Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity - Nintendo Switch

Absolutely great game! If you loved hyrule warriors or breath of the wild, then I highly suggest age of calamity. One thing buyers must be aware of is that this isn't a zelda game, this is a warriors game with breath of the wild as its theme. It is a hack and slash game. That being said, age of calamity fits right in as a "prequel ". There are way more cutscenes in age of calamity then there is in breath of the wild so you really get to know the characters more. Lots of things from breath of the wild was put into age of calamity like cooking. U can cook a meal right before a mission or side mission which will give you buffs, or there are side requests for Kilton for example (well lead to believe it's Kilton) where he requests specific monster parts, you unlock the outfits you get in breath of the wild like the warm doublet ,and you can donate parts that will open up the dye shop, from there u can dye your outfits. The outfits are strictly aesthetic which is nice. These are just some small examples. Over all, if you are ok with playing a hack and slash that ties in with breath of the wild then definitely get this game. If you are on the fence about it then I suggest watching the first mission on YouTube and see if it is something you will like. The first couple of missions may seem bland but it is there to more teach you how to play and then it really opens up. The combat is very smooth and very satisfying, using your runes, elemental rods and apples are very simple and easy, getting to choose and upgrade your personal favorite weapons from the black Smith is fun, grinding to get specific parts or to level up specific characters are ACTUALLY FUN! Grinding is generally never fun in a game but in age of calamity it truly is fun and totally optional. Age of calamity still has the same vibe of hyrule warriors but everything as a whole is DRASTICALLY improved upon. Having Nintendo be involved with the development of age of calamity compared to Nintendo not being involved with development of hyrule warriors is blantly obvious. Having Nintendo involved with age of calamity really shows with the story and cut scenes. I believe there is something like a total of 2 hours worth of cutscenes compared to breath of the wild total amount of like 30 minutes (that is just the memories which is what you mainly watch in breath of the wild) to 100% age of calamity takes roughly 50 plus hours. I have 78 hours worth of gameplay right now in age of calamity . To 100% breath of the wild is 100 plus hours but u have to take in account for just traveling. You get plenty of hours and tons of replayability with korok seed hunting, farming, challenges etc. Id give this game a 8/10 compared to my personal 9/10 for breath of the wild. Again, this is all just my personal opinion so take that with a grain of salt. Once again, I suggest either watching some videos on some of the levels (without cut scenes to avoid spoilers) or play the free demo that is on the Nintendo Eshop but just keep in mind that it is the first couple main missions and couple side missions and that the game drastically opens up after what you play in the demo. The demo is there to give you an idea of how the game is played. It is very important to remember this isn't a legend of zelda game but a hyrule warriors game. Age of calamity is an official prequel and cannon according to Nintendo. If you feel as though you will never get age of calamity or can't afford it, then definitely watch a full playthrough. If you get the game, keeping in mind it's a warriors game, the play style is hack and slash, then you will over all enjoy your time with the game.

First off, if you haven't played Hyrule Warriors, try the demo before you get this game. While the storyline for this game is pure Zelda (is cannon even), the fact is that this is a Warriors game- which is basically a beat 'em up against hordes of baddies. The director felt that, ultimately, that style of gameplay made more sense than Zelda's normal exploration/puzzler type of game because, well, this is a story about a war between masses of bad guys and a few heroes and, how can you have a game about war between masses of bad guys against a few heroes without having those massive amounts of bad guys getting sliced down by those heroes? Alright, so while artistically it makes sense, (and is admittedly a gutsy decision!) it is still VERY DIFFERENT from the normal Zelda games and I think this is why both the director and Koei Techmo put out the demo so far in advance of the game's release- so folks could give it a try and find out for themselves if they liked it. All that being said, I refuse to critique this as a Zelda game. Oh sure, the *story* is Zelda but the *gameplay* is a Warriors game. It's a Hyrule Warriors game and, that is how I am going to critique it. The original Hyrule Warriors is a fun romp. It's the best fanfic I have ever encountered and, despite it's flaws, the love of the Zelda series is positively dripping from every detail. It's also fun as heck. It has easy to pick up gameplay that, if you actually bother to give it a chance, can actually get pretty in depth if you're of a mind. Pretty much, just like any beat em up. Age of Calamity is more serious in tone, of course but it also has a bit more polish than the OG Hyrule Warriors. The menus are much better laid out making the progression far easier to get through and, let's face it, the storyline is good for what it is- the sad prequel to BotW. So, imho, this is a good game but, yes, *do* try the demo first because, let's be honest here- not every Warriors fan is into Zelda and I rather doubt that every Zelda fan is going to have fun with this weirdly specific beat em up style of play. That being said, you never know until youtry and, it's not they didn't make it easy for us to try.