Since its release in 2016, Zelda: Breath of the Wild, many people have continued to enjoy the game and are also still experiencing it for the first time. Now, however, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity has come to shake things up in a great way.
Nintendo originally released a demo of the game before the release so players could get a taste of the game before completely diving in. This Dynasty Warriors meets Zelda crossover is quite possibly what people needed to end the year. Developers Koei Tecmo and Omega Force decided to lift the open world aesthetic of Breath of the Wild and bring in the hack and slash instead.
There are many traits to the game that parallel Breath of the Wild such as notifications, background noises and maps. Since these games are tied together by story, this just enhances the already loved games. Set 100 years before Breath of the Wild even begins, you charge in to fight your way through the map overtaking enemies and capturing outposts. With a large roster of playable characters as well, you can choose which way you want to fight.
Magic, bows, and the occasional soup ladle can be used to fight your enemies while making your way along. Weapons however, can be upgraded as well as abilities added. Players can either join the Avengers style group set-up and play through the story, or choose to do the side quests which will result in more loot and the ability to upgrade your stuff. Overall the game can be enjoyed for at least 15 hours.
With every game, there are some annoying things that can happen. The frame rate tends to drop at the beginning of new sections which can be a game stopper for some. Another issue that can be seen as either normal or absolutely shattering, is the design. Sometimes you can see things populate into the game when coming across them and in general some of the design choices for the grass, for example, could be better. Personally, I don’t see these things as problems. Admittedly, Age of Calamity does have a lot going on on-screen but these things are not game stoppers to me. If you’re unsure of how you will handle this, check out the demo first in the Nintendo eshop.
9/10
Available on Switch
https://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/hyrule-warriors-age-of-calamity-switch/