Hyrule Warriors Reviews
'Hyrule Warriors' delivers plenty of fan service for 'The Legend of Zelda' fans but fails to provide a compelling reason to keep playing.
It's certainly not perfect, but Hyrule Warriors' combat and treatment of the typically sterile Zelda franchise is just big, dumb, loud fun.
It is The Legend of Zelda meets Dynasty Warriors in this fast-paced field combat game. Nina Raze finds a brilliant combination where you might not have expected it.
Hyrule Warriors ought not to work – it smacks of Nintendo's desperation to get any sort of game out for its overlooked machine – but it will certainly delight the faithful fans, and manages to remain utterly true to the world of Zelda while offering really fresh-feeling gameplay. It's far from perfect, and won't win any awards, but has the attributes required to gain cult status in the years to come. If you have a Wii U, it's a must-buy.
Misses one too many marks
I kept coming back wanting to play more, even after unlocking almost everything the game had to offer. That is the ultimate compliment I can pay to the latest exclusive title on the Wii U. Fans of Zelda and musou games, this is a no-brainer, but for anyone else on the fence, it is definitely a game worth checking out.
Hyrule Warriors is a different kind of Zelda game. That doesn't mean it's any less fun. Amazing production values, addictive gameplay, a rich story and an overall sense of extreme quality, polish and confidence make Hyrule Warriors much more than a mere spinoff.
Omega Force superbly balances the beat 'em all combat of Dynasty Warriors with the enchanting world of The Legend of Zelda. With a meaty combat system and tons of stuff to uncover, Hyrule Warriors is a mad idea that should logically get old after an hour, but never does. It's a novelty that can't quit being novel, and I love it to death.
Visiting familiar Zelda locations and wiping out hundreds of enemies offers brief but satisfying bursts of mindless enjoyment, just don't expect to be engaged in the same way as a full series release.
Hyrule Warriors surprised me in the best way it possibly could as I expected a decent and enjoyable, but not overly spectacular game, but what I got was the most fun I've had in a game in quite some time.
All in all, I'm glad to have experienced a game like Hyrule Warriors and also that I went into it without any great preconceived notions. What I found was an interesting addition to the Zelda franchise, enjoyable in a mindless way, and fun for scholars of Hyrulean lore. I would venture that any Zelda aficionado would find the same, just so long as you keep those wild expectations in check!
Hyrule Warriors is the Legend of Zelda tactical brawler for the Wii U you didn't you know you wanted.
Like deep-fried caviar and the Warriors games that preceded it, Hyrule Warriors is an acquired taste that won't be for everybody. Gamers who primarily like first-person shooters or epics such as the Last of Us likely won't appreciate the mechanics of this game. If you're a fan of Dynasty Warriors-style games or grew up on old-school beat-em ups and adore the repetitive yet addicting mastery they require, then you will love this new link to the past.
Honestly, if you're a Zelda fan, I wouldn't recommend you skipping out on this title due the sheer amount of modes and content squeezed in. What I would recommend, however, is playing in segments instead of trying to beat the bulk of it at once, since the repetitive nature of the gameplay can at times get exhausting after a couple hours of missions. If you're unsure whether to take the plunge, you can always rent or ask a friend for their copy first.
If hack-n-slash games are your jam—or you can tolerate them but really just love The Legend of Zelda in all its iterations—then Hyrule Warriors is a more-than-worthy warmup for Link on the Wii U.
Hyrule Warriors lives up to expectations by having as many tropes from the Zelda series attached as it can, but it does have its fair share of shortcomings.
For those that come in expecting a classic Legend of Zelda adventure this could potentially be an underwhelming experience; yet as a fun action game with plenty of content is delivers well. Once the problem of perception — courtesy of the iconic characters at play — is resolved, this is an entertaining addition for action fans.
Hyrule Warriors is not easy. I had to turn the difficulty all the way down on more than one occasion to get through the game in a timely fashion. That's a relationship I am used to with so-called "core games," or games aimed not at casual players, but traditional gamers who want some good, old-fashioned punishment through game difficulty.
It looks like Zelda and plays like Dynasty Warriors. Yep, it does pretty much what it says on the tin.
Hyrule Warriors is mindless fun, with surprising detail and depth. It's not pure Zelda though, and if that's what you're expecting then you may want to prepare yourself first. Despite ample shortcomings, it's one of the better Musou titles in recent memory.