Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment Review: Ultrahanding Out Beatdowns
With a smart adaptation of Tears of the Kingdom mechanics, an enjoyable cast, and a solid campaign, Age of Imprisonment stands out as a worthwhile spinoff. Nintendo and Koei Tecmo have won me over through several Warriors titles over the years. I appreciate how Koei Tecmo doesn’t just insert fan favorites into the Musou gameplay but enhances it by integrating mechanics from the original franchises.
This approach was successful with Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity and Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes, and now it continues with Age of Imprisonment. Leveraging the power of the Switch 2, Koei Tecmo has delivered a better-performing game that lives up to the excellence of Tears of the Kingdom.
Story and Setting
Picking up from the events of Tears of the Kingdom, Age of Imprisonment, like Age of Calamity, explores events only hinted at before. This time, the focus is on the conflict between Hyrule’s original King, Rauru, and the Gerudo chieftain turned Demon King, Ganondorf. Players familiar with Tears of the Kingdom know the outcome, but the game offers an in-depth tale of Zelda’s efforts to reunite with Link in the future.
"We get a lot of time with characters that were only in the periphery of Tears of the Kingdom."
Final Thoughts
The game successfully expands on untold stories and delivers enhanced gameplay, making it a worthy addition for fans of the series and newcomers alike.
Author’s Summary
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment smartly builds on Tears of the Kingdom mechanics and story, offering a polished, engaging spinoff with deeper character focus and improved performance on Switch 2.