When thinking about platforming in Metroidvanias it can bring up a lot of feelings:
joy, excitement, exhilaration, rage, and sometimes, only sometimes, pure and utter despair.
But no matter how much some of the countless platforming sections in games made me want to throw the controller through my screen over the years, something in this game just challenges and hits you differently.
There is simply no arguing on how tight and smooth they play.
I’d go that far to call them fair and perfectly balanced – as all things should be.
And so, in this mini-dev dive we want to find out how our developers were able to design the smooth and buttery platforming of Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown. (Not exactly in those words, but you get it.)
To Design Smooth Platforming
To our devs, flow is the most important aspect when designing platforming sequences. With Sargon being a superhero in legendary Persia the team wanted to be sure that his ability to control space and gravity could be felt.
In other words, the devs wanted players to feel that traversal is super fluid and light. (and they did a fantastic job at it, if I do say so myself) And it was important to the devs that you feel in control at any moment in the game.
Making a side-scroller means very precise gameplay and platforming. In the way it's built, and in its legibility, the construction of a side-scroller is completely different from making a 3D game.
Legibility and readability are vitally important when making platforming sequences and ensuring all ingredients featured are cohesive. Part of this is making sure that all the actions and all the elements that are shown on your screen push you forward without actively thinking about the controls.
To make the world of Mount Qaf enjoyable, it’s mainly a question of pacing. By creating variations in the navigation throughout the game; between short jumps, high jumps, wall jumps, you can create patterns that feel great when you are executing them.
To create variety, the devs tried to give each biome a unique gameplay flavor with new challenges and obstacles based on the environment. And, also on the specific abilities that you have at that time. You may recognize some sequences and some mechanisms that are very iconic to the Prince of Persia franchise. Like, moving saws, death spikes, and other deadly traps!
🎥 Be sure to check out our more in-depth video on To Design Smooth Platforming[url= https://x.com/princeofpersia/status/1758536901261144155] right here[/url].
Well, that wraps up this mini-dev dive on platforming!
See ya next time,
Your Prince of Persia Community Team