Flashing sword, lighting-quick reflexes, and a platforming world crawling with enemies. Recently, I started playing Ubisoft’s Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown; and I can’t stop thinking about it. I’ve loved Metroidvania games for a long time now and have played through a number of them recently–a favorite being Ghost Song. But there’s something about the latest Prince of Persia game that has me dreaming big.
Zelda II has long been viewed as the black sheep of the franchise, save by a few die-hard fans who love its departure from the standard Zelda format. The idea for a remaster has been discussed countless times, an idea I myself have explored here. But with the success of Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, and the fact that Nintendo has recently released The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, the timing has never been better to once again call for a remaster or even a full remake.
With the reality that 3D Zelda projects take five to seven years per development cycle, Nintendo will need smaller projects to keep fans happy, and more importantly to keep that sweet, sweet Zelda money flowing. It’s a long shot, considering there’s already a tried and true alternative to 3D Zelda, that being the top-down traditional format of A Link to the Past and the many other successful games from Nintendo’s bygone eras.
But Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown demonstrates just how successful a side-scrolling Zelda can be when given all the modern touches of this era of gaming. Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown has flawlessly smooth sword play and combat; add to that gorgeous cut-scenes and the “2.5-D” graphics, and the formula is complete. What many Zelda fans forget or don’t know (if they’ve never played it) is that Zelda II has fantastic lore and introduced some of the foundational archetypes to the series like the Triforce of Courage and Shadow Link. Now imagine that game reintroduced to a new generation of fans, given the royal treatment and securing its rightful place among the Zelda hierarchy.
Please Nintendo; give Zelda II the Prince of Persia treatment!
Tell us what you think! Would you like a Prince of Persia style remake of Zelda II? Share your reactions in the comments below or join in the conversation on Boss Rush Network’s Discord and Facebook.
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