Koei Tecmo is no stranger to the Musou genre, as one of its studios actually created it. Over the years, the company has collaborated with Nintendo across multiple franchises, with one of the most notable being The Legend of Zelda. From that partnership came the Hyrule Warriors series, which typically explores parallel or prequel stories to the main entries in the saga.
With the arrival of its third installment, titled Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, the story takes place during the events of Tears of the Kingdom. This time, Zelda must work alongside the legendary guardians to save the world and find a way to return to her original timeline. The narrative is quite engaging, offering additional context for characters that were only briefly mentioned in Tears of the Kingdom. Unlike previous entries, this game features more cinematic and narrative sequences, clearly showing that Nintendo had a stronger hand in its development.
Visually, the game retains the same artistic style seen in earlier Hyrule Warriors titles and in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. The environments are stunning, with breathtaking landscapes and settings inspired by familiar locations such as the floating islands, the Great Plateau, and the underground caverns. This allows players to experience well-known areas from fresh and unique perspectives.
When it comes to combat, the game sticks to the classic Musou formula: large segmented maps filled with waves of enemies to defeat before facing a final boss. Each character wields unique weapons and abilities that can be used strategically. A notable addition is the inclusion of Zonai devices, which can function both as weapons and as tools to summon elemental powers. The game also introduces aerial battles through on-rails sequences, adding some welcome variety to the gameplay loop.
The one-versus-thousands concept remains as satisfying and chaotic as ever, but some players might find it repetitive—a common issue within the genre. Additionally, this subseries continues to struggle with fully integrating its stories into the main Zelda canon, often feeling more like fan service than meaningful narrative expansion.
Despite these shortcomings, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment is a solid entry that showcases the technical capabilities of the Nintendo Switch 2, managing large-scale battles and flashy effects without noticeable frame drops. Its visuals and ties to the main Zelda franchise give the entire experience a sense of cohesion that fans will enjoy, even if it primarily appeals to a niche audience.
Score: 4/5
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