Among the many announced games coming to the Nintendo Switch 2,Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonmentis one of the more surprising ones. While Nintendo keeping its relationship with Koei Tecmo going with yet anotherWarriorscrossover isn’t surprising, it didn’t feel like that long ago when players got to experienceBreath of the Wild’s backstory firsthand inHyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, and nowHyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonmentwill let them do the same withTears of the Kingdom. It’s not what many were expecting out of the nextLegend of Zeldagame, but it’s a welcome addition to the series.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonmentreturns the focus to another conflict once told through flashbacks, this timefocusing onTears of the Kingdom’s Imprisoning War. Players will take control of Princess Zelda, Rauru, the ancestral Sages, and other combatants of Hyrule’s distant past to fight the Demon King Ganondorf at the height of his power. Considering how impactful this massive conflict was inTears of the Kingdomdespite its short screen time, this should be a major venture, especially since the early confirmation of its canon status signals a major shift in theHyrule Warriorsseries.
Hyrule Warriors Hasn’t Overlapped With Zelda Canon Before
Shortly after the game’s reveal, Nintendo put out a press release forHyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonmentthat referred to the game’s events as canon, a major departure from both previousHyrule Warriorsentries. The originalHyrule Warriorswas a “crisis crossover” storyline set in an alternate dimension, pulling incharacters and concepts from theZeldaseriesas it pleased in order to make the ultimate fanservice package. Meanwhile,Age of Calamitygradually ramps up from a seemingly innocent framing device into a full-blown alternate history tale that preventsBotWfrom even happening. However these stories were received, they clearly stood apart from their sources.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment Is Changing the Status Quo
Age of Imprisonmentis supposedly throwing away its non-canon status, which is both a blessing and a curse. Its story is going to be under more scrutiny now, but thanks toTears of the Kingdommaking Princess Zelda travel back in time to the Imprisoning War era, there shouldn’t be any reason to fear a repeat ofAge of Calamity’s controversial story changes. Besides, the Imprisoning War and its Sage combatants are in dire need of fleshing out, soAge of Imprisonmentcan potentially aidTotKjust as much as it draws from it. The possibilities of a canonHyrule Warriorsare promising, and not just for this game.
Many Zelda Entries Have Room For Their Own Hyrule Warriors
IfAge of Imprisonmentreally does fit into theZeldatimeline, the door to even more canonHyrule Warriorstitles is suddenly thrown open.The Legend of Zeldahas frequently made reference to mythology, wars, ancient civilizations, and other major events in its background, but rarely ever portrayed them.Hyrule Warriorscan now act as a vehicle for finally showing what those ill-defined conflicts looked like, potentially introducing swathes of newZeldalore in the process. LikeAge of Imprisonment, it’s a risky proposition, but the rewards could be enormous.
For example,Ocarina of Time,Twilight Princess, andThe Wind Wakerall reference wars and, in some cases, battles against Ganondorf in their backstories, whileSkyward Swordteases the first everZeldaadventure, which happened to set up its own quest. Getting to play through the original conflict with the original hero, Hylia, and Demise would be incredible, andWarriorsgameplay would actually complimentSkyward Sword’s combat focus quite well. There are no guarantees yet, butHyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonmentcould represent a new storytelling dynamic that will change theZeldafranchise forever.
