Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity Reviews
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is an enjoyable action romp and a worthwhile expansion of the Breath of the Wild universe. Those hoping for a deep narrative expansion of the universe will be underwhelmed, but being able to spend more time with these wonderful characters is more than enough to leave you satisfied.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is a lot to take in. There are so many systems in play here, but somehow they all come together to form a solid, cohesive experience that makes this game so damn hard to put down. Throw in a cast of extremely likeable characters, and set it in the rich world of Breath of the Wild, and you get one of the best musou-style games that Koei Tecmo and Omega Force have ever put out.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity falters greatly in its narrative. The time-traveling aspect felt like a cheap and easy way to rewrite history without actually adding much to the established lore. That said, this did allow Princess Zelda to shine which ended up being a pleasant surprise. The gameplay is the main hook and it's a bloody fun one at that. There is lots to love here if you can ignore the story.
If you enjoyed Breath of the Wild's story and characters, and like musou games, this is a great combination of the two that's worth checking out.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is an epic game in some ways. It starts excitingly and rarely lets up. If you stink at dungeons and shrines and won't miss exploring, you'll find a world that's still impressive and characters that have proven to endure in the minds of series fans. In the end, it remains predominantly Koei-Tecomo's Warrior gameplay with Nintendo's Zelda dressing, so probably not GOTY material. Still, it's an entertaining way to tide yourself over until the true sequel arrives.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is a ton of fun, but handicaps itself with the occasionally abysmal frame pacing, wonky camera, and design of later missions. Still, it's the perfect accompaniment to Breath of the Wild and well worth your time.
Hyrule Warriors Age of Calamity delivers on many grounds, delving deeper into the story of Breath of the Wild while also going and delivering a deeper take on the tale. Its combat is solid and you'll have fun testing out the various characters that arrive to help you.
Even if Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is more The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild than Dynasty Warriors, both games are present. The gameplay is still an odd mix of mindless fun and engaging challenge that makes it really fun to play. It would be nice to see more done with the concept, though there is only so much that can be said for the concept. Perhaps the best way to put it is, given the concept, it's the best possible outcome and that is really all that matters.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is a breath of fresh air compared to other Warrior installments and is worth playing if you loved Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. The story, characters, and music are the best I've seen out of a Nintendo Warriors game in a long while. Even though the AI is severely lacking and multiplayer could use some improvements, it still is not enough to drag the game down from being the best Nintendo Warriors installment I've ever seen.
Age of Calamity isn't the compelling addition to Zelda canon that may have been promised, but it does just enough right that it can muster a recommendation for fans of Breath of the Wild.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, is a defining example of what you can do with musou games in the right situation. Not only does it shine Breath of the Wild's enjoyable characters in a new light, but it also provides a new lens to experience Hyrule through. It's an experience that is as much musou as it is Breath of the Wild, but integrates ideas from both, and melds them in interesting ways that's guaranteed to please fans of either game type. If you're a fan of Breath of the Wild, or musou games in general, Age of Calamity is well worth your time and attention, even if the Switch sometimes struggles under its ambitions.
The Zelda devout have already decided to to buy this game and I hope they love it. Everyone else might want to spend some time with the demo first.
I can't say I hate Age of Calamity, but I am saddened by it, and how little it did with the intriguing potential it had.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity impresses with its narrative and fun hack and slash action from the offset, but dreadful performance and repetitive gameplay ultimately stifle its impact
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity recreates the style of Breath of the Wild, adding some strategy elements to the musou gameplay to improve the slash experience. If you just like The Legend of Zelda, but have an aversion to musou gameplay, don't force yourself to taste it.
Review in Chinese | Read full review
In the end Age of Calamity is more Breath of the Wild than Dynasty Warriors, and I’ve been purposely vague when it comes to the storyline and specific quests for good reason. Although they were far and few-between in Breath of the Wild, when you did get the ol’ cinematic it was pretty special. In Age of Calamity you have more of these, both in quantity and in terms of high quality production values. To the point where you can’t wait to see what happens next.
I think Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is worth your time, the only question is are you willing to push through its shortcomings in order to see that payoff? For me personally the answer was yes. For you – I say do some research before pledging your sword for the realm.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity ingeniously translates The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild's world, style, and gameplay into the Warriors formula, and fans of both series will be extremely satisfied with how both are reimagined here. But if you were expecting a more straightforward prequel that truly mined the tragedy of the war against Calamity Ganon, instead of relying on tired tropes like time travel, you might be left a little shell-shocked.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity it's a bit of a surprise, finally a good musou with an outstanding resonance of Breath of the Wild in terms of story and worldbuilding.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is a heck of a Warriors game and a fantastic love letter to Breath of the Wild and Zelda in general.