Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment Reviews
Age of Imprisonment does a fantastic job of playing to the strengths of a Warriors game. Just some simple, hack-and-slash fun done well. While some sections and the difficulty curve is a little clunky, it more than makes up with it with an engaging and well integrated plot that builds upon the fantastic story from Tears of the Kingdom.
Age of Imprisonment is a vastly enjoyable Zelda adventure that, like Age of Calamity before it, gave me a better story than Link’s last two outings. The world of The Legend of Zelda is massive, across numerous timelines and games. While the gameplay is certainly a different taste than the main series games, I simply find these to offer more of what I want; great combat, fun characters, and compelling story. Age of Imprisonment has new stewards in AAA Game Studio, and so far, they've succeeded in providing a wildly addictive game with only a few blemishes across the whole package.
The newest Hyrule Warriors sticks to the tried-and-true Musou formula, blending hack-and-slash chaos with Zelda’s iconic world. While the action is fun and technically solid, the story feels thin and overly familiar, leaving fans wanting more depth despite its canonical promise. I was still thoroughly entertained from start to finish.
Review in Finnish | Read full review
While Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment is still well and truly a Musou game, it’s certainly the best Zelda spin-off yet. With a visual style aligned with Tears of the Kingdom alongside a compelling and canon story, there’s plenty of reason to play for those committed to the narrative. Unsurprisingly, this is hindered by bland and repetitive button-mashing combat. Aside from its fleeting Star Fox-style aerial rail shooter missions, Age of Calamity does very little to set itself apart from the legions of Musou games that have come before it.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment is easily the most impressive and enjoyable entry in the series, even if it doesn’t completely reinvent the musou formula. The slick performance, rewarding combat tweaks, and genuinely engaging (and canon, can’t forget that) story make it a standout adventure.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment is the most polished entry in the spinoff series, delivering canonical Zelda storytelling that actually enhances Tears of the Kingdom rather than undermining it. The combat feels genuinely tactical thanks to Zonai devices, elemental reactions, and interactive Sync Strikes that demand more than button-mashing. It’s the rare spinoff that makes its source material better just by existing, and that’s worth celebrating even when you’re mashing buttons as you capture your tenth outpost of the day.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment is both a farewell and a celebration. It doesn’t rewrite what the genre is; it just perfects how it fits into Zelda’s mythology. The pacing is smoother, the combat smarter, and the story stronger than ever. It’s not for everyone, you’ll still spend most of your time tearing through armies, but it’s done with such flair, such affection for the world it expands, that it’s hard not to get swept up in it. For long-time Zelda fans, this feels like closure. For Musou fans, it’s a technical victory. And for everyone in between, it’s just a great time to lose yourself in chaos one last time.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment isn't a new Legend of Zelda game, but rather an expansion of the story behind The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. It's mindless button mashing to destroy as many enemies as possible. In any other game, you'd be put off by this, but in Age of Imprisonment, it works perfectly because you're given plenty of story to fill in the gaps. The free choice of characters and the way you can improve them never feels punishing. Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment is simply a joy to play on a drizzly day while enjoying the magic of a Legend of Zelda game.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment is a very good action game that should be a must-have for fans of The Legend of Zelda series. The game nicely fills in any gaps left by Tears of the Kingdom, adding depth to various characters and many events mentioned in previous games. If you need an action game that will make you feel like a real boss, this is a good choice.
Review in Polish | Read full review
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment takes the action-adventure series into a different direction with hack-and-slash gameplay. The game expands the lore of the The Legend of Zelda series, while feeling like an entirely new world.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment masterfully blends the musou genre with mechanics from The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, creating an extremely fun combat system. Its canonical narrative for the BOTW and TOTK universe expands the lore of both games in a very respectful way, adding new and interesting elements to Hyrule’s story without necessarily making them overly essential to the universe, serving as an excellent complement for fans who love this world.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
As a direct evolution of its predecessor, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment explores and expands on the past of Tears of the Kingdom through a relatively predictable narrative that fails to take advantage of its new characters. At the same time, it delivers one of the most fluid, complex, and entertaining gameplay experiences in the entire series.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Built as a prequel set in ancient Hyrule, this Musou-style entry gives The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom lore a thrilling action upgrade. The combat is sharper, the performance smoother on the Switch 2, and playing as Zelda in a leadership role adds fresh weight. But repetitive missions and a limited sense of exploration stop it from being exceptional.
Review in French | Read full review
Whether you're new to Zelda, new to Warriors, or a veteran of both, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment is a joy to play. With surprisingly deep combat for a Warriors game and an incredible amount to unlock, it'll keep you playing for hours on end.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment does plenty of things well, making for an exciting and enjoyable musou game. I wish it had a couple more memorable characters and a bit of a stronger story, but pretty much everything else about the game is excellent and worth experiencing if you dig Tears of the Kingdom.
It's still a musou game, so don't expect a lot of variety; however, the developers have managed to build a game around the splendid mythology of Tears of the Kingdom, and this is inevitably an asset that should not be underestimated. In addition, progression is handled with important innovations, such as the introduction of new mechanics that mitigate repetitiveness. It's a shame, however, about the story, which could have offered much more.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment is one of the most remarkable experiences ever delivered by the The Legend of Zelda universe outside its mainline titles. With a deep narrative, memorable characters, and deliciously satisfying combat, the game not only learns from the mistakes of Age of Calamity but surpasses it with ease. It’s epic, emotional, and technically impressive on the Nintendo Switch 2. This is an essential title for any fan who wants to truly understand and feel he real Imprisonment War.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment is a remarkable musou game that leverages the power of Nintendo Switch 2 to deliver a much smoother and more spectacular experience than its predecessor. It expands on mechanics, delves deeper into strategy, and reinforces the narrative to connect more coherently with the events of Tears of the Kingdom, although it requires a deep understanding of the lore to fully enjoy it.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
While it suffers from occasional repetition and blandness, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment stands as the best Hyrule Warriors entry to date—and one of the most enjoyable Zelda spinoffs we’ve gotten so far.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment is a lesson learned from all the work done adapting popular series into musou games. It not only draws from its predecessor, but also makes good choices considering the best aspects introduced in these productions in recent years.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review