Summary
A newHyrule Warriorsgame,Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, was one of many Switch 2 titles announced during this week’s Nintendo Direct livestream. The originalHyrule Warriorswas released for the Nintendo Wii U in 2014 as a collaboration between Nintendo, Team Ninja, and Omega Force, the developer behind theDynasty Warriorsseries. As the title suggests,Hyrule Warriorscombines the characters and setting ofThe Legend of Zeldawith the frantic hack-and-slash gameplay ofDynasty Warriorsas Link and his friends battle massive waves of enemies to save Hyrule.
The originalHyrule Warriorswas one of the best-selling games on the Nintendo Wii U, and updated versions were later released on the Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo Switch. A sequel was eventually released for the Switch as well in 2020, withHyrule Warriors: Age of Calamityserving as a spin-offset beforeThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. It was also a financial success, even as the story’s use of time travel drew criticism.
A thirdHyrule Warriorsgame is on the way for the Nintendo Switch 2, as confirmed during the April 2 Nintendo Direct livestream.Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonmentis being developed by Koei Tecmo and will serve as a prequel toThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.Age of Imprisonment’s trailer opens with a narration describinghow the Zonai and Hylians once joined togetherto build a great and prosperous kingdom, only to have their peace threatened by the evil Ganondorf and his forces. This would lead to the Imprisoning War, a conflict that shaped the world players would explore inTears of the Kingdom.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment Is Coming This Winter
Princess Zelda has traveled back in time to this ancient period, where she must join forces with the last remaining Zonai to save their world from Ganondorf. TheHyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonmenttrailer then cuts to gameplay footage featuring thecharacters ofTears of the Kingdom’s backstoryfighting off massive waves of enemy forces. King Raru is seen cutting down foes with his staff, Mineru can summon an ancient Zonai mech to attack enemies on her behalf, and Zelda is shown unleashing a volley of strikes with a magic sword-like weapon.
An exact release date forHyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonmentwasn’t given during this week’s Nintendo Switch 2 Direct, but the trailer ended by promising that the game will launch sometime this winter. It wasn’tthe onlyZelda-related newsat the livestream either, as it was announced that bothBreath of the WildandTears of the Kingdomwill be getting updated versions for the Nintendo Switch 2.
