Highlights

  • Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown marks the long-awaited return of the franchise, offering a fresh art style and a focus on Persian mythology.
  • Mount Qaf, a major mythological realm, plays a crucial role in the game, offering rich mechanical and plot depth that could boost the franchise.
  • The setting of Mount Qaf in The Lost Crown allows for time manipulation and the incorporation of abilities inspired by Persian mythology, like the Rush of Simurgh.

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown marks a long-awaited franchise return. With 14 years since the last major Prince of Persia game, The Lost Crown has a lot riding on it. Fortunately, its focus on Persian mythology has led to a setting that already allows for some interesting speculation.

The Lost Crown moves the focus of the franchise away from the eponymous prince and to the warrior Sargon, who's tasked with rescuing him. The game will be wildly different from other Prince of Persia titles with not only this new protagonist, but a modernized metroidvania format and a fresh art style. Included within this new direction is a renewed focus on Persian mythology. Demons, dragons, and the iconic manticore are all among the many elements The Lost Crown will be taking straight from the mythology of Persia and other ancient stories from the Middle East.

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The Lost Crown's Mount Qaf Is An Important Location Within And Outside The Game

Sargon must travel to Mount Qaf to free the prince. This is where the bulk of gameplay will be taking place, and where the various aforementioned mythological creatures will be encountered. What is known about this setting thus far suggests a great deal about both the game's systems and how it will interact with various mythologies. Mount Qaf is a real location that's popped up throughout a number of stories and legends across the Middle East—and the vast lore surrounding it could greatly impact The Lost Crown. The rich mechanical and plot depth that such a location could inspire might just help The Lost Crown give its franchise the boost it needs.

What Is Mount Qaf?

Mount Qaf is a major mythological realm that has appeared in stories from Armenia, Turkey, India, Persia (the folklore of which The Lost Crown is especially derived from), and more. There are conflicting depictions and ideas surrounding Mount Qaf from over the centuries—yet there are some consistent threads. The legendary mountain is said to be composed entirely of emerald and serve as the homeland of the jinn, which are better known in the west as genies. Writing on the subject of jinn in his book Legends of the Fire Spirits, journalist Robert Lebling describes Mount Qaf as a mountain range that 'circle[s] the known world and are very difficult to reach'. This obscurity is also a running theme; 'Qaf' is a form of the Middle Persian word 'gâp', meaning 'unknown'. Mount Qaf is notorious for being hard to find, often theorized by scholars to be a conception of certain regions the Persian Empire never reached.

There are many opportunities for Mount Qaf to bolster The Lost Crown's story. It's well-known for being the home of the jinn, who are purported to have many abilities (from shape-shifting to amorphability). These entities also have no moral essentialism in the way a demon might, so they could easily serve as characters both malevolent and benign. Moreover, Sargon's ascent of Mount Qaf and its many spiritual aspects could easily embody his journey of growth. This is seen in other stories about mountain climbs, such as the indie game Celeste or—for a classical example—Dante's Purgatorio.

Mount Qaf Looks To Bring A Lot To The Lost Crown

Mount Qaf in The Lost Crown is a place where time no longer holds sway. This calls back to classic Prince of Persia time manipulation as well as the mythology of Qaf as a timeless, divine realm. The setting will house many layers, composed of both dungeon and exterior sections. It seems that the game will be expanding the mythology into its own urban interpretation, split into upper and lower cities.

Mount Qaf also inspires some abilities available in The Lost Crown, such as the Rush of Simurgh. This air dash move invokes the King of Birds Simurgh, a benevolent bird in Persian mythology whose nest is said to reside on Mount Qaf.