Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity Review – Princess Powerhouse
▼ Summary
– Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment is a significant improvement over Age of Calamity, offering better performance, more characters, and a more meaningful story.
– The game serves as a canonical prequel to The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, focusing on the Imprisoning War and featuring characters like King Rauru and Queen Sonia.
– Combat is enhanced with new features including Sync Strikes, multiple weapon types, Fuse attacks with monster parts, and elemental interactions with the environment.
– The story is criticized for being safe and lacking character development, with Zelda taking a backseat and minimal new lore added to the series.
– At around 30 hours for the main story, the game is compact for a Warriors title and provides a satisfying experience, though defensive side missions can feel repetitive.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment represents a significant leap forward for the Zelda-themed Warriors spin-off series, delivering refined combat, a compelling canonical story, and impressive performance on the Nintendo Switch 2. This latest entry builds upon the foundation of its predecessors while introducing enough innovation to feel fresh and engaging. Players familiar with the chaotic, large-scale battles the franchise is known for will find plenty to love here, especially with the expanded roster and deeper mechanics.
Set as a direct prequel to The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, the game explores the events of the Imprisoning War in rich detail. The narrative picks up immediately after Princess Zelda’s time-travel incident from the opening of Tears of the Kingdom, thrusting players into a Hyrule on the brink of collapse. You’ll join forces with King Rauru, Queen Sonia, and the scholarly Mineru, rallying the various races of Hyrule to stand against Ganondorf’s forces. While the premise is strong, the storytelling sometimes plays it too safe, with Zelda herself often sidelined in favor of other characters. A mysterious construct serves as a narrative focal point, providing intrigue, though some may find the overall plot lacks the emotional depth or surprising twists they might hope for.
Where Age of Imprisonment truly excels is in its gameplay. Combat has been substantially enhanced beyond the simple light and strong attack combos typical of Warriors titles. New features like Sync Strikes allow for spectacular team-up attacks between characters when their gauges are full. These coordinated moves are not only visually impressive but also deal massive damage, encouraging strategic pairing of heroes. The inclusion of elemental interactions adds another layer; for example, electrifying pools of water or igniting whirlwinds creates satisfying chain reactions that can turn the tide of battle. The game also incorporates mechanics inspired by Tears of the Kingdom, such as the Fuse system, which lets you attach monster parts to weapons for various effects, from elemental damage to faster weak point gauge depletion.
Mission structure supports this expanded combat system beautifully. You typically control a team of two to four characters, switching between them instantly with the d-pad to capitalize on their individual strengths. Large, multi-objective maps require you to manage your squad effectively, issuing commands from the pause menu to capture outposts or defend allies. This adds a welcome strategic element to the otherwise action-heavy gameplay. Character variety is another high point. While about half the roster consists of new faces with minimal personal story, each boasts a unique and enjoyable move set. The mysterious construct and several other heroes can even wield different weapon types, further diversifying play styles.
Performance on the Nintendo Switch 2 is a notable improvement over previous entries. The game maintains a high frame rate consistently, with only minor dips during the most elaborate special moves. Image quality remains sharp, though a dynamic resolution system is occasionally noticeable. Playing in docked mode with a Pro Controller offers the most stable experience, but handheld mode is perfectly serviceable for on-the-go sessions.
Progression is generally smooth and rewarding. An overworld map dotted with side quests and ability nodes encourages exploration and resource gathering. You collect materials during missions to unlock upgrades ranging from health boosts to entirely new combat abilities. One minor annoyance comes from defensive missions, which appear frequently and require immediate attention to prevent territory from falling back into enemy hands. These can start to feel like repetitive chores, especially when they interrupt your progress on other objectives.
The game’s length is well-judged, with the main story lasting around 30 hours and plenty of side content to extend playtime. However, post-game offerings are somewhat limited, lacking a substantial mode like the original Hyrule Warriors’ Adventure Mode. For players who simply want more of the world established in Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, Age of Imprisonment delivers a satisfying, action-packed experience that honors the source material. It stands as the most polished and enjoyable Zelda Warriors game to date, even if its narrative doesn’t quite reach the heights of the mainline series.
(Source: techradar)
