Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment Review: Ultrahanding Out Beatdowns
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment offers a smart adaptation of Tears of the Kingdom mechanics, an engaging cast of characters, and a strong campaign, making it a worthwhile spinoff.
Nintendo and Koei Tecmo have won me over through numerous Warriors collaborations and spinoffs over the past decade. What stands out is Koei Tecmo’s approach—not merely attaching fan-favorite characters to the Musou formula, but enhancing the gameplay by integrating unique mechanics from the franchises they work with.
This approach was evident in Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity and Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes, and now it continues with Age of Imprisonment. Utilizing the power of the Switch 2, Koei Tecmo delivers improved performance and a worthy spinoff to the excellence of Tears of the Kingdom.
Story and Setting
Building on the events of Tears of the Kingdom, Age of Imprisonment explores narrative threads touched on but not deeply explored before. The story centers on the war between the original King of Hyrule, Rauru, and the Gerudo chieftain-turned-Demon King, Ganondorf.
For those who completed Tears of the Kingdom, the outcome may be familiar, but this game provides a detailed account of the events, including Princess Zelda's efforts to reunite with Link in the future. It also gives more screen time to characters who played minor roles in the original game’s periphery.
"Nintendo and Koei Tecmo have made a fairly loyal fan of me over the course of several Warriors collaborations and spinoffs this last decade and then some."
"Koei Tecmo isn’t just strapping fan favorite characters to the Musou formula. Instead, it is augmenting that formula with adaptations of the mechanics from the franchises it is handling."
Author's summary: Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment enriches the Musou formula with Tears of the Kingdom mechanics, offering a compelling story and improved gameplay on the Switch 2.
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