Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment raises an identical thought I had with its predecessor, Age of Calamity. Whereas the latter’s enjoyment depended, partially, on having performed Breath of the Wild, this newest entry has an identical relationship with Tears of the Kingdom. And in case you haven’t performed that recreation on the unique Swap in 2023, you’ve in all probability performed it on Swap 2 in 2025. Wherein case, you’re not solely prepped for Age of Imprisonment, however in all probability in search of Zelda content material that’s genuinely new.
This time, the Musou formulation (1 vs. 1,000 battles) is utilized to the Imprisoning Struggle. Whereas alluded to beforehand, the general story of this has remained a thriller. So, lore fanatics ought to eat this all up, because it introduces a story to interchange fan theories. Age of Imprisonment is much like Age of Calamity in methods. As a substitute of the time-traveling guardian of its predecessor, now we’ve Zelda herself going to the previous. Which signifies that, amongst different issues, brief reminiscence cutscenes from Tears of the Kingdom get expanded on. Zelda’s lack of consciousness at first could clarify any seeming lapses in her recollections.
Nonetheless, for each participant who places the plot on the forefront, there’s one other who’s extra targeted on gameplay—gameplay that may be comfortingly acquainted or seemingly overwhelming, relying in your familiarity with this type. Neatly, Age of Imprisonment retains 4 issue choices. Even wiser, you aren’t locked into one. I discovered myself bumping the problem up or down relying on the mission and if I used to be working solo or not. Inexperienced solo gamers could wish to begin enjoying on straightforward mode to get a really feel for issues. In the meantime, a duo of veterans will certainly discover extra enjoyment enjoying on laborious mode. Every issue setting has its personal native leaderboard, which may incentivize replay as you additional degree up allies.
Because the roster of playable characters grows, you uncover distinctive Sync Strikes between the assorted mixtures. These highly effective assaults can flip the tide of battle, and it’s a whole lot of enjoyable discovering your favorites and unleashing them at very best instances to drive again Ganondorf’s forces. With this emphasis on “two allies working collectively,” it does appear odd {that a} handful of missions pressure you to play them in single-player mode solely. Frankly, the sport doesn’t do an efficient job in explaining why these cases happen, and it’s a sound criticism in a sea in any other case stuffed with compliments.
In addition to Sync Strikes, Zonai units are one other new battle addition that show to be a whole lot of enjoyable. It provides you extra methods to take down Ganondorf’s monster hordes in your struggle to reclaim Hylian territory. (Sure, not like this recreation’s solid, I’ll by no means dignify him with the title of “King.”) Sure ones are even useful past battle. The flame emitter and cannon, for example, can mild up the shadowy depths. Simply ensure you have a battery cost.
Talking of, in addition to battling in Hyrule, the depths and the skies may even be your playground within the ever-growing maps. Whereas it’s thrilling to look at these fill and alter over time, it does look a bit sloppy. I favor the easy map of the unique Hyrule Warriors to those later icon-filled ones. However the locales above and beneath carry some appreciated graphical variety, with the gloomy darkness of the depths contrasting with the intense sky.
However for me, it’s the audio, not the graphics, that’s the true spotlight. You possibly can entry a music participant within the recreation’s gallery (dozens upon dozens of tracks), and guess what I’m listening to as I sort this? The compositions could be stunning, dramatic, tense, and extra, relying on the place you’re at. To not be uncared for are this recreation’s vocal performances. The solid is larger than ever, and the standout is Patricia Summersett as Princess Zelda. I’ve been combined on her previous performances, however right here she reveals a variety of curiosity and pleasure in her new (but acquainted) surroundings. I’m unsure how a lot of this stems from the route and having extra consciousness of context, and the way a lot comes from her merely rising into the character in any case these years. However kudos.
Going again to the visuals for a minute, I wish to be clear, I don’t suppose this recreation appears dangerous by any means. In any case, how may it? It’s based mostly on Tears of the Kingdom. But it surely’s clear that, with so many current Zelda video games triggering vocal complaints, the emphasis right here was on a clean expertise. There aren’t any efficiency versus high quality choices, as we’ll see in Metroid Prime 4. It could take a success if enjoying two-player break up display. Our most well-liked approach was enjoying co-op by way of recreation share classes. Nintendo must cease burying this function and convey it to the forefront. Enjoying this recreation with a pal on particular person screens is what bumps this recreation from good to nice.
Extras embrace acquainted amiibo bonuses (even non-Zelda ones), save knowledge bonuses, and collectible Korok seeds. There’s lots to maintain completionists going right here, particularly in case you take pleasure in each Zelda and Musou gameplay. Whilst you would possibly have the ability to beat the principle recreation in 20 hours, you’ll be able to simply double that in case you make the most of every little thing that Age of Imprisonment has to supply. It’s content-filled, and if previous entries are any indicator, don’t be shocked if DLC follows in some unspecified time in the future.
Who is aware of how for much longer this model of Hyrule (that began in Breath of the Wild) will proceed? If that is the top, it goes out on a excessive word, particularly when loved cooperatively. Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment is an entertaining entry that may maintain you busy in the course of the first vacation season of the Swap 2. Heck, filled with content material and surprises, it’s one you’ll doubtless return to when the temper strikes as effectively.
