Nintendo and Koei Tecmo have made a fairly loyal fan of me over the course of several Warriors collaborations and spinoffs this last decade and then some. I’ve been particularly enamored with the fact that KT isn’t just strapping fan-favorite characters to the Musou formula. Instead, it is augmenting that formula with adaptations of the mechanics from the franchises it is handling.
Such was the case with *Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity* and *Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes*, and now it’s happened again with *Age of Imprisonment*. Only this time, 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*.
## Crisis in Ancient Hyrule
Springboarding from the events of *Tears of the Kingdom*, *Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment*, like *Age of Calamity*, touches upon events that were teased but never explored in-depth. This time, the focus is on the war between the original King of Hyrule, Rauru, and the Gerudo chieftain turned Demon King, Ganondorf.
If you played *Tears of the Kingdom* through, you probably know how this turns out, but *Age of Imprisonment* still tells us the in-depth story that saw Zelda strive to reunite with Link in the future. We get a lot of time with characters that were only in the periphery of *Tears of the Kingdom*.
Zelda and Rauru are pretty well-known by this point, but *Age of Imprisonment* puts the spotlight on many faces we only briefly got to know in the fragmented Memories of *TotK*, such as all of the original Sages, the Zora Queen Qia; Rito Elder Raphica; Gerudo Chief Ardi; the Goron Chief Agraston; and Rauru’s sister, the Sage of Spirit, Mineru.
We even get some new faces like Calemo the Korok and the Mysterious Construct. Although the latter is somewhat a gameplay stand-in for Link, it features unique aspects and story elements that make it a more-than-worthwhile substitute.
As with *Age of Calamity*, *Age of Imprisonment* takes some liberties with the story of *Tears of the Kingdom*. It stays true to the main story beats, which should be familiar if you played *TotK*. However, the addition of the Mysterious Construct, Calemo, and other factors introduce wrinkles that take the story in fun and interesting directions.
It’s all presented magnificently, at least in gameplay. The action in *Age of Imprisonment* is crisp, the battlefields are vast and beautiful, and the characters and enemies are as vibrant and lush as they’ve always been in the *Breath of the Wild* era of Zelda. The battles and in-mission action are even cleaner here and run smoothly whether you’re playing in Docked or Handheld Mode.
The only part where the visuals sag a bit is, strangely, in the cutscenes. They are often noticeably at a lower frame rate than the rest of the game and sometimes stutter.
## A Slight Letdown in Music
Music is another area where I was shockingly underwhelmed by *Age of Imprisonment*. I consider *Age of Calamity* to have one of the best game soundtracks ever, and the *Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes* OST was no slouch either. I was hoping to find the same electricity here, but it’s just not there.
Don’t get me wrong, the soundtrack is not bad and thematically copies *Tears of the Kingdom*’s aesthetic for a few interesting battle tracks. However, much of the battle music felt like droning background noise, even at particularly key moments.
For example, the stage where Ganon becomes Demon King and forces Rauru, Zelda, and the remnants of the Hyrule Kingdom to make a desperate escape deserves an intense battle track—not background noise. We’ve definitely had better from *Hyrule Warriors*, and I guess I just wanted more fiery music to match the glow-up in visuals and story.
## Hone Your Sacred Power
The *Hyrule Warriors* games are probably my favorite version of the Musou games due to how much they incorporate elements from the parallel main games into gameplay. The developers could easily have just duct-taped the Musou gameplay style onto the universe and launched it (and have before), but that’s not the case here.
Like *Age of Calamity*, *Age of Imprisonment* specifically incorporates very unique *Tears of the Kingdom* mechanics to add engaging twists to combat.
At its foundation, *Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment* plays like other Musou games, where you take control of your favorite characters and bring them to battle on massive maps full of outposts, enemy commanders, and ultimately, bosses and main objectives.
Many of the improvements Koei Tecmo has been employing are here, including the ability to select and direct uncontrolled characters towards various objectives or assignments like escorting another character.
You battle enemies down to a weak point, then let loose with a special attack that generally levels your foe and the surrounding crowd in explosive style.
Calemo, the Korok, might have been my favorite character here because he’s a funny little rascal who uses different elemental seeds in combat depending on which part of his combo string you end on. This is great when fighting enemies with elemental weaknesses. He also throws a full hornet hive at his enemies when he gets serious.
## Unique Combat Mechanics
Where *Age of Imprisonment* sets itself apart is in the use of Zonai Devices and Skill Attacks. Throughout the game, leader enemies will use attacks that you can counter with specific attacks of your own to interrupt and stun them.
For instance, if an enemy uses a jumping attack, using an anti-air skill or a Zonai Device like the Cannon will knock them right out of it. If enemies use a defensive attack, then employing a shield-breaking skill or the Zonai Bomb will shatter their defenses.
Each character can equip a combo of five skills and Zonai Devices. But don’t worry if one character doesn’t have the answer to a certain attack type—this is where another important system comes into play.
If an enemy uses an attack and you have a nearby uncontrolled character who has the proper counter, you will sometimes be prompted to switch to them, and they will automatically launch the countering skill. Not only does this do damage, but it also builds your Sync Meter, which is probably my favorite feature in *Age of Imprisonment*.
When two characters’ Sync Meters are full, they can combine to launch a unique Sync Attack depending on the pair used. For example, Zelda and Rauru use their powers of Light to launch two beams you can control individually until they fire a final combined blast.
Meanwhile, with Zelda and Mineru, Mineru calls in her Zonai Mech Construct and Zelda pilots it, unleashing a barrage of strikes and lasers. Some Sync Attacks are slightly reused depending on the characters, but they are generally all tide-turning and an exciting addition to offense in *Age of Imprisonment*.
## Sidequest Padding Holds Back Pace
*Age of Imprisonment* is broken up into chapters, each with story missions that advance the narrative. However, one of my least favorite things about Warriors games makes a return here: sidequest padding.
Most of the main missions are engaging and fun, and the story is compelling enough to explore fully. But between main missions, you’ll encounter a storm of minor side tasks.
Some are worth doing, as they open shops or power up your heroes’ health, basic attacks, and skill attacks. However, many are just side battles that take you to battlefields you’ve seen before and have you fight variations of enemies you’ve already faced.
There’s also a territory-liberation aspect, where you free regions of the Hyrule map from Ganondorf. A side battle might pop up, asking you to defend the territory or risk losing it if neglected. While this adds to the feeling of a war between Ganondorf and Rauru, it unfortunately becomes repetitive.
Some side content is skippable, but much isn’t because you need to level up your characters for upcoming main battles. This sometimes makes the progression feel stretched with video game chores between the bigger moments.
## To Arms, For the Future of Hyrule
*Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment* is both an excellent companion to *Tears of the Kingdom* and another fantastic evolution of the Musou style.
Trying out Switch Skills and Sync Attacks between practically every pair of characters were some of my favorite moments in the game, and I hope Koei Tecmo continues to explore these ideas in future titles.
Even more, I love how deeply they integrated *Tears of the Kingdom* elements like Ultrahand and the Zonai Devices into the roster’s moves. Mineru is a queen—I love throwing her Zonai mastery around the field—Rauru is just as awesome with his Ultrahand and Spear of Light, and the rest of the cast is a treat in their own unique ways.
Calemo and the Mysterious Construct also throw just enough of a wrench into things to keep gameplay fresh, even though we all know how this story goes.
I do wish the soundtrack had packed more heat, but besides that, it’s hard to ask for much more from a sequel that is otherwise this polished and improved.
Whether Nintendo treats *Age of Imprisonment* as canon or not, if it’s the final ribbon on the *Breath of the Wild* era, it’s a dang good one.
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*This review is based on a Nintendo Switch 2 digital copy of the game supplied by the publisher. Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment launches on November 6, 2025, on Switch and Switch 2.*
https://www.shacknews.com/article/146650/hyrule-warriors-age-of-imprisonment-review-score