Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment Review – An Empowering Prequel Spin-off
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom's Musou spin-off offers a largely familiar experience enhanced by several small but impactful combat improvements. Following the path set by 2020's Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, this title delivers the classic 1-versus-100 gameplay within an action-packed spin-off.
Players of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom might wonder what Princess Zelda was up to after being transported to Hyrule’s First Age. According to Nintendo and Koei Tecmo, her time was spent relentlessly battling tens of thousands of enemy Shades, Moblins, and Zonai Constructs. While this scenario wasn’t what I imagined, it fits well with the tone established by the previous Hyrule Warriors games.
Unlike its predecessors, Age of Imprisonment holds more significance, as its storyline is fully canonical and not part of an alternate timeline. Fundamentally, this remains a Musou game in the style of Dynasty Warriors and its related spin-offs.
"Providing you know that going in, however, there’s still a lot of fun to be had and sheer spectacle to be seen in Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment."
This game balances familiar gameplay with a captivating storyline, making it a rewarding experience for fans of the series and Musou genre alike.
Author's summary: Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment delivers a thrilling, canon-backed Musou adventure, blending satisfying combat tweaks with the franchise’s hallmark large-scale battles.