Verdict
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is an pleasing motion romp and a worthwhile growth of the Breath of the Wild universe. Those hoping for a deep narrative growth of the universe might be underwhelmed, however with the ability to spend extra time with these fantastic characters is greater than sufficient to depart you glad.
Pros
An pleasing growth of the Breath of the Wild universe
I cherished spending extra time with all of those characters
Combat is quick, fluid and crammed with selection
Plenty of content material throughout the marketing campaign and facet missions to get pleasure from
Cons
Performance doesn’t sustain with the motion in any respect
Not the totally fledged prequel narrative I hoped for
Key Specifications
Review Price: £49.99
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Genre: Action
Developer: Koei Tecmo
Release Date: November 20, 2020
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild solely ever dwelled on the previous within the type of bittersweet flashbacks. Moments in time the place the Champions of Hyrule loved time collectively, forming friendships earlier than Calamity Canon plunged their homeland into oblivion. After 100 years, Link awoke and ventured on a quest to defeat him.
Koei Tecmo’s Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity expands upon Breath of the Wild’s previous world and characters, appearing as a canonical sequel going down 100 years earlier than the masterful journey. It isn’t the nuanced exploration of lore I hoped for, nevertheless it stays an entertaining journey with loads of depth for hardcore followers.
Being capable of spend extra time with the best iterations of Link, Zelda and firm was an absolute pleasure, even when their jovial tales of gallantry had been a part of a wider narrative that didn’t have the profound influence I wished. If you’re after a stable motion recreation for the Nintendo Switch, oozing with Breath of the Wild fanservice, that is the proper recreation to spherical out a yr of incredible releases.
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Age of Calamity begins with Link appearing as little greater than a daily knight of Hyrule, having but to earn the companionship of Princess Zelda. He earns her consideration upon dispatching a number of hundred Bokoblins within the opening mission, proving that this androgynous blonde hero is much above the capabilities of his friends. Once the primary spherical of battles conclude, it turns into clear {that a} larger menace awaits on the horizon.
Together, Link and Princess embark on a pilgrimage to recruit the Champions of Hyrule. These 4 people are able to piloting the Divine Beasts, 4 historic buildings that may combat again the darkness with an array of devastating weaponry. But bringing them onto your facet isn’t simple, with every respective kingdom having their very own issues to resolve earlier than they can assist you. So, it’s time to get your arms soiled.
If you aren’t aware of Koei Tecmo’s work, it’s chargeable for the Dynasty Warriors franchise and the plethora of licensed spin-offs. The studio is not any stranger to large, epic battles, and this experience is mirrored within the brilliance of Hyrule Warriors. This is a quick and satisfying fight expertise with many playable characters, all of which sport their very own distinct abilities and skills which are excellent for wiping out armies of baddies.
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Your roster begins easy with Link, Zelda and a youthful model of Impa taking the reins by way of the primary handful of missions. They all play splendidly, with move-sets differing simply sufficient that switching between them looks like a necessity. Link is a swift and agile warrior, able to doling out plentiful sword strikes in a matter of moments. You can carry out some epic combos with only a few instructions, making you are feeling badass with little effort in any respect.
Wielding the Sheikah Slate, Zelda is a considerably extra timid hero, however not one it’s best to trifle with. The princess can hurl out a collection of completely different components, combining them to stun enemies in a weak state earlier than unleashing a deadly sequence of particular assaults. All characters are able to attaining such maneuvers, however Zelda’s base skills make them far simpler to tug off. She’s additionally lovely as heck, and simply my favorite iteration of the character.
You’ll come to unlock all Champions of Hyrule alongside a handful of different characters all through the marketing campaign, which is ripe with exhilarating set items throughout the Kingdom of Hyrule. The treacherous Yiga Clan is a mainstay all through the marketing campaign, having been instructed to disrupt the circulation of time and finish Zelda’s life earlier than she has an opportunity to avoid wasting Hyrule.
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Oh sure, I forgot to say that Age of Calamity can also be house to a justifiable share of timey-wimey nonsense. The plot begins with an lovely miniature guardian travelling again in time, having witnessed the occasions that result in the downfall of Hyrule. Since Breath of the Wild exists, it’s secure to imagine that the poor factor isn’t profitable in its mission.
Despite this, the narrative is an pleasing caper by way of Nintendo’s world, even when it’s by no means fairly the expansive prequel for which I hoped. Character interactions are all pleasant, with cutscenes splicing the melancholic loneliness of Breath of the Wild with a welcome aura of playfulness. The Champions of Hyrule have at all times been considered by way of splintered flashbacks, however now we are able to see them banter and befriend each other whereas making an attempt to avoid wasting the world.
What you don’t obtain is a extra dramatic glimpse on the land of Hyrule previous to Calamity Ganon’s takeover, a minimum of not till the marketing campaign’s later phases. When the stakes change into obvious, it’s an exhilarating and suspenseful flip of occasions that I used to be smitten to see unfold, even when my coronary heart was properly and actually damaged to see their characters succumb to their destiny. Hardcore followers of the sequence will wish to see all Age of Calamity has to supply, and for good cause.
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Missions are similar to these in Dynasty Warriors. You’ll dash throughout a big map crammed with completely different enemy outposts, which may be infiltrated and claimed by wiping out a collection of highly effective enemies. Once taken, foes will change into much less frequent throughout the battlefield, making it simpler to deal with the primary goals, which frequently contain wiping out main opponents or defending allies as they perform their very own duties which are additionally key to victory.
Combat is inherently repetitive, a flaw that followers of the Musou style have come to simply accept within the many years since its inception. The selection comes from willingly altering characters and adopting weapons outdoors of your vanilla loadout. I did this continuously, which made slicing by way of limitless swarms of repetitive foes far simpler to swallow. Side missions additionally supply extra numerous goals, appearing as brief bursts of motion and an ideal solution to degree up your characters.
An unlimited map of Hyrule acts as your central hub space, with the landmass changing into plagued by an limitless array of icons starting from unlockable shopkeepers to non-compulsory quests. As a rampant completionist, I wished to perform all of them earlier than embarking on every new chapter of the story. Some are easy skirmishes, whereas others require you to collect an assortment of substances to unlock NPC retailers or new combos and well being upgrades.
It’s a enjoyable solution to broaden the Hyrule Warriors expertise, including mild RPG components to a battle system that doesn’t actually supply many surprises. They stability each other out, offering the marketing campaign with a welcome sense of pacing that makes every new story quest a heat blanket to wrap your self in.
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Customisation of your characters is quite intensive, however the fashionasta in me would have cherished extra non-compulsory outfits for the entire characters, which is unfortunately absent. You’ll spend most your time toying with weapon upgrades and combo methods, though it’s actually doable that such aesthetic additions will come within the type of downloadable content material. The authentic Hyrule Warriors was awash with such choices and so, so many playable characters. Age of Calamity feels considerably tame by comparability, doubtless a consequence of it current inside a singular recreation’s world.
Verdict
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is an pleasing motion romp and a worthwhile growth of the Breath of the Wild universe. Those hoping for a deep narrative growth of the universe might be underwhelmed, however with the ability to spend extra time with these fantastic characters is greater than sufficient to depart you glad.
The repetitious fight is remedied by an enormous roster of characters and beneficiant improve system, which helps every battle really feel extra rewarding and satisfying than the final. Breath of the Wild 2 is probably going nonetheless years away, so it is a welcome distraction till then.