The long-awaited Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is now available in the Ubisoft Connect store, but how does it play on Steam’s handheld console?!

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown on the Steam Deck looks to be quite an exciting experience. Although currently only available in the Ubisoft Connect store, installation is a breeze with the detailed installation guide available at this link. (The game will be available on PC in addition to Ubisoft Connect only in the Epic Games Store, so it’s a good thing that there is also a way to play on SD.)

Performance-wise, the game is a marvel on the Steam Deck. When connected to a 144 Hz monitor, it ranges between 80 and 120 FPS.

The OLED version of Steam Deck can go above 90 FPS, but realistically it mostly sticks around 80 FPS with high graphics settings and SMAA on, providing a fantastic gaming experience.

For those who prefer a consistent frame rate, capping at 60 FPS is a viable option. That will be the case anyway with the LCD Steam Deck, which works perfectly with about 1.5 hours less battery life, while the OLED weighs in at 4 hours.

Ubisoft has done an exceptional job optimizing this title. This quality of work is sporadic for Ubisoft Connect and Steam Deck. It looks like one of the best Ubisoft Connect games we’ve seen so far regarding optimization.

Even during intense boss fights and graphically challenging cutscenes, the game maintains a stable 80 FPS. (Dipping into the 60 range at times.) It’s worth noting, however, that the game runs at 720p. This results in black bars at the top and bottom of the screen, which is a bit of a disappointment given the otherwise excellent performance.

Adapting to the game’s difficulty curve is part of the journey. Especially when progressing through levels and unlocking new abilities. The vibrant environment and immersive gameplay keep the experience fresh. Maintaining the sweet spot of 80 FPS on the OLED Steam Deck.

Lowering the settings to medium can push the speed up to 90 FPS, but honestly, it’s not necessary given the smooth performance at higher settings.

They also experimented with different versions of Proton using the Ubisoft Connect launcher. GE-Proton8-25 works fine, and so does the experimental version. Initial navigation requires the Steam hotkey and the trackpad, but once you’re in the game, the game runs smoothly with the controller set to the default control layout with the trackpad mouse option.

Is The Lost Crown also worth subscribing to Uplay+?!

One notable feature of the game is its full offline support. You can also launch the Ubisoft Connect launcher and the game offline. (Though that means you won’t have access to cloud saves.) You can manually upload and download cloud saves, which isn’t automatic, but is a valuable feature for transferring progress between devices. With three save slots, there is a safety net in case you forget to transfer your saves.

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown offers a substantial adventure, with an estimated 20-25 hours of gameplay on the main route, nine bosses, over 65 unique enemies, and 13 diverse biomes.

The inclusion of nine side missions adds depth to the gameplay. So there is always something new to discover. Although it’s basically a platformer with a Prince of Persia twist, it’s still worth going along for the ride.

In addition, Uplay+ users who subscribe to Uplay+ for a month not only get the new PoP for a fraction of the price of the game (and access is offered by the entire Ubisoft), but also can play it starting today! While the official release is January 18, so you can try it three days earlier, either the PC-only version (14.99 USD/month) or the PC and Xbox version (17.99 USD/month)!

A big round of applause to Ubisoft for giving the game early access! Allowing us all to try it out on the Steam Deck before the official release on January 18.

Source: YouTube/SDG