Koei Tecmo has brought its Musou “Warriors” formula to Nintendo properties five times now – twice with Fire Emblem and now, with Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, three times with The Legend of Zelda. This one might just be the most cohesive and coherent of them yet, and shows just how successfully Koei Tecmo has grown its ability to juggle big, frantic action with a narrative.
Where once the narrative of a Warriors game was shared via short cut scenes that bookended an extended beat-em-up brawler, now there’s a much more integrated narrative, with key story battles integrating cut scenes, changes of character and perspective, and more into the flow of battle. It sounds like a minor development, but it helps tie it all together, and it now feels less like you’re playing through a series of “levels,” like you’re in an arcade.
It’s a decent story and a contribution to the Zelda universe, too. Set during the same arc as Tears of the Kingdom, things kick off with Zelda falling into the magic sinkhole, only to wake up right at the beginning of Hyrule’s history, meeting the very first king and queen of the kingdom. This means you get to experience some pretty foundational moments to the convoluted, yet somehow connected Legend of Zelda lore, from the union between the Zonai and Hyrulean people, early diplomacy with the likes of the Gorons, and where the sometimes tense relationship between Hyrule and Gerudo began.
Of course, a lot of this will be familiar to people who have played Tears of the Kingdom, so while the additions to the narrative are welcome (and officially sanctioned by Nintendo – this is the first Zelda Warriors game to have a narrative considered part of the actual canon of the series), it does come across as a work of fanservice. I don’t mean swimsuit costumes and floating skirts, of course, but rather “fanservice” as in “giving the fans more of the thing they like and
We do also get a more detailed sense of Ganondorf than I think we’ve ever seen in a video game previously, where he’s always been some abject antagonist to work towards – the end boss we defeat because we’re meant to. Here, we get a better look at his machinations, tactics, and personality throughout the narrative, and he is a far more interesting villain than I generally find him to be as a result.
The conflict and tension steadily and appealingly escalate and will keep you invested right until the explosive end. I feel there was perhaps a little too much padding between the story beats, with Koei Tecmo doing its usual thing of having an overload of side quests, which really do involve not much more than constant combat for some resources at the other end. It’s enjoyable for the simple reason that the combat system is enjoyable, but I found at times it did disrupt the pacing of the narrative… but then perhaps I was just enjoying the story missions so much I simply wanted to play those through without disruption.
On the battlefield itself, this Warriors game really shines, with every character in the extensive cast feeling like they play substantially differently. Zelda herself has a wide range of magic skills, while Mineru commands Zonai robots to do her fighting for her. King Agraston of the Gorons has real weight behind his earthy strikes, and then there’s Ardi with her flowing, dance-like swordplay. There is the usual range of weak and strong attacks, a super attack, as well as the ability to disrupt enemies with unique abilities, link-up attacks, and the ability to use Zonai constructs. The toolkit is rich and interesting, giving you several different approaches to clearing rooms and tackling bosses, and in general, you’ll feel incredibly powerful, no matter what character you’re in control of.
Meanwhile, you do also have the ability to command your allies to various points around the map, and on the higher difficulty levels in particular, you’ll need to make use of this because any given battlefield will be throwing multiple objectives and potential ways to lose at once. It’s by no means the most strategic Warriors game we’ve seen (the Fire Emblem ones tend to put more focus on this), and the focus is firmly on the flashy, dynamic combat system, but there’s enough there to ensure that every level has its own flavour and you’ll never feel too bogged down in repetition.
In fact, there are even missions where you’ll be in control of a “Mysterious Construct” that can transform into a small aircraft, and your job there will be to play through an on-rails shooter as you travel from one Sky Island to the next. It’s not the best SMUMP-like action we’ve ever seen, but it breaks up the action nicely.
Also, for perhaps the first time, a Nintendo Warriors game plays with a mostly solid and steady framerate! I’ve never been too bothered by the occasionally stuttering framerates of these games because, despite being action titles, they’ve been forgiving on the timing windows such that a drop in frame rate doesn’t cost you the game. However, it is nice to see the Switch 2’s power being put to good use, especially with a game that has some pretty impressive fireworks and some gorgeous art direction to go with the massive number of enemies running around at once.
While Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment isn’t going to convert anyone who doesn’t enjoy Koei Tecmo’s Warriors formula, this is a very fine entry in it. It effectively builds on the lore of Tears of the Kingdom, gives you plenty of entertaining characters to play around with, and looks stunning as the first Warriors to get a spin on the Nintendo Switch 2. If you enjoyed Koei’s previous collaborations with Nintendo, you’re going to really love this one.
