Recently, I had the thrilling opportunity to spend about 20 minutes with the upcoming Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, and let me tell you, there’s a ton here to excite both Zelda and Musou enthusiasts! For Zelda fans, the biggest news is that Age of Imprisonment is officially canon. Unlike Age of Calamity‘s somewhat ambiguous alternate timeline, Nintendo is fully committing to this sequel, integrating its events directly into the main Zelda storyline. While we broadly know Ganondorf’s ultimate fate, this game promises to shed light on many unanswered questions about the pivotal events that unfolded before and after.
From a gameplay perspective, Age of Imprisonment boasts a fantastic array of playable canon characters. Even from my brief encounter with Zelda, Rauru, and Mineru, it’s clear this roster is brimming with exciting potential and diverse playstyles.
Our hands-on session took us deep into the mysterious underground Depths alongside Rauru, Mineru, and Zelda. Zelda herself expressed surprise, admitting she’d never known of this vast subterranean world. Mineru clarified that the Depths house numerous sacred power sites, where she had been diligently gathering constructs for her research. Her solo expeditions were limited until Zelda’s radiant powers joined the fray, helping to subdue the threats lurking below.
Naturally, each character showcases a distinct combat style. Zelda fluidly switches between swift slashes with a curious Zonaite sword and powerful magical light projectiles. Rauru commands the battlefield with elegant spear strikes and potent beam attacks, while Mineru unleashes a chaotic yet effective arsenal of gadgets crafted from Zonai technology.
As a veteran of Age of Calamity, I instantly felt at ease dismantling hordes of Little Frox, Frox, and Constructs. Even newcomers to the Musou genre should find the combat highly accessible. Many core mechanics from the previous game return: familiar regular and strong attack combos, satisfying dashes, thrilling flurry rushes, defensive guards, strategic weakpoint smashes, and a wealth of crafting materials. The attacks are visually spectacular, cover vast areas, and consistently deliver an enjoyable sense of power.
The familiar Sheikah Slate menu has been replaced by a system of unique skills tied to the R button. This new system offers both potent dashing and vertical attacks. Crucially, it also integrates Zonai devices that can be deployed at will, or, for maximum impact, used to parry enemy abilities and return the favor with a satisfying counter. For instance, the Y-dashing counter expertly repels charging foes like the Constructs’ lunges, a move directly inspired by Tears of the Kingdom. The X-button variant counters aerial or jumping assaults, such as the Frox’s devastating leap. While these abilities deal damage on their own, executing precise counters is far more rewarding, often opening opportunities for powerful follow-up attacks. Like previous slate abilities, these new skills operate on a cooldown. What’s particularly innovative is the customizable Zonai equipment assigned to the A and B buttons. Each piece possesses distinct properties, allowing players to dynamically swap their loadout via the D-pad’s right menu to exploit enemy weaknesses. However, this powerful Zonai tech relies on rechargeable Zonai batteries, adding a layer of resource management.
A truly brilliant aspect is the ability to deploy certain Zonai equipment directly into the environment, where it operates autonomously, significantly boosting your damage output. And since friendly fire isn’t a concern, you can freely unleash devices like a flame emitter, seamlessly weaving it into your devastating offensive strategies – a blessing from Hylia indeed!
Enemies in Age of Imprisonment retain familiar traits and weaknesses from Tears of the Kingdom. For instance, Frox still devour bombs and are vulnerable to eye shots or strikes to their ore-laden backsides. Players who delved into Tears will find themselves with a considerable tactical advantage, already understanding how to approach various enemy encounters.
However, the true game-changer from Age of Calamity comes in the form of Sync Strikes. These aren’t just powerful two-character attacks; their very requirement for dual participation fundamentally alters the Musou formula. Typically, Musou games encourage dividing your forces to cover the map. But here, Sync Strikes demand strategic cooperation, forcing you to carefully decide when characters should unite or split up – a fascinating strategic evolution for the genre.
In my view, Sync Strike attacks are the single most significant innovation. In Age of Calamity, individual characters often acted alone across the map. Yet, the sheer potency of Sync Strikes makes teaming up two characters a highly efficient method for swiftly eliminating enemies and conserving precious time. This system constantly nudges you to re-evaluate your unit deployment, optimizing for the best possible outcomes, particularly given the longer charge times for these devastating attacks.
The variety of Sync Strike attack combinations is impressive, shifting based on the participating characters. These range from controllable multi-directional energy beams to complete transformations, such as Mineru’s formidable powered-up construct. This inherent diversity suggests that certain Sync Strikes will excel in specific scenarios, creating ample opportunities for players to experiment, optimize character builds, and refine their strategies. Considering the sheer scale of the potential final roster, designing interconnected Sync attacks for every character must be an immense undertaking, but for players, it promises a wealth of strategic depth.
Despite a relatively short preview that ended with a tantalizing teaser, I came away with a strong sense of Age of Imprisonment‘s exceptional quality – it truly feels phenomenal. The fact that the game already stands so strong, and I haven’t even seen some of my most anticipated characters yet, only amplifies my excitement for its November 6 release.