In a new trailer running down accessibility features for Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, Ubisoft has revealed a map option so smart that every Metroidvania should make use of it.
The Lost Crown lets you place "Memory Shards" on the map. Essentially, you take a screenshot of your current location and pin it to the map, and anytime you hover over that pin you can view the image you took. This gives you a quick, easy way to annotate the map with inaccessible locations you might want to return to when you unlock new powers.
"Actually, it's a new feature for these kind of games," senior gameplay programmer Cristophe de Labrouche explains. "We've made a lot of tests because we didn't know if the players would use it. And once they get it, they love it. They place them everywhere in the game. They really use it very much."
"A lot of players said that it was helpful and that it seems natural," senior game designer Rémi Boutin adds. "I think it really pushes the boundaries for the genre, and I hope to see this feature in other games."
I also hope to see this feature in other games - it's such a natural addition to the Metroidvania genre that I'm shocked I haven't seen it used elsewhere before. Ubisoft itself has added screenshots to maps in its bigger titles, but that's primarily been a social feature to let you share your in-game photography in things like Assassin's Creed. This is an incredible map addition that I can't wait to try out.
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is due to launch on January 18 across pretty much every major platform, and you'll be able to try it out for yourself ahead of that release with a free demo on January 11.
Check out our Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown preview for more, or dive into our list of the best Metroidvania games.
