Review: Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment
If you enjoyed Koei Tecmo’s previous collaborations with Nintendo, this release will likely impress you. With Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, Koei Tecmo brings its Musou “Warriors” formula to Nintendo’s worlds for the fifth time—twice for Fire Emblem and now three times for The Legend of Zelda.
This entry feels like the most cohesive and polished of all. It highlights how effectively Koei Tecmo has refined its ability to balance fast-paced, large-scale action with an engaging story.
Where once the narrative of a Warriors game was shared via short cut scenes that bookended an extended beat-em-up brawler, now there’s a much more integrated narrative, with key story battles integrating cut scenes, changes of character and perspective, and more into the flow of battle.
That improvement may seem small, but it meaningfully connects gameplay and story, making it less like a linear arcade experience and more like a cinematic journey through Hyrule. The story itself contributes interestingly to the Zelda universe, taking players to an earlier point in the lore.
Set during the same era as Tears of the Kingdom, the game begins when Zelda falls into a magical sinkhole and awakens at the dawn of Hyrule’s history, meeting the first king and queen of the kingdom.
Author’s Summary
A refined blend of large-scale action and narrative depth, this new Hyrule Warriors entry expands the Zelda saga with energy and elegant storytelling.