Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is the main attraction in the March lineup of PlayStation Plus game catalog entries. The highly-acclaimed metroidvania title will be joined by Captain Tsubasa: Rise of New Champions, UFC 5, Arcade Paradise, and the humorously-titled Bang-on Balls: Chronicles. To access the return of the classic PS1-era mech action in the first three Armored Core games, a PS Plus Premium subscription will be necessary. These games will be available starting March 18.

Ubisoft’s Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown has received widespread critical acclaim. The game features the series’ signature elements, including precise parkour controls, engaging swordplay, and challenging platforming, all accompanied by a rich array of magical secrets. The game’s striking visual style, complete with a vibrant color palette, makes it a standout title. Engadget’s Lawrence Bonk found it to be “a fantastic metroidvania that could easily sit next to some of the classics of the genre, like Hollow Knight and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.”

The game also features a convenient “memory shards” mechanic, which allows players to capture screenshots of areas they wish to return to later and pin them to their map. To prevent the game from becoming too easy, players are limited to a certain number of memory shard slots.

Despite the positive reviews, The Lost Crown reportedly sold only around 300,000 copies in its first few weeks after launch, prompting Ubisoft to disband the team that developed it. Although this means there won’t be any more DLC or a sequel, most of the developers are still working at Ubisoft on other projects. Additionally, there’s another Prince of Persia game to anticipate, scheduled for release as early as next year.

Other notable titles for Extra and Premium members include Captain Tsubasa: Rise of New Champions, which brings fast-paced arcade soccer to life with striking visuals and a compelling storyline, as well as the nostalgic management sim Arcade Paradise, complete with bonus mini-games.

Players will also have access to the indie platformer Bang-On Balls: Chronicles, which is reminiscent of a 3D Kirby game, but with quirky, slapstick humor and optional flatulence. Additionally, UFC 5 will be available for fans of EA Sports’ take on martial arts.

Basking in the success of the acclaimed 2024 entry Armored Core: Fires of Rubicon, Sony is revisiting the series’ roots. PS Plus Premium subscribers can play Armored Core (1997), Armored Core: Project Phantasma (1997), and Armored Core: Master of Arena (1999) on their modern PlayStation consoles (PS5 and PS4) for the first time.

The innovative mech series paved the way for the 2024 entry, which Engadget’s Igor Bonifacic praised as “an incredible achievement in game design and thematic cohesion, and, I think, a promise of what we can expect from FromSoftware’s next generation of talent.”

The PS Plus games for this month will be available starting March 18. You can read the full list of entries on the PlayStation blog.