Age of Imprisonment is deeper than I expected

For me, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment was perhaps one of the most surprising parts of the Switch 2 announcement in April. After the original Hyrule Warriors The game for Wii U, its numerous ports and Era of Disaster spin-off, I wasn't quite sure where the series would go next.

Looking back I feel stupid thinking about it because Age of imprisonment rather wisely focuses on the War of Conclusions that begins Tears of the Kingdom. At the same time, the game also fits neatly into Breath of the Wild canon of the series, what Moving through the 2020 timeline Era of Disaster actually didn't. But I also confess that I'm not one who ever really cared Zelda knowledge beyond Majora's Maskmy favorite game in the series. I can certainly appreciate how these Age games expand relatively thin narratives OTV And Totkbut overall they don't do much for me.

But it's like Age of imprisonment includes some mechanics Totk it really attracts me to this day. At a recent preview event, I got to play a 10-minute demo of the game twice and watch my friend and MobileSyrup member Andrew Mohan viewed it twice. My main takeaway: This feels like a natural extension Totk. Of course, it's helped by the same lovely cel-shaded visual style, as well as some returning mechanics like the timed dodge and counter-attack Flurry Rush.

However, on a deeper level Age of imprisonment in some ways similar to Totk dialed number eleven. This is because you can use all sorts of ready-made Zonai devices in battle. Where Totk offered incredible freedom in what could be built with these devices, Age of imprisonment cleverly recontextualizes them for the classic Musou game setup of “fighting waves of enemies.”

For example, you can carry a flamethrower and move in circles to burn the crowd that surrounds you. On the other hand, you might want to strategically place it somewhere to fend off incoming forces while you take on a stronger enemy. I found this especially useful against the big frog boss. After throwing a bomb into its mouth to stun it, I could jump on its back and hit its vulnerable parts to cause even more damage. Naturally, the presence of a flamethrower helped control the crowd. Other Zonai gadgets include a fire hydrant or a fan, the latter of which can be placed vertically or horizontally to blow enemies in different directions.

This is a brilliant way to capture the creative spirit of Zonai devices. Totk into a linear, dynamic game. Moreover, they work here on a battery system, as in Totk, so you can't just spam them. This will ensure that they feel balanced and, as a result, you will have to be more methodical in your use of them.

While these devices can be used by any character, Mineru actually incorporates them into his playstyle. She can ride on a Zonai wheel to navigate, and when attacking, she can summon Zonai constructs to attack. But her best move is to ride around in her big, robot-like machine, whose massive Doctor Octopus-like appendages give you great power fantasies as you blast through waves of demons. And even in the most intense moments, the game runs at a stable 60 frames per second on Switch 2, which is a welcome improvement. Era of Disasterit's 30 frames per second.

However, I have a few smaller concerns. Nintendo has not yet confirmed the game's final lineup. For context the base Era of Disaster The pre-DLC experience included 18 characters, and its place in the larger story meant you could have a decent amount of variety between mainstays like Link, Zelda and Impach, the Guardians, and other new faces. It's interesting how big and varied Age of imprisonmentthere will eventually be a full cast, especially since it may be limited due to the fact that it will be set in this very specific time period. The three characters in the demo, Zelda, Mineru, and Raaru, felt pretty distinct, although the princess's energy sword and bow attacks do feel like variations on Link's arsenal. But I definitely want to see more.

A synchronized blow to the era of imprisonment

Both Andrew and I also found the allied AI to be a bit unstable. Sometimes they seemed to be doing their own thing, which can be frustrating when you want to use one of the new mechanics, Sync Strikes. These stylish moves allow two characters to team up for unique special attacks, such as Zelda and Raaru firing two energy blasts that you can target individually using the two analog sticks. Allowing them to rip at the right time would theoretically add a bit of strategy, but sometimes we couldn't do that because the desired teammate wasn't nearby. At least this won't be an issue in co-op, which is even easier to do this time around since Game Share is supported, meaning only one person needs to own the game to let a friend play on their Switch 2.

However, these are not such serious complaints, and in general I am much more interested in Age of imprisonment than I was going to. I won't have to wait long either, as the game will release exclusively on Switch 2 on November 6th.

Image credit: Nintendo

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