Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment is certainly one of the more interesting titles in Nintendo's spate of upcoming first-party releases. The game, which follows the original Hyrule Warriors and Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, is a continuation of the Zelda-themed Warriors games developed in collaboration with Koei Tecmo, the company behind the prolific and explosive Dynasty Warriors franchise.
Much like Samurai Warriors and Fire Emblem Warriors, the Hyrule Warriors games are spin-offs of the traditional one-vs-1,000 gameplay characteristic of Koei Tecmo's iconic warfare franchise, leveraging the specifics of their source material to their benefit. In other words, rather than fighting hordes of Chinese soldiers with spears and lances, Hyrule Warriors players face hordes of bokoblins with weapons, powers, and tools specific to the Zelda franchise. But Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment is far more than a mere Dynasty Warriors and Zelda mash-up: it will serve as a prequel to Tears of the Kingdom, just like how Age of Calamity is a prequel to Breath of the Wild. This narrative framing is interesting, and could yield some great results, but it's also a bit disappointing for those hoping for a continuation of the original Hyrule Warriors' premise, which was decidedly more ambitious.
Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom's Best Ability is a Wildcard for Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment
If Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment is anything like Age of Calamity, it could include a radical spin on Tears of the Kingdom's best mechanics.
Hyrule Warriors Should Return To Its Irreverent Crossover Roots After Age of Imprisonment
The First Hyrule Warriors Is a Zelda Extravaganza
While Age of Calamity only features a handful of key characters from Breath of the Wild as playable characters, and Age of Imprisonment can be expected to do the same, the first Hyrule Warriors took a much less restrictive approach, with just under thirty playable characters in its roster. This was possible because of Hyrule Warriors' narrative premise, which saw several distinct Zelda timelines crossing over with one another.
In the first Hyrule Warriors, players could control the usual suspects, like Link and Zelda, but also a number of fan-favorites from other games, like Midna from Twilight Princess and Ruto from Ocarina of Time. This kind of ambitious crossover content had never been seen before in the Zelda series, and hasn't quite been seen since, which is a bit disappointing. After all, the broader design philosophy of the Warriors formula is defined by relentless, aggressive action and boundless creativity; it's not a design template built around restraint, that's for sure. As Hyrule Warriors moves forward, beyond Age of Imprisonment, this no-holds-barred attitude should come back into the fray.
In addition to characters from previous entries, Hyrule Warriors also features locations from older Zelda games, such as Lorule from A Link to the Past.
Hyrule Warriors Might Be Holding Itself Back With Its Prequel Approach
In a sense, it's quite smart for Nintendo to position the previous two Hyrule Warriors games as prequels for BOTW and TOTK. These are games whose narratives involve a number of distinct, key characters, so what better way to demonstrate their impact than to make a game where players fill their shoes? Building these games around the large-scale, frenetic battles of the Dynasty Warriors formula also helps them feel distinct, as this formula is about as far from Zelda as one can get.
Age of Calamity is technically non-canon, as it is set in a splintered timeline, but it begins during Breath of the Wild's Calamity, so it's fair to consider it a quasi-prequel.
But with the BOTW/TOTK saga coming to a close, it may be best for Hyrule Warriors to pivot back to its older format, incorporating characters and concepts from across several Zelda timelines rather than restricting itself to a single chronology. Since the main mechanical attraction of this subseries is the option to control various Zelda NPCs, it simply makes sense to include as many characters as possible, even if it means losing a strong connection to any single entry in the series.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 79 /100 Critics Rec: 84%
- Released
- November 6, 2025
- ESRB
- Teen / Fantasy Violence
- Developer(s)
- Koei Tecmo
- Publisher(s)
- Nintendo
WHERE TO PLAY
Battle hordes of enemies in the untold story of the Imprisoning War
Fight the war for Ancient Hyrule! Step on to the battlefield as Princess Zelda, King Rauru, and other legendary heroes as you fight to reclaim your homeland—and live the story of Demon King Ganondorf’s invasion that was only briefly alluded to in The Legend of Zelda™: Tears of the Kingdom game.
Fight alongside new and familiar heroes to defend Hyrule from the Demon King
Princess Zelda is not alone in this war! Join Mineru, the Sages, and even some brand-new heroes in battles against Ganondorf’s forces. Combine powerful Zonai Devices with your heroes’ signature abilities to take down powerful bosses and their legions of minions.
Team up with a friend in two-player local co-op via split screen or GameShare
Join up with a friend for two-player local co-op, and you can spread out to cover more ground as the war unfolds—or stick together and combine your powers to smash the opposition. Play split-screen on a single system, or on two separate systems via GameShare*—either way, only one person needs to have the game.
Tap any The Legend of Zelda series amiibo™ for extra items
Scan any The Legend of Zelda series amiibo figure** to get in-game rewards including crafting materials and other items that you might find helpful in your quest to defeat the Demon King!
Use save data from Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity or The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom to get additional weapons
If you have save data from the Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity game on your system when you play, you’ll receive a High Guard’s Claymore. If you have save data from the Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom game, you receive a High Guard’s Sword. These weapons can be redeemed after returning to the Hyrule map upon completion of The Howling Tempest mission.
- Franchise
- The Legend of Zelda, Dynasty Warriors
- Genre(s)
- Action, Hack and Slash
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch 2
