Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity Reviews
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity brings some of the same "Warriors" baggage along with it, but as someone who was always into these Omega Force romps, the juice was worth the squeeze. The story was genuinely enthralling throughout and it serves as a great companion piece for Breath of the Wild, while forging its own identity in many respects. I suspect a lot of the alterations are going to be controversial, but I like that they took some big swings and really went with it.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is a fantastic Musou game that stays true to it's Breath of the Wild roots. With some of the best gameplay in the genre, it's easy to recommend.
For me, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity succeeds on two separate fronts. This is a prequel with the narrative heft required for a game in the Zelda franchise. But, this is also a Musou/Warriors game that twists that formula into something unique and engaging. What emerges from this strange union is an experience unlike either set of source material.
Now if you'll excuse me, I am going to spend some more time with my precious Egg Boi.
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.
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.
The Divine Beasts are solidly the weakest part of the campaign and the inventory is a little clumsy to manage. That all being said, the totality of this Musou game is soundly enjoyable. The confidence on display in Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity echoes the earned success Nintendo has found after Breath of the Wild and the Switch. This is a refined and tight action-packed experience that delivers an excellent mix of Zelda lore and creatively ridiculous brawler gameplay.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity excels at being both a lively and addictive Warriors title while also being a competent prequel to Breath of the Wild. The action highlights each playable character’s skills wonderfully while weaving in a strategy item system against bosses. Sure, some environments didn’t translate well to the action genre, but I can see myself returning to Hyrule again and again in this adventure.
I legitimately both love and hate this game. I love it because of everything it does right (basically everything it does), and how it feels like more Breath of the Wild on an epic scale. But I also hate it because of what it does with the plot, and what it could have been. Granted, I’ve come to terms with the latter and it’s one of my favorite Warriors and Zelda games.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is a great game to sink hundreds of hours into. There’s a treasure trove of missions to do, a rich story to explore, and plenty of characters to enjoy. While the narrative wasn’t quite what I was expecting (or hoping for), it’s still full of entertaining twists and does enough to serve as a solid vehicle for Musou gameplay — certainly more than the original Hyrule Warriors’ plot did.
Overall, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is an excellent successor to the original Hyrule Warriors. When it comes to being a Breath of the Wild prequel, it captures the spirit and essence, but it also somewhat tarnishes the story that game told. Despite that, the gameplay is fun and inventive enough to see this new story through, and it should still be enjoyable for fans. If it means this will fill the void till we get the proper sequel, then so be it.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is a polished hack-and-slash that nails a satisfying blend of strategy and action, straying from its inspiration in many great ways.
If the name "The Legend of Zelda" means a lot to you, and you can have fun with musou-style games, then Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity will not disappoint. A lot of good settings and choices were made in this game, there are others that not. But in a total the action starts at 10 and never lets up, giving the player the battle after battle of tight and fun Musou action. If you like mudou-style games and Legend of Zelda this is a great title for you to try, with a good story, gameplay and graphics combinations this is a kinda alternative way to see legend of Zelda.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
If this is the kind of game that can happen with Nintendo and Omega Force both getting their proverbial hands dirty, then I hope this partnership only escalates from here.
Hyrule Warriors: The Age of Calamity is a well-made Musou, which tries to break the preconceptions with which the saga often tends to clash in the West, taking its cue from one of the best games ever. The result is ambitious and effective, albeit with some reservations mainly due to the Switch's technical limitations.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is a good musou game that well fits in a tiny bit of the Breath of the Wild formula, but especially the art. Oh, and it's one of the few musou games where I actually care about the story.
Review in German | Read full review
This is not BOTW2, but it's still a very fun game that is worth your time. It's fanfiction with an awesome hybrid action-RPG with BOTW mechanics attached. Just don't get too wrapped up in the non-canon Ganon and you'll be fine.
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
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is an ace accomplice to Breath of the Wild, providing charming backstories to its colorful cast of characters while carrying forward the spirit of experimental gameplay with impressive results.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity isn't The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2, but it's a great musou game with a lot of content for starved fans of Breath of the Wild. Even if you're a Zelda fan who can take or leave musou games, Age of Calamity is worth taking. However, occasional slowdown and frame drops, especially in handheld mode on the Switch Lite, make it clear the Switch is aging quickly.