Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity Reviews
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.
A hugely entertaining love letter to Breath of the Wild let down by uneven performance that scuppers the game’s ludicrous highs.
In the end, Hyrule Warriors is and remains a rather conservative spin-off of the Warriors series that suffers from clear technical flaws. Lots of fireworks, little substance. Fans of the series won't be bothered by this anyway, but Zelda fans should take a closer look to see if this is worth picking up.
Review in German | Read full review
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity fails to deliver any meaningful fantasy through its story or its gameplay.
If you have a tolerance for spotty frame rates, patience for load times, and enjoy being an army of one against a horde of idiotic mooks; then Age of Calamity is for you. This is a guilty please that comes at a steep price, but it also serves as a potential appetizer of things to come in the Breath of the Wild sequel.
Hyrule Warriors : Age of Calamity delivers yet another Musou X Zelda experience, but fails to offers a great experience beyond the hardcore fans of Breath of the Wild. Pretty rough, the game lacks precision and variety, despite very good direction and musical score. For a few colorful cinematic moments, players with have to brawl they way through way too many similar fights, even with such iconic characters.
Review in French | Read full review
Bash and slash your way through umpteen morphing enemy hordes in this moreish Dynasty Warriors-Legend of Zelda crossover
As a Musou game, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is enjoyable. Narratively, on the other hand, it pulls every punch and is completely underwhelming as a prequel to Breath of the Wild.
Age of Calamity improves on the combat and structure of Hyrule Warriors, but saps much of the weight from Breath of the Wild's backstory as it fills in its gaps.
The best Dynasty Warriors style game ever made, which means it's slightly north of mediocre, with simplistic combat, weak storytelling, and a whole lot of repetition.
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.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is a satisfying musou hack and slasher, but that style of gameplay can only stay fresh for so long. The carry-over from Breath of the Wild, specifically the strong art design and rich lore, should keep the hardcore crowd invested until the end, though.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is a strong title with plenty of appeal to both Zelda and Musou fans. The enduring gameplay strengths of Omega Force’s titles are present and its interesting approach to being a prequel ensures there is some narrative interest.
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
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.
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 is by far the best Dynasty Warriors game on the market. It perfectly plucks on the heartstrings of Breath of the Wild fans, fleshing out fan-favourite characters with unique combat styles that keep the game feeling fresh. Unfortunately, as with many Koei Tecmo games, the camera controls, combat and performance are choppy and, at times, overly simplistic. But if you’re looking for a fun game to play with someone else, with tons of post-game content, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is a great way to spend some time before Breath of the Wild 2 releases. If you’re not sold, try the free demo!
It's an addictive, delightfully rowdy experience in spite of the creaky, decrypt gameplay and engine.
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.