The Tragedy of Ubisoft and Prince of Persia The Lost Crown

[@IFinishedAVideoGame]

Have a happy 2024 deal using my link www.displate.com/ifinishedavideogame or my discount code IFinishedAVideoGame for 1-2 @ 22% OFF or 3 -@ 33% available until the end of February excl. Limited Editions and Lumino Surprise! I've been working on a video in secret! Given Prince of Persia was the video that catapulted this channel into the limelight I couldn't let a whole new entry pass us by - especially when it's in a genre I love! Hopefully you enjoy this little sequel video that continues the Prince of Persia story and takes us into strange new places! If you'd like to support the channel, here is a link to the Patreon which keeps the channel alive in spite of the crazed KZbin monetisation polices - patreon.com/IFinishedAVideoGame

[@mementomori771]

A Suprise to be sure but a welcome one thanks for covering this man

[@jobaki]

Your Indiana Jones Retrospective is one of the best retrospectives I've ever watched, and I've been watching your content ever since . Thank you for all the hours of learning and discovery, and may it continue indefinitely ❤

[@PlaceGunToHead]

Your content is absolutely one of the best on youtube my man - thank you for the amazingly meaningfull videos.

[@Satellaview1889]

Very interesting. I recently finished both your Indiana Jones, Prince of Persia, and Lord of the Rings retrospectives, and it occurred to me how each series has some new entries since those videos. This is a smart way to "keep the old projects up to date" if you will, while still giving room for originality! By the way, any chance we could see _Lengthy Reviews_ for any of the new Lord of the Rings games, or perhaps The Great Circle one it releases later this year?

[@eppinizer]

Secret? But you told me about it last week ;) Excited to watch, thanks for the content!

[@AvalancheReviews]

Can we please get more major studios making games with more gameplay than budget??? This looks like a breathe of fresh air and I don't even play Prince of Persia games.

[@noheffthing]

True that

[@IFinishedAVideoGame]

Honestly I found it extremely refreshing and it's criminal that people have sort of rejected it. We all agree that big budget AAA focused publishing is killing the industry but then when things come along that buck the trend - people aren't willing to give them a chance! Thanks for watching too my dude. Hope you're keeping well!

[@YEY0806]

​@IFinishedAVideoGame, unfortunately, most people say they want something different, but they really don't and just want the same thing in a different presentation.

[@noheffthing]

@@IFinishedAVideoGame because ganers are massive pussies, and most people who slammed this game for not being like the sands games are also the same ones complaining about the lack of originality in games. It’s so hypocritical

[@Brazao3]

@@IFinishedAVideoGame The majority of people are casual gamers and the industry sadly goes on the direction of the majority for profit. That said, the "real" gamers suffer from the lack of incentive for making good games.

[@paulkielty8385]

Fun fact: The Immortals were a real Persian elite fighting unit, composed of 1000 fighters. Whenever one fell in battle, another immediately stepped in to take their place. This led to the name Immortals because they seemingly came back to life after being struck down in combat. Great video so far, boss. Love your channel. Fast becoming my favourite.

[@IFinishedAVideoGame]

I really should have used that as one my examples of the mythology in practise! Glad you're enjoying the video too!

[@koolkidkameronsir6088]

Preatty sure that's greek propaganda but ok

[@paulkielty8385]

@koolkidkameronsir6088 as far as I understand, it wasn't propaganda. In the documentaries I've watched, it wasn't named as such. The propaganda was that they were actually immortal.

[@koolkidkameronsir6088]

@@paulkielty8385 I'm fully willing to amit I'm wrong about this but it seems to me that most of this info comes from greek sources, again could totally be wrong but that's what it seems like

[@paulkielty8385]

@koolkidkameronsir6088 as am I. Hence I don't state it as fact. That's what I have heard, however, from watching documentaries on the subject. I have a thing for ancient historical warfare.

[@hoseinbmr3449]

for me as an Iranian , the best thing about this game is the fact that it has a Farsi dub , which is also shocking because it is the first time ever that a game developed outside of Iran has Iranian voice actors to do an official Farsi dub for it.

[@IFinishedAVideoGame]

That's really cool actually. I wish I'd mentioned that it was the first time a game has used Iranian voice actors!

[@SaeedMobayed]

I'm not Iranian/Persian but I played the whole game in Parsi. Badass!!!

[@MentalDeviant]

I'm happy for you because that is pretty awesome!

[@BeatrizMartinez-dy3oy]

Who read the prophecy of Daniel ? The prince of Pérsia 🤔 Im to old and with a bad memory BUT im so happy because i remember bible verses and i got this one😊 "The angel sent to explain the vision to Daniel was held hostage by the prince of Persia in the Bible for 21 days. The archangel Michael was sent to help him break free from the demonic prince so he could deliver the message to Daniel. Daniel 10:2 tells us that when Daniel prayed, God responded by sending an angel." Daniel 10 BUT PRINCE OF PERSIA CAN'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT * JESUS COMING TO JUDGE THE NATIONS*😊

[@IrumFatima-jn9fj]

​@@BeatrizMartinez-dy3oy ?

[@TheFreeTimeGamer]

I love how, when it comes to the accessibility features, you can so clearly define what you think the essence of a metroidvania is thanks to the previous videos you made. You don't just know the history, you have activly played, summorized and reviewed them. Big props to your content!

[@IFinishedAVideoGame]

Thanks my friend! I'd hope so as I've made something like 16 hours of content about the genre by this point!

[@Hapetiitti]

@@IFinishedAVideoGame Huh. Maybe I'm in the minority then, because during the first part of the video, most of the times when you were praising the unique way tLC handles certain aspects, like having you walk through the intro at your own pace and talking to people (like in the big AAA games) or having loads of interactable NPCs who e.g. sell you stuff, I couldn't help but feel that those are kind of standard Metroidvania fare. I kinda felt like maybe you don't have so much genre experience, outside of the examples you mentioned (like Hollow Knight, which exhibits both of those features I mentioned). Don't take this too harshly, as I love your content. I haven't watched the last 15 minutes of this video since it seemed to be going deep into spoiler territory, but other than what I mentioned I thought this was well researched and offered great insight. And based on what I saw, I'll probably buy it too :) And I still think your original PoP retrospective is absolutely fantastic!

[@FelisImpurrator]

"How can it be called Prince of Persia if the Prince isn't the main character?" [laughs in "The Legend of Zelda"]

[@IFinishedAVideoGame]

I personally was outraged to hear we don't play as the Resident of Evil in the latest Resident Evil game

[@YEY0806]

​@@IFinishedAVideoGamei was confused to play a metroid game that doesn't have me play as a person named metroid

[@MisterMelvinheimer]

​@@YEY0806 try Dread

[@YEY0806]

@MisterMelvinheimer i know she gains metroid powers, but she still isn't a metroid nor named metroid. Part of the joke

[@Hapetiitti]

@@YEY0806 She is though. And Adam literally calls her a metroid, so she's even named such. And after all these years, people can finally legitimately ask: Y can't metroid crawl?? Which in my opinion is the funniest way devs have ever (coincidentally or no) addressed a meme from their community :D

[@AsianGM]

Hell yeah love seeing 'updates' on the restrospectives.

[@IFinishedAVideoGame]

I've reached the point where I'm dropping DLC. Clearly I've arrived

[@darkron288]

This games is what i'm gonna use from now on when i tell someone "don't judge a book by its cover" because i remember how EVERYONE was saying this game was gonna be a insult to the franchise and now its probably gonna be a gateway to the series, i hope we get some dlc for this game too which is rare for me to say nowadays

[@sstoersk]

Its still far from the greatness of original trilogy

[@iResistive]

DLC 🤮

[@lamedrawings]

A dlc to get rid of that yeeyee ass haircut

[@IFinishedAVideoGame]

Could have said it better myself. That first trailer really was quite wonky and didn't show off the best elements of the game but the finished product is really very impressive. I really hope the sales turn around so we don't have to wait another decade for Montpellier to produce something again!

[@IFinishedAVideoGame]

The original trilogy is on the PC my friend. It's absolutely mind numbing for people who were around before Sands of Time to hear thing. The original MS DOS game is a landmark title in the history of the industry!

[@tomgilbert7100]

Genuinely, you are my favourite channel. Love your vids and I'm glad that these last 14 years have been so good to you.

[@IFinishedAVideoGame]

Thanks so my my friend. Honestly it had been a mixed bag until I started KZbin! My girlfriend is great but working a corporate job was utterly soul crushing. I've probably never been happier than now - even though I basically never stop working haha!

[@genevievemccluer7503]

I love your videos, but I feel like you may have missed quite a few major metroidvanias when you're saying that a lot of fairly standard features aren't done in sidescrollers. That opening, cinematic, actiony level before the proper game is largely a trope of the genre, and is how Samus often loses her powers, and is how the loveletters to Castlevania that are Bloodstained and Timespinner both start out and they also both let you wander around and meet major characters at their bases shortly after that introduction. A lot of the games in the genre do all of the things you're saying are new. Especially the side quest bit. Rather than being alien to the genre, they're a staple of it. The game is very much just a very polished take on everything that is common in Metroidvanias these days, refining them rather than introducing anything new.

[@CashewChickenEnjoyer]

I always love your videos. Your tone of voice is perfect. Your manner of explaining things. The way you always keep it at a certain level audio wise. I usually end up watching your videos dozens of times. The first time I'll sit down and watch it properly (In the case of castlvania I'll watch it over several days.), Then I'll put it into my sleep playlist. Or put it on in the background while I'm painting or drawing or playing games. They're perfect. Even when you go over stuff like Eternal Darkness or Parasite Eve it just feels so.. comfortable. Cozy, even.

[@IFinishedAVideoGame]

That's a really awesome comment to get. I really appreciate it and it does make a massive difference to hear. Also - Cashew chicken might be one of my favourite dishes so it must have been fate

[@CashewChickenEnjoyer]

@@IFinishedAVideoGame It can be good. Best I ever had was from a place in the midwestern US which deep fried the chicken before drowning it in the sauce. Absolutely delightful.

[@treidmark]

Hah! It’s great to see likeminded people! I also find the creators voice and overall volume and style of the videos calming and great to listen to. I fall asleep at some game review videos and youtube autoplay. Then wake up to a interesting and relaxing retrospective on vagrant story.

[@enigmafarce5413]

​​@@IFinishedAVideoGame Just wanted to reinforce OP's comments and say I agree. I love your consistent tone. Even when discussing something you dislike you at most have a quiet sarcasm

[@MortenJohnsenSolberg]

Your videogame esssays are the best on youtube, and I dont say that lightly. Keep up the fantastic work!

[@IFinishedAVideoGame]

Thanks so much. It really means a lot to me

[@Itsumi456]

From its first trailer I was thinking "Oh this'll be a cool metroidvania" What i didn't expect was one of the best in the genre I've ever played. This game alone proves Ubisoft has the chops to make great games. I absolutely loved it.

[@IFinishedAVideoGame]

Absolutely. I really hope this earns Montpellier some more freedom as they are a very underappreciated team of developers

[@Graciousgates]

Just finished it today and will go down in my all time top 5. Incredible

[@theskinnyscampuss6435]

Good Review - I just finished the game on immortal and I agree it is a fantastic game. I would like to add a thing regarding the combat in this game: As a big fan of action games like Bayonetta, DMC, Ninja Gaiden and Nioh I would like to praise this aspect a little bit more. Many action games or action rpgs made by western developers struggle with getting the details right, when it comes to combat. In the lost crown things like input buffering, damage of different combos, animation cancelling, knockback and staggers of enemies, I-Frames on sliding, sound and visuall cues, Athra build up on attacks and the multiple uses for each abillity were crafted very carefully. Metroidvanias are usually not known for deep combat and the lost crown is a great example of what you can do with a deep combat system and good enemy design to support it.

[@LeighJohnson]

When I saw that first Prince of Persia retrospective made feel like I'd stumbled onto something special. I subscribed right away and you have just turned out a wonderful combination of engaging, informative, smart, and wonderful series of videos. I'm so impressed and this video feels like a wonderful return/growth from that initial retrospective. Your careful research, passion, and attention to detail is matched only by your clarity of communication and talent for grabbing the attention of your audience. Congratulations again, I'm glad you're here.

[@Est.-.]

Oh wow, this game flew entirely under my radar, am i ever so glad youtube started actively recommending me your channel after i watched your original prince of persia retrospective. You're doing a great job with these vids, lad, keep up the great quality.

[@Geebees93]

I'm glad you made this video. I've been thinking of getting this game, but given the fiasco with Forgotten Sands I was hesitant. Your review solidifies it for me. I'll definitely check it out. I really appreciate your lengthy reviews and how insightful they are. You're doing the gaming community a service, my friend. Keep up the stellar work.

[@IFinishedAVideoGame]

Thanks so much. I was probably always going to cover it but when I finally sat down to play it and realised quite what an achievement Montpellier had put together - I knew I had to do my bit to elevate it! Might not move the needle but at least I'll know I've done my bit!

[@MarawanTriesGames]

A video from you is a delight. Your voice is so soothing, and your detailed analysis is honestly great to listen to. Haven't even finished the video yet and i know it'll be fantastic

[@IFinishedAVideoGame]

Thanks my friend. I really tried to up my game with the audio on this one as it was a little shorter and I had some more time. Hopefully it all sounds good and the script holds up!

[@fable23]

The story makes a bit more sense than it first seems, it just requires a bit more digging and lore-reading than it probably should. Essentially, Thomyris's children kept getting offed, and it's implied that Vahram and Radjen are responsible for this. The Queen instructed Anahita to kidnap Ghassan and take him to Mount Qaf as part of a ploy to expose his would-be murderers, possibly hoping they would get trapped by the curse. And given that Ghassan isn't actually her son, I'm guessing she was willing to have him be sacrificed in order to expose the treachery within her court, only to then reveal that her trueborn son still lives. And Sargon opposing Vahram is less about him being the rightful ruler and more about him wanting to be the God of Space and Time. Really, the ending being so brief and not really exploring anything is my main problem with it. There is so little come down, so little closure. You never learn what happened to any of the other lovely, fun characters you meet on Mount Qaf, you barely address the fate of the Immortals and the titular crown, which is now known to have been held illegitimately for three decades. It just needed _more._

[@jojoflynn7309]

In regards to the story I feel like it was trying to convey that Thomyris was attempting to play 5D chess to maintain the throne. Everything involving Anahita, Sargon and Varam was her both overestimating and underestimating what would happen. It's possible she just assumed that Sargon would just blindly follow his warrior instincts and never discover the true meaning behind everything and eliminate Varam, as if she planned for things to play out the way they did. Sargon would then get the Simurgh's blessing and that would be enough to quell the people's fears of Persia falling since he could be their champion to keep things going. Sort of a "Two birds with one stone" situation where she let the Immortals (and more importantly Varam) die just so Sargon would become inhumanly powerful and since he seemed loyal to the throne he would ensure her further rule in this scenario. But since it's not conveyed clearly enough and some things aren't addressed properly it really does come off as nonsensical like there's one more detail missing.

[@IFinishedAVideoGame]

I've read quite a few theories that link everything together and while some of them are okay and certainly make sense - it still always comes back to the fact that you have to do a lot of "joining up the dots" in a story that otherwise is very upfront about it's narrative. This makes me think that it is literally just some wonky storytelling - which would make sense as it's never really been a big focus for Montpellier. I think they're more at home creating a sense of journey and a world (like in Rayman)

[@ziljin]

They finally made a good game and then fired the developers who made it. Thats messed up. Companies dont care about the customers only their shareholders.

[@IFinishedAVideoGame]

So we've had a bit more information since and it looks like the developers were reassigned rather than being fired. Apparently they've been reassigned onto Beyond Good and Evil 2 and a remake of Rayman 1. While I'm gutted we won't get a sequel to this game - it is good to know the talent hasn't been lost!

[@ziljin]

@IFinishedAVideoGame oh okay that's good to know.

[@DarkH-gv3hc]

@@IFinishedAVideoGame From what I've heard, Ubisoft is also working on making the game availlable to more players.

[@Kiwi_J]

37:00 i strongly disagree. Hollow knight is much more then just a challenge. The atmosphere and the sense of discovery is what i enjoyed about it the most. A friend of mine who isnt a hardcore gamer once said that he would love dark souls if it was sort of a walking sim. He just wanted to discover the cool locations and enemies. Without the need to spend hours getting good or watching someone else play it. I think its a shame that people like him are missing out on great games even if its not the intended way to play. Just a personal thought. Great video as always.

[@IFinishedAVideoGame]

Honestly that's a fair criticism. I think I've mischaracterized Hollow Knight while trying to make the point about difficulty. It's certainly an exploration focused game before challenge. My mistake - hope you enjoyed it anyway!

[@Schmidt_Smith]

My godm m8 BIG THANKS for Sources and bibliography section. As a content creator myself it's REALLY USEFUL! Thank you! Probably i will use the same approach on my video for Prince of Persia: The lost crown. I'll 100% will mention you, cause u really inspired me!

[@anonimoalfin]

Superbly done, excellent video, as ever. Loved the Bio bit at [ 1:28 ], and couldn't stop watching till the end. To think one of the first games I played on PC was the first Prince of Persia... man, what a ride. Love the fantastic gamedev and game mechanics analysis of "The Lost Crown" [ 48:54 ], which I never heard of until today: the way u describe it, and judging from the superb graphics and systems, seems to me an underrated masterpiece of a game, with almost infinite replayability. Just hearing you explain the different game systems and mechanics, the QoL ideas and your awesome edition of all that material, was a pleasure as always. Thnx for the great job you do, keep it up!

[@CosmosWithinUs]

I just finished this game the other day and have been thinking about it constantly, both while playing it and after. I think it is a shining example of what a Metroidvania can be. One point of comparison which you didn’t mention in the video, but which I felt was closest to the way this game played, is the Guacamelee series. The combat arenas and quasi-masocore platforming challenges in this game are EXTREMELY reminiscent of Guacamelee 2 specifically, which is also one of the best Metroidvanias ever made. Just wanted to add that to the conversation; awesome video which I’m sure I will return to!

[@IFinishedAVideoGame]

That's probably a blind spot for me as I've never played either of the Gucamelee games despite always wanting to! I need to sort that ASAP!

[@jurtheorc8117]

In late 2023 another Metroidvania (or "Castledroid" as the creator jokingly likes to call it) released by name of Cookie Cutter that i've seen people relate to Guacamelee to a degree as well. Great 2D style and animation, LOADS of references to media the devs are fans of strewn throughout the backgrounds, and an emphasis on combat over puzzles. Though also with optional quite tough platforming sections. It's a debut game that had been worked on for about five or six years, with only the last two or so years having a bigger team of about 15 persons who are not in permanent employment, so it's not going to be the most mechanically complex metroidvania -plus it's got a divisive style- but by gosh do i find it one that's very much worth talking about. And as divisive as it is, i'd say there's a clear love for the world of the game, as simple as the story may be. Lead dev hopes to substantially support it for a long time to come, such as adding full voice acting, new weapons, areas, characters, etc. and seems very active on communicating with fans to make it as technically good as it can be.

[@CosmosWithinUs]

Wow this is awesome, thanks for the recommendation! I will definitely check it out! Looking for something to fill the gap between now and when Zau comes out and this might just be it. Thanks again!!

[@Frizzzzz]

I wouldn’t mind seeing this kind of format more often doing long retrospective on just one single game. Keep up the good work

[@normtrooper4392]

This is really marvellous. I think having done your retrospective on the series, I think it heightens the value of this retrospective.

[@IFinishedAVideoGame]

Thanks very much. It's a bit of a niche video that's probably only going to appeal to those who watched the Prince of Persia retrospective but I figure if I'm going to do it - why not do it right!

[@HYDRARMOR]

This essay is so well written! I have known so many new and interesting things plus the whole video is very entertaining. Thank you very much.

[@IFinishedAVideoGame]

Thanks very much. In a way it's a shame it's such a niche game on a smaller video because I think this might be one of my best videos!

[@jurtheorc8117]

I have been wanting a video like this ever since looking a bit more into PoP: TLC a bit before it appeared but never at one point did i actually think of checking out your channel for it. Ironically, at some point i *did* come back to your channel to see if you had a new video essay and checked out the POP video to see if any interesting new comments had been left, saw that people were telling you of TLC... and then forgot about it again. I've watched it through in its entirety and thoroughly enjoyed it. Especially bits about the inspirations from real Persian mythology and history. Now to wait for someone to make a combat breakdown/analysis on every single boss in this game to analyze what makes them as great as they are. I haven't actually played the game, but King Darius and Orod have stuck with me the strongest. Here's to hoping that TLC, like many other games (a number of which i mentioned to other people in this comment section that you had replied to as well), will get more acknowledgment and support despite the more dumb elements of the climate surrounding them. Have a good one and take care.

[@beag_dragan]

Great video. I've been watching your stuff since your Lord of the Rings retrospective, and you always do a wonderful job. One of the things I really appreciate about your videos are the unique topics you choose, ones that I don't feel many other video essayists cover. It's always nice to see someone discussing things they're passionate about rather than chasing trends. I particularly enjoy your retrospectives that focus on licensed media (such as the aforementioned LOTR or Indiana Jones retrospectives) which see you cover a broad array of genres over extremely long time periods. It's a hell of a thing to remain so insightful when covering such disparate game styles, but somehow you manage it. Very impressive. I haven't had the chance to pick up the Lost Crown yet, but I'm hoping to do so in the near future. I love the Ori games and Metroid Dread, so I'm hoping this can scratch a similar itch. I love the game's art style and animation, and I'm a big fan of games with a unique sense of style and visual flair, so it seems to have that box ticked as well. I'm also a sucker for games that take heavy inspiration from real-world history and mythology, which this game seems to do. Sad to hear it may not be performing well sales-wise, but considering the likely low cost of production compared to a lot of other AAA titles, maybe it doesn't need to set the world on fire to be successful. Here's hoping. Regarding the initial backlash to Sargon, I agree that, sadly, a not insignificant amount of it was driven by racism. Personally, I have no issue with his design. Ignoring the fact that, as you said, the Prince of Persia games have never been particularly historically accurate (ironically, the Lost Crown seems to perhaps be the best in the series on this account, given it's utilisation of real Persian mythology and even going so far as to include a Farsi dub), in real historical terms, having a Sub-Saharan African man be present in ancient Persia is absolutely plausible, given the relative close distance between the two regions and the long history of interaction between them. That said, I wonder if SOME of the backlash, particularly that seemingly coming from actual Persian/Iranian people, has a bit more legitimacy to it. There's an unfortunate trend in modern media, much like with whitewashing, to cast black actors as real-world MENA (Middle Eastern and North African) historical figures. Examples would include the recent Netflix documentary about Cleopatra (which garnered enormous backlash in Egypt and an incredibly condescending, racist response from Netflix), or the upcoming film about Hannibal Barca (a Carthaginian general from North Africa) which will have Denzel Washington in the titular role. Personally, I don't see this as any different to the whitewashing in films such as Gods of Egypt, Exodus: Gods and Kings, or myriad others going back decades, as it denies MENA actors major roles and broader MENA communities representation. Not to mention that, intentionally or not, it implies that non-white ethnicities are somehow interchangeable, which isn't true at all and extremely racist to boot (I've even seen several comments here sadly echo that exact sentiment). I don't personally believe Sargon is indicative of this trend (unlike the others, Sargon isn't a real historical/mythological figure), but I do wonder if some people saw it that way, and so rejected what they perceived as another action in a racist trend. Those people I have some sympathy for. It's such a shame the discussion on a complex and emotive topic has been poisoned by racists. Anyway, thanks again for the excellent video. Looking forward to seeing where you go in the future.

[@IFinishedAVideoGame]

Thanks so much my friend. I do really try to keep the subject matter fairly original and try not to step on other channels toes but I think it's eventually going to have to happen. There are only so many series and games I love enough to cover in this detail!

[@jurtheorc8117]

@beag_dragon for games with unique style and visual flair, may i recommend - Clash: Artifacts of Chaos (part of the Zeno Clash series, but AoC is even stronger in unique visual style alongside its bizarre ramshackle "early civilization" monster world identity) - Cookie Cutter - Blud (both Cookie Cutter and Blud have amazing 2D hand-drawn animation. Blud has yet to release) - Most stuff by Ska Studios (The Dishwasher series and Charlie Murder) - I would *want* to mention Darksiders and Soulstice as well, mainly Soulstice due to how recent that is, but the visual flair and style mainly shines through with the character designs and creatures, not so much the environments. Darksiders is better about that but also more established, plus takes a lot of inspiration from Biblical stuff,and as much as I love that series, i want to give Soulstice more of a chance to become more known. - My Familiair - Tiny Terry's Turbo Trip (and by extent, Wuppo. TT'sTT has yet to release) - Papetura (game environments are physically made of paper before being photographed) - Most stuff by Zoink! (Stick it to the Man, Lost in Random, etc.) - The rebranded Zoink! as Moonhood Studios (currently they're working on a kind of stopmotion animation game) - Pretty much everything by Amanita Design - My Familiair (upcoming game) - No Straight Roads - Deathbulge: Battle of the Bands - Genokids And there would be many more. All are very much worth looking into and spreading word on. From a stranger on the internet: i hope they'll all prove interesting.

[@beag_dragan]

@@jurtheorc8117 Thank you very much for the recommendations!

[@Empowerless]

Probably first time I ever used a sponsor code for something off a youtube video. Thanks. Also a great video as always.

[@IFinishedAVideoGame]

Damn that's really cool - glad I could help you get some art for cheap!

[@Empowerless]

@@IFinishedAVideoGame Got me some cool Frank Frazetta Conan art finally. Been thinking of getting some for years.

[@tmate88-j8y]

Been watching the Lengthy Retros for a few years now. I love them! Thank you for taking the time for such thorough deep dives! Can't wait to get into this.

[@tmate88-j8y]

26 mins in and this game does look really good. I love the art style, the character designs, the 2.5D Metroidvania direction is brilliant and I'm loving these cutscenes! Very well done so far. I'm glad PoP is seeing some love!

[@IFinishedAVideoGame]

Hope you enjoy the video and give it a try! It's really an excellent metroidvania!

[@toddbrickley]

I want to contribute to your work so, I'm liking and commenting, but seeing as how I want to experience this game first hand, I'll have to wait until later to watch this. Love your work!

[@IFinishedAVideoGame]

Honestly that's the best way to go about it - it's a great game so I highly recommend playing it for yourself. If you do fancy it - everything up until the third section is utterly spoiler free!

[@rafalzak6498]

I recently finished The lost crown and it quickly became one of best games i played witihin last year or two. I thougt i was quite thorough with my playthrough but i clearly missed Hermit quest! It adds quite a bit to overall story. Plus the soundtrack is truly amazing, especially when you are getting closer to a frozen peek of the mountain.

[@HapstoHoppip]

Your videos are so well done and well researched! You are one of my favourite sources of content on the platform. Funny thing is that, other than metroid, youve never covered a franchise I really care about either and yet ive seen all your videos and loved them! Keep it up

[@joshuachenault5171]

Your voice in this space is refreshing! I feel you understand games deeply; thanks for your work.

[@IFinishedAVideoGame]

Thanks my friend. I try really hard to make sure I'm approaching games with a fresh and positive mindset so it's nice to hear. It can lead to many sleepless nights over the quality of my scripts haha

[@Westy-rk3hn]

It's always great to wake up and see you've uploaded. Great video as always man!

[@IFinishedAVideoGame]

Thanks my friend. I'm glad you enjoyed it!

[@AshuraKojiro]

Welp, was in the fence about getting this until I watched about half an hour of your video, but color me sold. I'll finish the vid once I complete the game haha. Great work as always

[@michaelhodge6779]

Thanks for the video! I just finished the game and loved it. Can’t wait for the next one…???? Love the Montpellier comeback

[@IFinishedAVideoGame]

You're welcome! Next one should come quite quickly - I've been working on Onimusha since around Christmas but it's quite a bit more complex than this video so still a bit to go!

[@LouiseAnna-nt9ql]

I had no idea this game even existed. No idea how it passed me by! Thank you for this video 🙏🏻

[@IFinishedAVideoGame]

Hopefully you give it a chance! It's becoming quite underrated already!

[@WeekendGamerTX]

I am glad that your video showed up in my subscriptions right away. Some times it feels like KZbin doesn't show me the updates.

[@IFinishedAVideoGame]

Honestly KZbin has been messing with the channel pretty hard lately! Hope you enjoy the video!

[@WeekendGamerTX]

@@IFinishedAVideoGame I am sure I will enjoy it. The amount of thought and work you put into your videos is insane. I wish you all the best.

[@ennuiarduous6446]

....so it's a DLC to your outstanding PoP retro? Love it

[@IFinishedAVideoGame]

Yeah I hope people enjoy it! It's something I'd love to be able to start doing whenever new games come out in the series!

[@oldmansakuga]

your pop retrospective video was the reason i subscribed. i was expecting to be disappointed by the lost crown when i first heard of it but to be honest it has a surprising amount of depth and it's one of the rare times where im happy with a new protagonist. keep up the good work, passionate content like yours is the whole reason i appreciate youtube as a platform.

[@zainhartono7193]

I loved everything from visuals, character designs and music, especially the music. ‘Strike and Rule’ and ‘The Lost Crown’ are still my go to vibe-checks.

[@IFinishedAVideoGame]

It really is a classic little game. Hopefully it's reputation continues to build and more people try it out!

[@zainhartono7193]

@@IFinishedAVideoGame Ubisoft has a bad habit of sabotaging their Prince of Persia games especially within the marketing stage. And the “fans” didn’t help either. The whole discourse on Sargon apparently not being the Prince of Persia came mostly from entities that either never cared for the IP until then, or just jumping on a bandwagon of corporate malpractice. The stuff with the PoP remake and all that. I’m a long-time Prince of Persia fan and to hear and see such discourse and bad-faith over PoP being a semi-2D side-scroller or that you’re not playing the titular Prince as if those concepts were so alien just… I’ve never banged my head on a wall so hard in my life. Even people complaining that Sargon didn’t look ‘Persian’ pissed me off. On the side of marketing, Sargon should have been featured on more things outside of the game, get people more acquainted with this new face.

[@TheAssirra]

Another thing that hurted the sales of this game is the stupid statement that Ubisoft made 2 days before this game was released. Gamers should “feel comfortable not owning their games” So people did indeed get comfortable by not owning the Ubisoft game that releases the same week.

[@austindahu]

The Lost Crown plays so nicely, like what I wanted from a Metroid Fusion 2 on GBA, love it, love the review. Hope we can get another Prince of Persia in 2.5D soon.

[@IFinishedAVideoGame]

It really is a love game from a mechanical point of view. You can really tell that Montpellier have pedigree in this space! I really hope it does well enough to get them another major project because they are just too talented to waste slugging away on mobile games

[@cameronbutler5512]

As a fan of Sands of Time and Warrior Within, this video alone has singlehandedly convinced me to (eventually) purchase this game and give the Prince another outing. While initially skeptical of The Lost Crown, because I've never played a side-scrolling metroidvania title, this coupled with the Metroid retrospective has got me really eager to try them out.

[@IFinishedAVideoGame]

I think you'll really enjoy it if you've got even a small taste for Metroidvanias. This is basically the perfect one to start with as you can tailor it to just your style and then build up from there!

[@confettisword4615]

Man this is fantastic. Loved playing the small amount that I have and need to finish it. Loved your run through on everything and your style. Wicked that you decided to come back to a series that you covered before as well. Looking forward to next!!

[@IFinishedAVideoGame]

As ever man thanks for all the support. It really means a huge amount to me

[@HeylookitsAmar]

You’ve become my new “to fall asleep too” voice. Incredible script and clarity.

[@IFinishedAVideoGame]

Thanks my friend! I was a bit disappointed by how this video did as I felt the script was really tight and I very much enjoyed making it! I think for my next "standalone" video (likely Indiana Jones when that finally releases) I might have to strip it down even further and try and get under an hour!

[@ScottCreley]

Always a good day when we get another movie length critique from you! Been looking at playing this one.

[@IFinishedAVideoGame]

Yeah I'd been toying with not covering it because it's a little different to my usual videos but I figure why not start now! Hope you enjoy it!

[@ianbyrne465]

Okay, but actually... I saw this come out and didn't think much at first. But I decided to give it a shot one random day and finished it within the weekend. I was really not expecting such a solid game. I loved the mechanics, and how they built them out. Traversal felt so creative and fun, and the combat was slick and exciting, especially seeing all the ways that you can layer in yoyr traversal tools and the Immortals' weapons. The locations were absolutely stunning. I don't think there was a single one I didn't like. I still think about the visual of the tsunami frozen in time right in the middle of the ship battle. The story was servicable. Nothing to write home about, but that didn't bother me so much. This game really was such a shocking delight. I'm glad to see it getting a little bit of (well deserved) love!

[@IFinishedAVideoGame]

It's such a shame that it hasn't caught on more. It's good to see that Ubisoft are continuing to support it but I really wish that it was on steam and a little cheaper - I'm sure people would love it!

[@ianbyrne465]

@@IFinishedAVideoGame Absolutely agreed. This would thrive in like the $25-30 range on steam. I'm glad you made such a comprehensive video covering it!

[@MontyZander]

Comment for algorithm - back tomorrow!! HYPED for this

[@IFinishedAVideoGame]

Thanks my dude! I'm just sitting down to watch your how I make essays video too - I'm super duper interested to see what you have to say!

[@porterjones6022]

NO FREAKING WAY!!!!! I just finished watching your other Prince of Persia video for the third time and thought, "Huh, his prophecy sure came true, huh?" I'm so stoked to see this one. Keep up what you're doing, sir! Your eclectic, witty, thoughtful dialogue on tons of games is a wonder to behold. (And it gets me through long workdays.)

[@IFinishedAVideoGame]

Thanks my dude. If my work can help people get through monotonous work then I feel like I'm doing a real service to society lmao

[@TinyFunkyMan]

Man. I’ve been following you for a year now. I’m so grateful for your videos, they made me fall in love with video game history and video game making. I love how you try to understand the struggle of game development for every game. It helps humanize an industry that really needs it. Your videos motivated me to keep going in my video game making baccalaureate abs last week, I got an internship in game design with Ubisoft and this is partially because of your videos and passion. Thank you ❤. P.S. Also thanks for talking about a Ubisoft game, might be useful for my internship😅.

[@IFinishedAVideoGame]

That's extremely cool to hear! I hope the internship is going well and you're having a good time! Also don't give me any credit - I'm sure it was all entirely from your hard work and dedication!

[@TinyFunkyMan]

@@IFinishedAVideoGame It’s starting this summer so I don’t know yet😅. I’m just trying to say that your work helped me find myself and I’m very grateful! Thank you 😊

[@Tewlipz]

Funny how I only just found your channel a few weeks ago, because of the Prince of Persia retrospective. Really good review that also reminded me that, to my shame, I forgot to go back and read codex entries that I didn't bother to read when I picked them up. Completely missed out on the Third Son reveal because I was very sleepy when I finished that quest and didn't read it.

[@IFinishedAVideoGame]

Glad that this video could add something to your experience!

[@SoS-Jogan]

He really does reply to everything, great channel.

[@IFinishedAVideoGame]

I really do. I feel like it honestly makes a difference and helps build a connection between us! Hope you enjoyed this video!

[@SoS-Jogan]

@@IFinishedAVideoGame See ‽‽ told you guys

[@ole8919]

Really great quality video man. Loved it. And yeah TLC really is something the franchise needed. I loved my time with it and am excited for all the DLCs they've announced

[@maggimagie5873]

This video underperformed a little when it comes to views , but don't be too hard on yourself. Content creators tend to get real worried if a video underperforms. You still make amazing videosy really enjoyed this one aswell

[@Opebin]

I literally just finished your Prince of Persia retrospective yesterday, what a pleasant surprise lol

[@IFinishedAVideoGame]

First there was Prince of Persia: Epilogue - then there was Prince of Persia A Lengthy Retrospective: Epilogue. Hope you enjoy!

[@banjomcfluff55]

I would love a sequel to this game. I feel like they could really tell a great story to match the phenomenal gameplay a second time around. I'd love to see them do more with that final twist that you find out through the mural side quest. But I agree with you wholeheartedly at the end, I'm just glad this was made and showed ubisoft can care sometimes

[@IFinishedAVideoGame]

Absolutely - I almost feel bad weighing heavy criticism on it because the reality is I am very happy this was made! Let's just hope that it coming out on steam and getting the first of what is hopefully many sales encourages people to pick it up!

[@Gojirilla]

ohooo what a pleasant surprise and a nice addition to your previous retrospective on the series, which was where I first became familiar with this channel. I'll add more in this comment once I've finished the video Edit: Took me awhile but I finished the video and now i'm gonna play it hahaha

[@IFinishedAVideoGame]

It's honestly a bit of an experiment to see if it's viable for me to release videos like this. I'd love to cover the Indiana Jones game later in the year and any future Metroid games (or Dino Crisis remakes??) so if this does well enough hopefully that can become a thing!

[@Gojirilla]

@@IFinishedAVideoGame Did you see that Capcom survey they had put out not too long ago? In it i basically devoted all my answers towards begging them to Remake Dino Crisis haha. I love the idea to do some shorter reviews as well. Afterall I watch your stuff for your particular brand of game coverage, doesn't matter to me whether it's one game or an entire franchise, I'm invested regardless haha.

[@IFinishedAVideoGame]

Thanks my friend. Also I voted for Dino Crisis too!

[@robinkomin]

Finished it! Man, I'm such a big fan of your content. Funnily enough the PoP retrospective was the first video I watched from you. Full circle moment!

[@IFinishedAVideoGame]

Thanks very much! Yeah it was strange putting this together - I only had 450 subs when I made the original Prince of Persia video!

[@NikoPikoo]

What a surprise for valentines day! The prince of persia video of yours is one of my favourites from you, so this is a treat. Good job as always. Have you ever though of doing a retrospective on something like Tomb Raider or Sonic?

[@IFinishedAVideoGame]

Thanks so much! Honestly I have thought about both - although I lean more towards Sonic just because of the variety although it would be brutally long to put together! Tomb Raider would be a lot of very similar games one after the other and I worry that might burn me out and effect my writing!

[@NikoPikoo]

​@@IFinishedAVideoGameOh I can totally understand burning out from doing something similar back-to-back. How do you feel about final fantasy? Maybe those games would be more fitting for a singular game type videos instead of a series deep dive. A deep look into the whole Sonic franchise would be huge undertaking, but there would a lot of variety.

[@IFinishedAVideoGame]

Final Fantasy is one that gets asked for quite a bit but my biggest issue is mainly that the games are just so damn large! I'd have to break it up into chunks for it to be even remotely viable but maybe I could do something like 2D / early 3D / PS2 / PS3 onwards It would still be monstrous!

[@AgentOfFate]

Cool video Matt. Who knew after getting Sands of Time all those years ago we'd get some minor salvation in the form of one of your wishes coming true--A Prince of Persia entry into the Metroidvania space that does the genre proud. I've never played either a classic or modern Metroidvania game but your vid here means I'm probably going to pick up the Lost Crown and give it a try. Keep up the great work,

[@IFinishedAVideoGame]

It's such a shame that it looks as if it's not going to pick up much steam. It really is a very fun game and easily in the top 3 Prince of Persia games in my opinion!

[@ronniefazzio6979]

I was excited when I saw the first trailer during Summer Game Feast and immediately knew that I NEEDED to play the Lost Crown. Also I guess I’m in the minority because I actually liked the song that was used in the reveal and thought it was edited well with the fast paced action. It also helps that the lyrics are actually talking about Sargon and his journey across the mystical mountain. Now, having said all that another reason why the song didn’t bother me is because I knew that the song would not reflect the overall ost of the game. It would at the very least be used in the credits of the game which was in fact the case. It was just an example of using a certain music choice with the hopes of attracting a younger audience that wasn’t familiar with the franchise. I guess they succeeded because this was the first Prince of Persia game I’ve ever played and that’s one hell of an introduction. As for the design of Sargon, himself I thought he looked like a bad ass and sometimes that’s the initial hook that you need. There have been serval POP protagonists that have had drastically different looks so I thought it was weird that Sargon was where the line is drawn. Finally, Sargon is an original character so I don’t have an issue with it but if it were the Prince from Sands of Time that got changed than I’d question the reasons for that change.

[@YukeWeiss]

It took me 6 months to finish the game because life is busy, but I came straight to this when I finished after watching your prior retrospective. I'm really keen for the DLC , but this was a great review.

[@IFinishedAVideoGame]

Thanks my friend. I loved this game quite a bit and I really hope that it's recent Steam release helps it pick up a bit of momentum!

[@edfmed1080]

I am so happy to see a new vid from you after watching your metroid video, yesterday yooohooooo

[@IFinishedAVideoGame]

You're welcome!

[@conoreffinmurray]

I really love your videos! I love your deep dives and introspective looks into games I would probably never play. I love how you dig deep into the history of it all. Keep it up, I’ll keep watching!

[@IFinishedAVideoGame]

You're more than welcome my friend

[@Cr1ScroSSsPinnin]

Just subscribed to you based on your words for the POP games!

I'm a huge PoP fan and had no idea this game had come out. Thank you for this!

[@IFinishedAVideoGame]

You're more than welcome! Honestly the marketing has been pretty weird so I'm happy to do my bit!

[@jhinzoIV]

i wasnt sure it would happen but i was hoping you'd make a video on this. one of my favorite retrospectives of yours was this series!

[@IFinishedAVideoGame]

You're welcome!

[@Garrotey]

Worm fan hears "Simurgh" - freaking out

[@bradcarr1606]

Hey man, it's vBrad. Great to see you doing so well, loved this video - just finished the game yesterday and thought it was excellent.

[@IFinishedAVideoGame]

Hey dude - amazing to hear from you! I hope you're doing well and still living it up. Yeah this really was a great game and I wanted to do my bit to help it's momentum!

[@wplays4271]

I’m so happy to finally have played this game. When I saw it getting good reviews, I planned on buying it. But decided to wait on a sale. Ubisoft games usually go on sale really quickly. I instantly got it when I saw it for 30 bucks, and loved every second of it. If we ever get a sequel, I’ll probably get it day 1. Montpellier has gained my trust as a dev team after this game. I genuinely think it’s just as good as Metroid Dread, and the best game Ubisoft has made in a decade

[@TheMetalGaia]

Hell yeah, glad to see this! Your videos are always quality. Cheers, mate! Love the story about your personal history with the series. The journey has come full circle 😊

[@IFinishedAVideoGame]

Thanks so much! Yeah it was so funny to make this - I kept thinking about the process of making the first Prince of Persia video. I had just 450 subs and wasn't even monetised or in the partner program! It's been quite the transformation!

[@TheMetalGaia]

@@IFinishedAVideoGame indeed! The effort you put into these is amazing. I will definitely be getting this game based on your video!

[@IFinishedAVideoGame]

Thanks and I'm sure you'll really enjoy it!

[@ArcNeoMasato]

I'm just shocked I managed to beat this game before this video came out. lol Excited to see your review!

[@IFinishedAVideoGame]

And I thought I flew through it! You must have smashed it in days!

[@ArcNeoMasato]

@@IFinishedAVideoGame About a week overall. I think like 22 hours into it according to my switch? Still need to go do all the 100% cleanup though to say I did. lol

[@dizzydazed8055]

as I said last time: never change. You are great. Much love from Hong Kong.

[@deloron8813]

Great review! Hope you're planning a video for the dlc and the trials. At least where Radjen was is now clear.

[@nicholaswopperer5092]

Just finished this on switch. I loved every second of it! Zero bugs! Please please please pick this up if you haven’t !

[@eqjase]

This is such a good channel , I love the deep dives.

[@IFinishedAVideoGame]

Thanks so much my friend

[@BlackxExorcistitsyaboi]

Look this is easily my favorite entry in the franchise. And I mean I loved WW and SoT. But man the Metroidvania itch I didn't even know it was gonna scratch was so fun. Absolutely recommend.

[@justarandomguy5558]

Bro i waited for this all the month

[@justarandomguy5558]

And i don't even played this gsme

[@IFinishedAVideoGame]

It's here! Hope you enjoyed it

[@OurResidentEccentric]

Yesssss! Let's gooooo! Been literally checking KZbin on and off since yesterday to see if this had been uploaded and now it is!

[@IFinishedAVideoGame]

Annoyingly it got delayed by a few days thanks to some sponsor shenanigans but we're here finally!

[@Jeemo88]

I JUST beat this almost 100% yesterday! Let's go!!

[@IFinishedAVideoGame]

It really is an experience that encourages you to go for 100% isn't it. I love a Metroidvania that doesn't try to stop you from having fun!

[@cpnrackham]

God I love this video so much. Really appreciate you going into so much depth for a niche little game I love. Amazing video!

[@IFinishedAVideoGame]

I felt like considering Prince of Persia is really what gave me my start on KZbin I should absolutely over the newest game when it finally came out! Lucky me that it turned out to be such a cracker!

[@cpnrackham]

@@IFinishedAVideoGameAll that’s left to do now is wait patiently for your coverage on the sands of time remake if and when that ever releases haha

[@kimchristensen453]

I watched some Twitch streams of this when it had just come out and the amount of random chatters coming in complaining about the "cheap mobile graphics" and "why isn't this 3D like the original" (revealing their ignorance) was frankly slightly depressing and disconcerting. To be expected I guess. Sales seem to have stagnated around 300.000 units(?) for now.

[@IFinishedAVideoGame]

Unfortunately I think we're going to have to wait for discounts for the needle to move. It's disappointing but negative backlash of that size can be killer for a small to medium sized game

[@randomguy6679]

Any time those idiots see a 2D game of any sort, they think “mobile game”. Same goes for CRPG’s, even Baldurs Gate 3 had those claims.

[@adhfoajodgia]

Damn... i feel like Christmas is here, but when i go to open my presents from santa I suddenly find myself in the middle of summer. I want to go fully blind on this game, but i really like these videos... I listened up to minute 19.00 just to make sure I don't have even a visual spoiler... And I am afraid to go further. You have done a great job (at least for the first part) and given plenty of spoiler warning and I appreciate that! Will be back next month, hopefully I ll have bought and finished it by then... damn...

[@IFinishedAVideoGame]

Well I hope you enjoy the game!

[@guccisushi7193]

As someone in the soulless corporate grind hearing your well thought out genuine love for video games I used to have as a kid and in uni I find myself vicariously slipping back into that mindset for a lengthy moment in-between the perfunctory day to day, I can't put out it into words properly so please know someone out there is sincerely thankful for your content. P.S. Castlevania one is severely slept on.

[@adamhunter7014]

Ayyy grats on the sponsor man! Defo deserve it❤

[@IFinishedAVideoGame]

Thanks my friend. Unfortunately it's for a bit of a sour reason as the Metroidvania video was demonetised and while it's been reinstated it's momentum has been totally gimped so I've got to take a couple of sponsors to balance the books. It's a real shame but hopefully people found this unintrusive!

[@classiccustoms2010]

57:57 That mechanic where you have to use multiple Sargons to complete small "puzzle rooms" like that really reminds me of an old Flash game called The Company of Myself, which basically uses that exact mechanic to get from one level to another. Really interesting mechanic that fits well with the Prince of Persia in my opinion.

[@qkonor]

Only at 2:24 but wanted to say hell yeah to your growth and commitment to making a career that fuels you! Love your vids.

[@IFinishedAVideoGame]

Thanks so much my dude. It's been a tough process full of highs and lows but it's something I just really love doing. Hopefully I get to for a long while yet!

[@berryven]

I've always love love love your videos, I started watching Castlevania and Mortal Shell and I keep repeating your vids whenever I work or want to sleep (i love your voice and writing) Your PoF retrospective is one of my favorites too, and I always get sad on the ending. Now finally there's a continuation 🥰

[@ninaschmidt3619]

I hope this game gets a sequel❤❤❤❤❤

[@MistahJBasic]

I literally teared up when you started talking about how you got started on youtube deciding to talk about the Prince of Persia series. This must have been such a special moment for you. Whats also great was this came after I just had a really crappy day at work so thanks for making it better.

[@TheOrian34]

Something I think more games should have, is an endgame feature you can obtain that makes secrets more simple to find, even a map of secrets is fine, and it becomes a valuable treasure to obtain. It prevents the pain of pixel hunting for secrets and no more need to rely on guides and wiki to find the hidden stuff. Too many games make their completion a pain, sadly.

[@IFinishedAVideoGame]

I have to say I agree and while I love it - Metroid is particularly guilty for it!

[@evprince]

Awesome to see this spectacular video out!

[@IFinishedAVideoGame]

Thanks my friend that means a lot. I hope you're keeping well

[@Rythian]

Great video. Agreed that the only real downfall of the game was how the story just kind of fell apart towards the end, with big chunks seemingly just missing.

[@IFinishedAVideoGame]

Absolutely - it's the worst part of the game in my opinion. Luckily I'd happily replay it just to see all the clever mechanics and level design!

[@xReflamed]

I wasn't sure about buying it, but this video has convinced me to try it! I do think €50 on Switch is a bit steep so I might wait for that price drop.

[@IFinishedAVideoGame]

Honestly I think they've messed up the pricing to try and encourage people onto Ubisoft+ which is a real shame. It's a fantastic game and more people should be able to access it for a representative price!

[@n_ex13]

Man I love this channel

[@IFinishedAVideoGame]

Hope this one goes down well!

[@LiminalMan777]

Not sure how I missed this when it dropped, but great video as always. I haven’t played a PoP game since PS2 days so it was nice seeing it evolve the way it did.