Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity
| Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity | |
|---|---|
| Developer | Omega Force |
| Publisher | Nintendo Koei Tecmo (Japan) |
| System | Switch |
| Release Date | November 20, 2020 |
| Rating | ESRB: T |
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is an action game that was released for the Nintendo Switch in 2020. It is the second of Koei Tecmo's Hyrule Warriors games. Age of Calamity acts as a departure from the previous game, as it features revamped gameplay and a setting based solely on the backstory of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
Story[edit]
The awakening of Calamity Ganon has unleashed a Great Calamity upon Hyrule. Among the devastation, a Diminutive Guardian suddenly woke up from its resting place on a shelf in Princess Zelda's bedroom and used a time portal to travel back in time several months in an attempt to prevent the Calamity from unfolding. It comes across Zelda and Link during a skirmish against enemy monsters. This results in events starting to unfold earlier, such as the activation of the Sheikah Towers and Sheikah Pad. Upon taking the Guardian to Purah and Robbie for analysis, they learn of the dark future that awaits them and start accelerating their measures to prevent the Calamity by working to recruit the Champions and awaken Zelda's powers. But they are threatened by a fortune teller named Aster, who is working with Kohga and the Yiga Clan to ensure that the Calamity unfolds just as it originally did.
Gameplay[edit]
This game follows some of the basics of Dynasty Warriors gameplay, as the game involves melee action, the ability to switch between multiple characters in battle and claiming strongholds from the enemy. Many of the differences in this installment stem from being based on Breath of the Wild. All characters have access to their own variations on the Sheikah Slate Rune abilities from that game (Remote Bombs, Cryonosis, Stasis and Magensis) and certain items (three elemental rods and an apple that can be used to heal) as well as usage of a Paraglider or some variation. Players can also cook recipes before battles which have special effects during the battle. The game's interface uses the map from Breath of the Wild, with icons being used to select what the player will do now. These include story scenarios, extra missions, shops and quests which act as the equivalent of a skill tree by unlocking new abilities or attributes for characters by providing the required materials.
Age of Calamity features a large cast of Zelda characters that can be unlocked throughout the quest. Unlike the first game, which drew characters from throughout the Zelda series, this game only features playable characters related to Breath of the Wild who are involved in this game's story. There are also several special scenarios in which players control the Divine Beasts.
Like the first game, there is the option of two-player co-op and amiibo compatibility. There was also DLC for this game that was divided into two waves that were released throughout 2021, known as "Pulse of the Ancients" and "Guardians of Remembrance". The two waves were available together through an Expansion Pass. The DLC added a few new playable characters as well as some new weapon types, enemies, challenges, battle skills and playable scenarios.
Playable Characters[edit]
- Link
- Impa
- Zelda
- Mipha
- Daruk
- Revali
- Urbosa
- Hestu
- Sidon
- Yunobo
- Teba
- Riju
- Kohga
- King Rhoam
- Great Fairies
- Monk Maz Koshia
- Terrako
- Calamity Ganon
The following were added as part of the DLC:
Continuity Notes[edit]
The first Hyrule Warriors was officially declared as non-canon. Age of Calamity did not receive the same treatment; it initially seemed to be treated as canon, but the game's actual story content makes that unclear.
- This game's storyline is based on the backstory of Breath of the Wild. Although it was initially promoted as a direct telling of the backstory's events, the storyline of Age of Calamity ultimately deviates from that backstory due to Terrako's time travel. This results in a storyline that could be considered to an alternate timeline to Breath of the Wild, in which the Calamity is successfully prevented, and the lives of those originally lost in that backstory (the Champions and King Rhoam) are spared.
- There are some continuity errors about the order of events compared to the original Breath of the Wild. While some could be explained by Terrako's time travel, one that falls outside of that would be the timing of Link receiving the Master Sword. In Age of Calamity, Link was shown getting the sword during the game's storyline, after all of the Champions were recruited. However, in Breath of the Wild, it was established that Link had gained the Master Sword prior to the Champions being recruited and thus prior to the events covered in Age of Calamity which could be affected by Terrako's time travel.
Legacy[edit]
The game sold well and quickly became known as the best-selling Warriors game of all time, selling over four million copies. This title was notable as the first original Zelda title to launch exclusively on the Switch, and it would be followed by the mainline game The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom in 2023. Despite being a spin-off, Age of Calamity had some minor connections to Tears of the Kingdom, as Purah's younger design debuted in this game before being featured in the later game, and Tulin also made an appearance in the DLC that foreshadowed his larger role in Tears.