Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonmentis the latest entry in Nintendo and Koei Tecmo’s crossover betweenDynasty WarriorsandThe Legend of Zelda. One of the more unexpected announcements out of the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct in April,Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonmentserves as the first title in this unique crossover lineup since 2020’sHyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity. Set as a prequel to 2023’sThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, this new game will serve as one of several first-party titles coming to Nintendo’s new system in its first year.
Beyond bringing more of the action-based gameplay of its previous entries,Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonmentlooks to be another loaded gamethat will giveZeldafans hours upon hours of content. This offshoot should also serve as a great holdover for hardcoreZeldafans awaiting Nintendo’s next move with a mainline title on the Switch 2. With this new game, new developer AAA Games Studio could utilize some of the Switch 2’s unique features and increased power to set itself apart from the first two titles.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment Looks To Be The Best Entry Yet
Hyrule Warriors Has The Switch 2’s Mouse Controls To Play With
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonmentcould switch things upin a big way from the previous titles if it utilizes the mouse controls of the Switch 2 Joy-Cons. The mouse controls provided by the Joy-Con 2 controllers have been one of the most discussed features of the new system, with question marks concerning how those controls will be utilized in new games. Naturally, Nintendo will more than likely lead the way in showcasing what makes the Switch 2’s mouse controls worthwhile through its first-party-published titles.
The largerDynasty WarriorsseriesthatHyrule Warriorspulls its gameplay from is no stranger to appearing on computers, as the mainline titles have been released on PC sinceDynasty Warriors 4was ported to PC in 2004. Even with a new development team in AAA Games Studio at the helm, the team has plenty of experience to pull from in implementing mouse controls intoAge of Imprisonment. Beyond the action gameplay, perhaps the developer could utilize the mouse to implement more strategic elements, like sending allies to certain outposts to prevent them from falling.
Age of Imprisonment Could Expand On Age of Calamity’s Motion Controls
Outside of the mouse controls,Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonmentcould expand on the previous game’s motion controls using theJoy-Con 2 controller. InHyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, players could use the Joy-Con’s motion controls for aiming, specifically in some shooting sections.Zeldahas been no stranger to motion controls in the past, though, andAge of Imprisonmentcould take this control scheme in a whole new direction.
WithHyrule Warriors’ emphasis on action gameplay, the Joy-Con controls could be used to swing ranged weapons such as swords. This is somethingprevious mainlineZeldagameslikeThe Legend of Zelda: Twilight PrincessandThe Legend of Zelda: Skyward Swordhad done. The Switch 2’s motion controls could lead to a revival of Wii-style motion-controlled games, and some optional motion-controlled sword-swinging controls could be a nice option to experiment with inAge of Imprisonment.
Naturally, Nintendo will more than likely lead the way in showcasing what makes the Switch 2’s mouse controls worthwhile through its first-party-published titles.
Age of Imprisonment Should Be The Most Polished Hyrule Warriors Game Yet
Given that the Switch 2 will also be Nintendo’s most powerful system yet,Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonmentshould also improve on the previous titles by being the best-performing game in the series. The last twoHyrule Warriorstitlesboth suffered from frame-rate drops and slowdown, as the intensity of the action and abundance of enemies on screen were a lot for the Wii U and Nintendo Switch to handle. With a much stronger system this time around,Age of Imprisonmentshould serve as the most polished entry in theHyrule Warriorslineup to date.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonmentlooks to set itself apart from Omega Force’s first twoHyrule Warriorsgames, and the Switch 2 should serve as a perfect playground for some experimentation. TheSwitch 2’s unique mouse featuresand intuitive motion controls should be the perfect starting ground for some major gameplay innovation. Here’s hopingAge of Imprisonmentproves to be the bestHyrule Warriorsgame yet, and stands out as a must-own Switch 2 title alongside its other heavy hitters this Holiday season.
