The most recent model of Hyrule, as seen in Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, is getting one other entry with Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment. Nintendo’s most up-to-date Direct livestream confirmed the sport is coming to the Nintendo Swap 2 in winter 2025, although no particular launch date was given. Whereas any new Legend of Zelda sport is one thing to be enthusiastic about, the novel selections of the final Hyrule Warriors title make it tough to be excited about Age of Imprisonment.
Whereas the Direct referred to as this latest sport canon to the timeline of BOTW and TOTK, it’s exhausting to get enthusiastic about Age of Imprisonment after the key plot twist in Age of Calamity. Quite than sticking to the tragic occasions that arrange the occasions of Breath of the Wild, the final Hyrule Warriors sport featured a totally altered collection of occasions surrounding Calamity Ganon’s return. Since Age of Imprisonment has an analogous setup to Age of Calamity, going down throughout a pivotal period in Hyrule’s historical past, it appears possible that the sport will repeat previous collection errors.
Age Of Calamity Missed The Mark With Setting Up TOTK
Alternate Timelines Imply Lacking Set-Ups For Canon Sequels
Probably the most emotional elements of Breath of the Wild is the loss Hyrule suffered 100 years earlier than the occasions of the sport. King Rhoam and all 4 champions – Mipha, Revali, Urbosa, and Daruk – died combating Calamity Ganon after their Divine Beasts and Guardians have been possessed. Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity was marketed as a prequel and promised to point out what precisely occurred throughout the fateful battle and the lead-up to it as Princess Zelda struggled to harness her powers.
As an alternative of exhibiting what occurred to those tragically fated heroes, Age of Calamity opted for another timeline through which the unique champions and their Breath of the Wild-era successors group up with Hyperlink and Zelda to defeat and seal away Ganon permanently. Age of Calamity may have been the Halo: Attain of the collection, a sport through which the principle characters are destined to die, and their inevitable destiny makes each motion and sacrifice much more poignant. As an alternative, the sport arrange a wierd time loop scenario for a cheerful ending.
This deviation from the canon established in Breath of the Wild is attention-grabbing, however, ultimately, it neither continues the story of BOTW nor does it arrange what’s coming in Tears of the Kingdom. Age of Calamity had the distinctive alternative to trace on the occasions of TOTK, notably relating to the risk posed by Ganondorf as soon as once more and the traditional historical past of Hyrule. Breath of the Wild ended with such a way of finality, so any kind of setup in Age of Calamity would’ve helped bridge the hole between the 2 mainline titles.
Age Of Imprisonment Most likely Is not Canon Both
The Subsequent Hyrule Warriors Recreation May Have The Identical Twist
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, lately introduced at the newest Nintendo Direct on the finish of July, is a sequel to 2020’s Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity. On prime of the same gameplay, it’s very possible that Age of Imprisonment will equally be outdoors the established mainline collection canon for BOTW and TOTK. Regardless of stating that it might function “canonical occasions” within the newest associate Direct, it could be an alternate-history type narrative once more.
The sport takes place throughout the interval Princess Zelda spent again in time in historic Hyrule with the primary king, Rauru, and the primary queen, Sonia. Just like the occasions of BOTW with the unique champions, the characters in historic Hyrule are met with a tragic fate at the hand of Ganondorf. It appears possible that Age of Imprisonment will take an analogous route with its plot and create an alternate timeline for each character to get a happier ending.
Hyrule Warriors Video games Are A Good Distraction However Not Too Thrilling
Non-Canon Occasions Aren’t As Fascinating
Ultimately, any new Legend of Zelda title is thrilling, however Hyrule Warriors video games aren’t as thrilling as mainline titles. Age of Calamity promoting itself as a lead-up to the occasions of Breath of the Wild, solely to take a wildly completely different path from the canon story, makes it exhausting to construct hype for Age of Imprisonment. As soon as it has been established that these titles gained’t reveal any extra details about what really occurred in between video games, it’s tough to construct any anticipation.
For followers of hack and slash video games, and for anybody who enjoys spending extra time on this distinctive model of Hyrule, the Hyrule Warriors video games are value selecting up. Nonetheless, for anybody extra fascinated about getting a extra canon story about what occurred in periods of Hyrule’s previous which can be principally seen by cutscenes in BOTW and TOTK, then Hyrule Warriors video games are extra of a short lived distraction than one thing to get overly hyped for. Nintendo did trace that Age of Imprisonment could be canon, however given the advertising and marketing for the primary Hyrule Warriors sport, the corporate could also be utilizing the time period in a really free definition.
