Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment Review: Ultrahanding Out Beatdowns
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment is a smart adaptation of Tears of the Kingdom mechanics, featuring an enjoyable cast and a strong campaign that makes it a worthwhile spinoff.
Nintendo and Koei Tecmo have won me over through several Warriors collaborations and spinoffs over the past decade. What stands out is Koei Tecmo's approach—not simply attaching fan-favorite characters to the Musou formula, but enhancing it with mechanics adapted from the original franchises.
This was evident in Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity and Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes, and it continues with Age of Imprisonment. Leveraging the power of the Switch 2, Koei Tecmo delivers a game that performs better and stands as a worthy spinoff of the acclaimed Tears of the Kingdom.
Campaign and Story Focus
Building on the events of Tears of the Kingdom, Age of Imprisonment explores a previously teased but unexplored chapter: the war between the original King of Hyrule, Rauru, and the Gerudo chieftain turned Demon King, Ganondorf.
If you completed Tears of the Kingdom, you know the outcome, but this game provides a deeper narrative featuring Zelda’s struggle to reunite with Link in the future. It gives considerable screen time to characters who were only briefly seen on the sidelines in Tears of the Kingdom.
"Koei Tecmo has utilized the power of the Switch 2 to make an altogether better performing game and a worthy spinoff to the excellence that was Tears of the Kingdom."
"We get a lot of time with characters that were only in the periphery of Tears of the Kingdom."
Author's summary: Age of Imprisonment skillfully expands on Tears of the Kingdom’s lore with refined gameplay and a compelling story, making it an excellent addition for fans and newcomers alike.