Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment
Koei Tecmo and Nintendo have created a musou game where Princess Zelda takes center stage. Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment tells a canonical story and serves as a companion piece to The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, captivating fans since its announcement.
Entrusted by Nintendo, Koei Tecmo expands on the tragic yet compelling Imprisoning War, developing characters previously only glimpsed in brief flashbacks. This challenge could have resulted in either a remarkable expansion of the story or a misguided attempt to explain a mystery better left unexplored.
The final outcome strikes a balance. The musou sequel offers exciting combat, emotionally resonant characters, and a narrative that compensates for the original game's somber tone with a more playful and self-aware personality.
While Age of Imprisonment cannot fully escape the genre’s repetitive nature of defeating countless enemies, it offsets this with diverse gameplay mechanics, engaging characters, and a storyline that moved me deeply despite knowing the inevitable outcome.
“Age of Imprisonment can’t escape the inevitably repetitive nature of this genre that sees you mow down thousands of enemies over and over again, it balances this with compelling characters, strong gameplay variety within the repetition, and a story that tugged at my heartstrings, even though I knew exactly when the axe was destined to fall.”
For those unfamiliar with the setting, the story begins right after Zelda is transported back in time by an unknown force at the start of Tears of the Kingdom.
Author's Summary
This game compellingly enriches the Zelda lore with emotional storytelling and varied combat, overcoming genre repetition to offer a memorable narrative experience.