Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment Has Evolved into an Even Better Legend of Zelda Complement

2020’s Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity gave america an expanded look connected a clip successful The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild’s past lone whispered astir successful a fewer flashback cutscenes. The caller Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment seems to beryllium pursuing this inclination by taking america adjacent further backmost successful clip to the founding of Hyrule and the imprisoning of Ganondorf, of which lone fragments were shown successful Tears of the Kingdom. Just arsenic Tears expanded connected everything Breath of the Wild had to offer, Age of Imprisonment seems to beryllium arsenic upping the stakes, some successful taking vantage of the Switch 2’s accrued horsepower and showing disconnected immoderate caller and invited features to the hack ‘n slash spinoff series.

The demo I played (which is present besides disposable to attendees of the Tokyo Game Show) comprised a 10-minute chunk of an aboriginal ngo that besides sought to capitalize connected Tears of the Kingdom’s caller discoveries: exploring The Depths. Given that this creepy underground country efficaciously doubled the size of Hyrule, I’m excited to spot wherever these types of missions tin lead, and what horrors we’ll find lurking successful the acheronian (I can’t beryllium the lone 1 hoping we get immoderate acknowledgement of the creepy elephantine statues). This iteration of Hyrule Warriors seemed to tally a batch smoother connected the Switch 2 and I couldn’t spot immoderate dips successful the framerate portion wading into combat, but being successful an aboriginal enclosed country it’s hard to accidental if Nintendo’s caller console was genuinely being enactment done its paces.

I began the ngo arsenic Zelda, inactive adjusting to being thrown backwards successful clip during the events of Tears of the Kingdom, with the past Zonai beings Rauru and Minera escorting her toward ineffable sites of powerfulness hidden distant successful the Depths. After equipping myself with a fewer Zonai devices to usage successful battle, it wasn’t agelong earlier I was mowing done enemies successful existent Dynasty Warriors “musou” style. This clip around, Zelda has enactment down the sheikah slate successful favour of a lightsaber, mixing successful much straightforward sword slashes with the quality to sprout airy arrows from afar, oregon callback her sword arsenic it dances astir to chopped swaths done enemies. It’s a large mode to marque her little of a method combatant and much of an casual to prime up all-rounder stand-in for Link (who couldn’t marque it connected relationship of the full clip question thing).

Even though I was lone capable to play arsenic 3 antithetic characters during the demo, I person to manus it to Mineru for stealing the show. Her quality to propulsion retired random analyzable Zonai decease contraptions was thing I ne'er got bushed of. Whether it was driving a elephantine spiky four-wheeler of demolition done enemies, oregon simply hopping onto a elephantine tyre to thrust side-saddle alternatively of running, Mineru has truthful acold proven to beryllium the Green Lantern of this beingness with her quality to propulsion retired the wildest creations retired of nowhere. Many of her crazier constructs – similar summoning a spinning paddle to whack elephantine orbs into enemies similar a bowling shot – had maine itching to spell backmost to Tears of the Kingdom to spot if I could recreate these decease traps myself.

Though lone Mineru got to summon analyzable machines, each quality was capable to stitchery singular Zonai devices to beryllium utilized successful conflict arsenic consumable items, and deployed successful a fewer ways. At archetypal I was whipping retired my occurrence emitter to mow down groups of small Frox enemies, but aboriginal I was capable to acceptable 1 down to continuously pain a Construct Captain portion I flanked from the broadside with much nonstop attacks, making it an effectual 1-2 punch combo. All devices volition drain your battery, making their deployment a tactical prime unless you’ve stockpiled artillery rechargers. I was lone capable to messiness astir with a few, but with antithetic characters utilizing devices successful assorted manners, there’s a batch of country to find large times to deploy them – particularly connected brag fights.

Along with deploying devices, holding R besides allows you to activate peculiar unsocial skills successful combat that screen wide areas and blast done the absorption with immoderate bombastic attacks. Each quality I got to play had 2 antithetic abilities, and I was besides capable to representation them alongside Zonai devices for casual use. While they tin beryllium utilized to mow done hordes of grunts, they truly radiance erstwhile facing tougher bosses and captains that basal betwixt you and your objectives. Even the astir generic of conception captains tin employment beardown unblockable attacks that tin screen a wide country and bash dense damage, signified by a glowing aura that spreads retired from them. Koei Tecmo has seemingly taken a leafage from different of its enactment series, Nioh, successful presenting the champion mode to halt an unblockable onslaught is to overpower it with 1 of your own. Being capable to anticipate, react, and unopen down a deadly foe with a instrumentality of my ain was immensely satisfying and rewarding (and astatine slightest this aboriginal on, I was fixed a beauteous generous absorption clip earlier their onslaught would unleash).

I besides admit the steps Age of Imprisonment has taken to marque your allies consciousness much tangible, arsenic they are present capable to assistance you successful conflict with bigger attacks erstwhile you’re moving retired of skills to deploy. In 1 instance, a brag readied its complaint attack, portion some of Zelda’s skills were inactive connected cooldown. Suddenly I was fixed the enactment to swap to Rauru waiting connected the different broadside of the arena, and I was capable to deploy his unsocial accomplishment to intercept the brag and prevention Zelda successful a infinitesimal that felt genuinely cinematic.

An adjacent bigger upgrade to making much usage of your allies is simply a caller quality - a sync onslaught that tin beryllium triggered erstwhile you and your state person dealt capable harm to capable a meter. This lit up their portraits connected the side, and besides helpfully showed erstwhile I was successful scope of a quality to execute the onslaught with by highlighting the crushed to the idiosyncratic successful range. Not lone are these moves arsenic melodramatic arsenic they are powerful, but they’re besides unsocial to the 2 characters you sync up, opening up the level for a batch of possibilities and tactics. Pairing up Zelda and Rauru allowed maine to sprout retired duplicate beams of airy that I could purpose independently with each power instrumentality to absorption connected 2 bosses astatine once, portion having Zelda synch up with Mineru for a onslaught fto her thrust connected the backmost of the Zonai’s mech to wade into conflict alternating almighty slams and magic explosions. Given the quality of immoderate of these attacks, I’m truly hoping that co-op play volition let each subordinate to nonstop their ain attacks during these sync strikes, though thing has been confirmed yet.

Even though my clip with the demo was criminally short, I’m already looking guardant to seeing however much of its characters combat successful sync – particularly the tiny korok musketeer and enigmatic looking Zonai conception that looks precise akin to a notably absent hero. Luckily I’ll lone person conscionable implicit a period to hold until Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment arrives connected November 6th.