Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity Is An Excellent Zelda Action Game
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VOICE OVER: Ty Richardson
WRITTEN BY: Ty Richardson
The follow-up to Hyrule Warriors is here, and our reviewer, Ty, is here to take us through all the ways Age of Calamity builds on its predecessor, as well as how to connects to the story of Breath of the Wild. Is it enough to tide Zelda fans over until the release of BOTW 2?
Script written by Ty Richardson
Despite being universally praised as one of the most iconic video game franchises of all time, the “Zelda” franchise has typically been a bit hit or miss for me. Admittedly, I’ve been most fond of the oddball entries like “Spirit Tracks” and “Four Swords Anniversary Edition” on Nintendo DS. “Hyrule Warriors”, on the other hand, was one that came into my thoughts on a few occasions, alluring me with its multiple playable characters and the fact that it was “Dynasty Warriors” as a “Zelda” game. Kind of a bizarre mix of franchises, if you ask me. I wasn’t fully on board until we put out “Everything We’re Excited for in ‘Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity’” here on MojoPlays. I actually played through the demo just for that video, and afterwards, I was sold. No joke, I immediately bought “Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition” after writing that video! So, after spending some time with the predecessor, does the sequel bring its own unique experience into play? Or are the shortcomings just too glaring?
Greetings, ladies and gentlemen of the internet! My name is Ty with MojoPlays, and this is my review of “Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity”!
In case you didn’t see our video on “Everything We’re Excited About in Age of Calamity”, the game takes place a hundred years before the events of “Breath of the Wild”, showing us the tragic event that was the Great Calamity. After a mysterious miniature Guardian time travels to warn Zelda of the impending doom, Link and company must find a way to prevent Calamity Ganon from conquering all of Hyrule. Though, let’s be honest - we all know how this is gonna end. That’s the thing about prequels.
Much like the first “Hyrule Warriors”, “Age of Calamity” uses formulas from Omega Force and Koei Tecmo’s “Dynasty Warriors” series. Players will traverse a massive area and take on hordes of enemies to complete tasks. This will involve escorting characters, taking over outposts, defending regions, and taking on bosses. You’ll be able to go into every level with a set number of characters and be able to switch between them or give them orders to head to another part of the map. It’s a formula that has worked with several other titles in the past such as “Fire Emblem Warriors”, Koei Tecmo’s own mega-crossover game “Warriors All-Stars”, and of course, the first “Hyrule Warriors”. It perfectly replicates the scope of a massive war while giving the player enough convenience to keep the action going.
Although, “Age of Calamity” doesn’t simply regurgitate what previous games accomplished, offering new characters and mechanics. Even though the roster is noticeably smaller than the first “Hyrule Warriors”, it provides plenty of other features to compensate. Every character plays differently despite having somewhat similar combo branches. Yes, everyone is going to have a series of basic attacks with maybe one heavy attack to serve as a finisher, but it’s choosing the right combos that’ll make the wars easier. Some combos will keep enemies close together so you can juggle them while others may blast them away or fling them behind you. Trust me, this is more important than it sounds - simply mashing buttons and using the same combo over and over again isn’t going to get you far.
The only mechanics that characters share are the Rune abilities which are primarily used for disrupting enemy attacks. However, you can incorporate them into your combos, and just like the combo system, each character uses them differently. For example, when Link uses the remote bombs, he straight-up throws them at his foes’ faces! Mipha, on the other hand, will rain remote bombs, peppering the area in explosions. This was an excellent way to prevent parts of the game from feeling samey and gives the player another way of experimenting with their attacks. Using the Rune abilities can be a bit tricky to pull off when you’re locked onto an enemy, but these were only minor inconveniences on occasion.
For those wanting to play as our usual Hylian hero, Link is not restricted as the token “sword and shield” character. Just like in “Breath of the Wild”, you can equip different armor and weapons to Link, some of which may alter the way you play. Personally, I found the spear to be thoroughly entertaining. Seeing Link violently poke enemies was one of the funniest things I’ve seen! Makes me wish he’d drop the “hyahs” and “chyas” for “yayayayayayayayayayaya!” The best part about customizing Link (and equipping weapons altogether) is that NOTHING BREAKS! Whoever chose to abandon “Breath of the Wild’s” durability mechanic, you are a GODSEND!
Throughout your journey, you’ll collect a wide variety of items and resources, and believe me when I say a WIDE variety. I honestly started losing track of what I had reaped from my missions. Resources can be used to complete certain tasks in the world map that may reward you with a new shop, a new combo for someone, increased health, and more. You may even receive new weapons in your missions. Got one that’s a load of weak sauce? Simply take it to the blacksmith and you can fuse it with another weapon to create something stronger. Other materials can be used to craft recipes before the start of the battle, granting buffs to your character. Note that you can only choose ONE recipe before battle. So, get those ideas of stacking effects out of your brain. And don’t fret if you find yourself low on goods - you’ll eventually get an ability that will allow you to track a resource to whichever missions contain it. No aimless grinding here!
Just when I thought “Age of Calamity” couldn’t get any cooler, it gave me a very special gift, one that awakened the maniacal warrior inside of me - it gave me control of the Divine Beasts. Though few and far between, Divine Beast missions let players pilot one of the colossal creatures, laying waste to just about every Moblin in your path. Don’t be surprised if you get caught up in your own power fantasy, but let me be the first to warn you that these missions aren’t all that simple. You will encounter enemies that can take you down in just a few hits. So, try to find that balance of being an attentive commander and being a total psychopath.
The only real gripe I had with “Age of Calamity” was its technical performance. There were a handful of times where the framerate tanked which is disappointing considering how smoothly “Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition” runs. Thankfully, these frame drops were only noticeable when I was unleashing a devastating move or had just rained hell upon foes with a mix of Rune abilities and Wizzrobe magic. It would have been one thing if the frames dropped while I was trying to execute combos, but the way it is at the time of this review, I’m willing to forgive it. Besides, I look at it as “you’re being such a badass that you’re making the game chug”.
That being said, “Age of Calamity” was a rambunctiously entertaining time! The combat system struck a perfect balance of being simple and being complex, the characters offer enough unique play styles to satisfy almost any type of player, and the way it incorporates ideas from “Breath of the Wild” into the “Dynasty Warriors” formula gives “Age of Calamity” its own identity. The technical performance may turn off a small portion of people, but it never got in the way for me. And this is coming from me, someone who has recently criticized some games for poor performance and optimization! Regardless if you’ve played any of the aforementioned games in this review, “Age of Calamity” will not disappoint those looking for a good “Zelda” action. Hey, if it was enough to make my skeptic butt drop sixty bucks on its predecessor AND consider giving “Breath of the Wild” a second chance, it’s gotta be worth looking into, right?
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity Review
Despite being universally praised as one of the most iconic video game franchises of all time, the “Zelda” franchise has typically been a bit hit or miss for me. Admittedly, I’ve been most fond of the oddball entries like “Spirit Tracks” and “Four Swords Anniversary Edition” on Nintendo DS. “Hyrule Warriors”, on the other hand, was one that came into my thoughts on a few occasions, alluring me with its multiple playable characters and the fact that it was “Dynasty Warriors” as a “Zelda” game. Kind of a bizarre mix of franchises, if you ask me. I wasn’t fully on board until we put out “Everything We’re Excited for in ‘Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity’” here on MojoPlays. I actually played through the demo just for that video, and afterwards, I was sold. No joke, I immediately bought “Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition” after writing that video! So, after spending some time with the predecessor, does the sequel bring its own unique experience into play? Or are the shortcomings just too glaring?
Greetings, ladies and gentlemen of the internet! My name is Ty with MojoPlays, and this is my review of “Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity”!
In case you didn’t see our video on “Everything We’re Excited About in Age of Calamity”, the game takes place a hundred years before the events of “Breath of the Wild”, showing us the tragic event that was the Great Calamity. After a mysterious miniature Guardian time travels to warn Zelda of the impending doom, Link and company must find a way to prevent Calamity Ganon from conquering all of Hyrule. Though, let’s be honest - we all know how this is gonna end. That’s the thing about prequels.
Much like the first “Hyrule Warriors”, “Age of Calamity” uses formulas from Omega Force and Koei Tecmo’s “Dynasty Warriors” series. Players will traverse a massive area and take on hordes of enemies to complete tasks. This will involve escorting characters, taking over outposts, defending regions, and taking on bosses. You’ll be able to go into every level with a set number of characters and be able to switch between them or give them orders to head to another part of the map. It’s a formula that has worked with several other titles in the past such as “Fire Emblem Warriors”, Koei Tecmo’s own mega-crossover game “Warriors All-Stars”, and of course, the first “Hyrule Warriors”. It perfectly replicates the scope of a massive war while giving the player enough convenience to keep the action going.
Although, “Age of Calamity” doesn’t simply regurgitate what previous games accomplished, offering new characters and mechanics. Even though the roster is noticeably smaller than the first “Hyrule Warriors”, it provides plenty of other features to compensate. Every character plays differently despite having somewhat similar combo branches. Yes, everyone is going to have a series of basic attacks with maybe one heavy attack to serve as a finisher, but it’s choosing the right combos that’ll make the wars easier. Some combos will keep enemies close together so you can juggle them while others may blast them away or fling them behind you. Trust me, this is more important than it sounds - simply mashing buttons and using the same combo over and over again isn’t going to get you far.
The only mechanics that characters share are the Rune abilities which are primarily used for disrupting enemy attacks. However, you can incorporate them into your combos, and just like the combo system, each character uses them differently. For example, when Link uses the remote bombs, he straight-up throws them at his foes’ faces! Mipha, on the other hand, will rain remote bombs, peppering the area in explosions. This was an excellent way to prevent parts of the game from feeling samey and gives the player another way of experimenting with their attacks. Using the Rune abilities can be a bit tricky to pull off when you’re locked onto an enemy, but these were only minor inconveniences on occasion.
For those wanting to play as our usual Hylian hero, Link is not restricted as the token “sword and shield” character. Just like in “Breath of the Wild”, you can equip different armor and weapons to Link, some of which may alter the way you play. Personally, I found the spear to be thoroughly entertaining. Seeing Link violently poke enemies was one of the funniest things I’ve seen! Makes me wish he’d drop the “hyahs” and “chyas” for “yayayayayayayayayayaya!” The best part about customizing Link (and equipping weapons altogether) is that NOTHING BREAKS! Whoever chose to abandon “Breath of the Wild’s” durability mechanic, you are a GODSEND!
Throughout your journey, you’ll collect a wide variety of items and resources, and believe me when I say a WIDE variety. I honestly started losing track of what I had reaped from my missions. Resources can be used to complete certain tasks in the world map that may reward you with a new shop, a new combo for someone, increased health, and more. You may even receive new weapons in your missions. Got one that’s a load of weak sauce? Simply take it to the blacksmith and you can fuse it with another weapon to create something stronger. Other materials can be used to craft recipes before the start of the battle, granting buffs to your character. Note that you can only choose ONE recipe before battle. So, get those ideas of stacking effects out of your brain. And don’t fret if you find yourself low on goods - you’ll eventually get an ability that will allow you to track a resource to whichever missions contain it. No aimless grinding here!
Just when I thought “Age of Calamity” couldn’t get any cooler, it gave me a very special gift, one that awakened the maniacal warrior inside of me - it gave me control of the Divine Beasts. Though few and far between, Divine Beast missions let players pilot one of the colossal creatures, laying waste to just about every Moblin in your path. Don’t be surprised if you get caught up in your own power fantasy, but let me be the first to warn you that these missions aren’t all that simple. You will encounter enemies that can take you down in just a few hits. So, try to find that balance of being an attentive commander and being a total psychopath.
The only real gripe I had with “Age of Calamity” was its technical performance. There were a handful of times where the framerate tanked which is disappointing considering how smoothly “Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition” runs. Thankfully, these frame drops were only noticeable when I was unleashing a devastating move or had just rained hell upon foes with a mix of Rune abilities and Wizzrobe magic. It would have been one thing if the frames dropped while I was trying to execute combos, but the way it is at the time of this review, I’m willing to forgive it. Besides, I look at it as “you’re being such a badass that you’re making the game chug”.
That being said, “Age of Calamity” was a rambunctiously entertaining time! The combat system struck a perfect balance of being simple and being complex, the characters offer enough unique play styles to satisfy almost any type of player, and the way it incorporates ideas from “Breath of the Wild” into the “Dynasty Warriors” formula gives “Age of Calamity” its own identity. The technical performance may turn off a small portion of people, but it never got in the way for me. And this is coming from me, someone who has recently criticized some games for poor performance and optimization! Regardless if you’ve played any of the aforementioned games in this review, “Age of Calamity” will not disappoint those looking for a good “Zelda” action. Hey, if it was enough to make my skeptic butt drop sixty bucks on its predecessor AND consider giving “Breath of the Wild” a second chance, it’s gotta be worth looking into, right?
