistic director. And it’s successful: the confrontations with the bosses are epic and to get through them, you have to know how to handle weapons perfectly, and use completely crazy acrobatics. “The fight has always been very central in Prince of Persiacontinues the producer of the game. Journalists [qui ont testé le jeu] unanimously recognized that our combat system was exceptional. »