TheHyrule Warriorsseries will continue withHyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, which is welcome news for bothZeldaand musou fans in general.Age of Imprisonmentwill take place before the events ofTears of the Kingdom, promising to provide narrative insight in equal measure to its fast-paced, power fantasy combat, which is certainly exciting.
Like theHyrule Warriorsgames that came before it,Age of Imprisonmentwill follow a group of characters as they plow their way through epic, large-scale battles. As the name suggests, it is directly inspired by theDynasty Warriorsand its many spin-offs, adopting the often chaotic gameplay of those myriad titles. Naturally, this means thatAge of Imprisonmentwill have a markedly different approach to combat compared to the most recentZeldagames, or anyZeldagame, for that matter. But being directly linked to theBOTW/TOTKlineage, with an art style and plot directly linked to those seminal titles, means thatHyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonmentwill almost certainly share some DNA with them. Depending on how much cross-pollination there is, the upcoming musou title could be quite experimental indeed.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment Might Incorporate Abilities Like Fuse and Ultrahand
Hyrule Warriors Has Set a Precedent for Including Mainline-Game Powers
InHyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity,players can useBreath of the WildpowersCryonis, Remote Bomb, Stasis, and Magnesis on the field of battle:
These abilities were introduced inBreath of the Wild, where they are primarily used as puzzle-solving tools.Age of Calamityrecontextualizes them as explicitly and viciously offensive, borrowing fromBOTWwhile still retaining its musou combat focus. This works from a gameplay perspective, but also from a narrative one:Age of Calamityis a prequel toBreath of the Wild, and Link learns these abilities through the Sheikah slate, which is in Zelda’s possession inAge of Calamity. SinceAge of Imprisonmenttakes place beforeTears of the Kingdom, and players can play as Rauru, who is the source of Link’s Fuse, Recall, and Ultrahand abilities, it’s more than conceivable that such abilities will be featured in the musou spin-off.
Ascend is also granted to Link inTOTKcourtesy of the Zonai arm, but since this is used purely for traversal, usually in indoor spaces, it seems less likely that it will appear inAge of Imprisonment.
How Ultrahand and Fuse Might Work in Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity
Much like the aforementioned crossover abilities fromBreath of the Wild, Fuse, Ultrahand, and Recall would likely need to bereworked for use inHyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment. Rather than an obstacle to implementing such abilities, this could be an opportunity to demonstrate their different dimensions. Characters like Rauru and Zelda are more adept with magic than Link, after all.
Perhaps Ultrahand could be streamlined, allowing players to “construct” prefabricated siege weaponry or other instruments of war on the fly, while Recall could be used to reverse an enemy force’s advance, sending them back to where they started. For its part, Fuse could be used in preparation for battle, serving as a justification for some sort of weapon-crafting system. Through such means,Age of Imprisonmentcould make the most of its source material, smoothly and cleverly integrating the skillsZeldaplayers grew so fond of inTears of the Kingdom, rather than completely ignoring them or only paying them lip service.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment is an all-new Warriors title developed by Koei Tecmo that takes place before the events of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and its sequel, Tears of the Kingdom.
