Hyrule Warriors Legends Reviews

Hyrule Warriors Legends is ranked in the 44th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
Will Greenwald
Top Critic
Mar 29, 2016

Hyrule Warriors Legends for the (New) 3DS takes all of the excellent action, and most of the DLC found in the Wii U version, and makes it playable on the go. Just make sure you have the New 3DS or New 3DS XL before you get it.

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Apr 7, 2016

Ironically, the game grinds to a halt whenever it indulges in callbacks to the Legend of the Zelda brand.

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4 / 10.0
Mar 31, 2016

Hyrule Warriors Legends offers players with tons to do and brings together many of the franchise’s most iconic characters in a way that is unexpected yet fun — however, the subpar technical performance and changes made to accommodate the handheld may make it an experience that’s far from legendary.

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Mar 29, 2016

With its friendly pick up and play design, Hyrule Warriors Legends is an excellent fit for the Nintendo 3DS. The game is highly entertaining, offers endless replayability, and has enough new content to warrant a double-dip from Wii U owners. If you have a New Nintendo 3DS, Hyrule Warriors Legends is a must-own thanks to its highly entertaining gameplay.

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Mar 25, 2016

If you like this type of game, and happen to own a New Nintendo 3DS, then you can't really go wrong with Hyrule Warriors Legends. It somehow manages to be more fun than its console peer, and packs a ton of content into its small game cart.

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3.8 / 5.0
Mar 24, 2016

Hyrule Warriors Legends is a notable refresh of the Wii U original that adds new characters and greatly improves gameplay thanks to the addition of character switching and the ability to direct allies in the battlefield. Owners of older 3DS systems and the 2DS likely will be disappointed by the drop in performance. If you own a New 3DS, however, and loved the Wii U game, this portable version is a worthy addition to your handheld library.

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7 / 10
Mar 21, 2016

For the most part, Hyrule Warriors Legends is exactly what you'd expect from a 3DS port. The visuals are downgraded and the co-op and challenge modes are absent, but otherwise this is a close match in terms of pure gameplay; it's actually surprising how well the core mechanics have been transferred over to Nintendo's handheld despite the yawning technical abyss which exists between it and the Wii U. In that respect, Hyrule Warriors Legends can be considered a success; it faithfully replicates its domestic parent on weaker - but more portable - hardware.In terms of additional content, the story is less clear. While the new characters and Wind Waker missions are excellent, they're arguably not enticing enough to tempt those who have already played the Wii U original to completion. The fact that the forthcoming DLC is being spread across both systems also means that Wii U owners shouldn't feel entirely left out if they decide against investing in both versions. However, if you're totally new to the game and don't mind rough graphics, then the 3DS edition could be considered your best bet; the Adventure Mode is ideal for portable play and the bonus content makes this feel like a more "complete" package. There are still the issues of repetition to contend with of course, but Hyrule Warriors Legends remains a solid and enjoyable spin-off from one of Nintendo's most beloved franchises.We'll update our review with a score when we've had chance to properly explore the My Fairy mode, which we were unable to access during the initial review period.

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8.5 / 10.0
Mar 21, 2016

Hyrule Warriors Legends does something a lot of games can’t do: take a console version and improve upon it. Loss of graphical fidelity aside, Legends breathes new life into Hyrule Warriors and offers up a fantastic and deep handheld experience that will have you up at the wee hours of the night saying “just one more battle” until the sun comes up.

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8 / 10.0
Mar 22, 2016

Hyrule Warriors Legends is a fantastic game that is not satisfied with being a simple port. Its new features and content, refined gameplay and the inclusion of all the original’s DLC makes this an easy recommendation, if, and only if, you have a New 3DS.

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7 / 10
Mar 21, 2016

Hyrule Warriors: Legends is a good conversion from the Wii U's Zelda-inspired fighting game and it brings an enormous amount of content and gameplay that can easily go into one hundred hours. It's difficult to understand, however, why there is no multiplayer in this version and the lack of a cross save feature will frustrate many who have already gone through the Wii U original.

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8 / 10.0
Apr 14, 2016

If you’re looking for a good time sink game, this is the game for you. The value is much higher than anything you’ll get from playing most other games solo, especially if you’re a Zelda fan.

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4 / 5.0
Apr 18, 2016

Hyrule Warriors Legends was designed to be a Zelda spin-off and not the next entry in the Zelda series.

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4.5 / 5.0
Apr 6, 2016

If there’s anything I’d critique about the core gameplay, it’d be that the multiple objectives that occasionally each require immediate attention are straining. Dividing your attention across large maps, especially when you’re alone in battle is a wee bit stressful.

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CGMagazine
Top Critic
8 / 10.0
Mar 21, 2016

I had a blast returning to this alternate take on my favourite franchise; this is a game that I will constantly come back to.

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NZGamer
Top Critic
8 / 10.0
May 9, 2016

A Warriors game in Zelda dressing - and that’s a good thing.

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7.5 / 10.0
May 3, 2016

If you’re looking at this game and expecting the complexity of The Legend of Zelda, you will be disappointed. If you’re interested in mindless fun that makes you feel like a god while playing through it, then you’ll probably feel right at home. It’s Dynasty Warriors with Zelda characters, and if you don’t like Dynasty Warriors, you’re not going to like this title either.

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7.8 / 10.0
Apr 6, 2016

Hyrule Warriors Legends feels more awkward to control on handheld and doesn’t perform nearly as well as the Wii U version but it does add some interesting new modes and features like character switching and fairy skills. For newcomers playing on the New 3DS is recommended, otherwise you’ll be faced with naff camera angles, fiddly controls and massive framerate drops. Of course these flaws won’t matter too much to super fans who are sure to enjoy the experience, the many new features and the upcoming content, providing they don’t mind starting over.

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Apr 6, 2016

Hyrule Warriors Legends isn’t as technically impressive as the original release on the Wii U, but it stands out as a true highlight among portable Warriors games. Content rich, rich with Zelda lore, and a mechanically-tight brawler, it’s a love letter to the fans, and it’s good to see that Koei Tecmo is still working on this property… it bodes well for what we might see on the NX down the track.

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Cubed3
Top Critic
7 / 10
Mar 26, 2016

All in all, Hyrule Warrriors Legends is the definitive version of the game, wrapping up some of the issues and storyline features from the original with additional content, refined controls and even more playable characters. It's an action-packed, worthy tribute to Nintendo's iconic adventure series that brings something new to the storyline and characters we've grown familiar with. If you've yet to play Hyrule Warriors, then the 3DS release is certainly the more comprehensive version - it feels as if it's more suited as a handheld, pick-up-and-play game. Those of you who have the Wii U version and intend on replaying the game, Legends is worth a look-in, but, otherwise, the additional content may not be enough to justify buying an expanded port.

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Mar 24, 2016

Hyrule Warriors Legends is great for anyone looking for some mindless action to sink hours into, this is especially true if you missed out on the 2014 Wii U game.

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