The big April 2025 Nintendo Switch 2 reveal Direct has finally aired, and with it came the announcements of several first-party Nintendo games. Among them was a newLegend of Zeldatitle, dubbedHyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, which was quite a surprise, but not an unappreciated one.Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonmentwill return to theMusou/Warriorsformat under Koei Tecmo, this time with its new team AAA Games Studio, as well as to the same Hyrule found inBreath of the Wild,Tears of the Kingdom, andHyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, all exclusively on the Nintendo Switch 2.
Accompanying likely performance boosts for the two SwitchHyrule Warriorstitles,Age of Imprisonmentshould take full advantage of its Switch 2 exclusivity for a strong native performance.SwitchWarriorsgames have suffered from performance issuesfor the console’s whole generation, so having one launch that at least tries to hold 60 fps with a solid draw distance will be a breath of fresh air. Aside from the inherent benefits ofHyrule Warriorson the Nintendo Switch 2,Age of Imprisonmentalso has a lot to offer fans of the most recentLegend of Zeldaentries.
Age of Imprisonment Is Joined With Tears of the Kingdom At The Hip
One of TotK’s Biggest Story Elements Takes Center Stage In Age of Imprisonment
Essentially,Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonmentis a direct prequel toTears of the Kingdom, bordering on an interquel due to its choice of story material.Age of Imprisonmentwill expand on the distant past storyline conveyed throughDragon Tear cutscenes inTears of the Kingdom, seemingly covering both the largely unseen Imprisoning War and the events leading up to it. This is similar to whatAge of Calamitydid for the flashback war fromBreath of the Wild, but it’s unknown whetherAge of Imprisonmentwill include the same alternate timeline twist due to Princess Zelda already traveling back to the past here.
All of this is to say thatZeldafans will be able to experience the Nintendo Switch’s primary Hyrule setting one more time before theZeldafranchise moves on from it, andTears of the Kingdomfans have the most to gain. Late-game twists notwithstanding,Age of Imprisonmentis aprequel toTears of the Kingdom, and that holds a lot of value.TotK’s Dragon Tear memories are seen as a highlight feature, but have been noted as lacking in various ways and suffering from their non-linear acquisition order.Age of Imprisonmentcould correct that, and perhaps do even more.
Tears of the Kingdom’s Extended Cast Should Benefit From Age of Imprisonment
Multiple complaints aboutTears of the Kingdomcould be remedied inHyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, starting with the lack of a Princess Zelda-led storyline. ManyBreath of the Wildplayers were hopeful thatZelda would be playable inTears of the Kingdombased on its teaser trailer, and while they have since receivedEchoes of Wisdom, a second Zelda-focused title is more than welcome. Considering that the Divine Beasts were piloted inAge of Calamity, the Light Dragon could also become playable inAge of Imprisonment, but that will depend onAoI’s story direction.
Many TotK Characters Will Make Their Playable Debut In Age of Imprisonment
Not only will Princess Zelda’s role inTears of the Kingdombe fleshed out inAge of Imprisonment, but so will the other characters from the ancient past. Rauru, Mineru, Sonia, andtheTotKincarnation of Ganondorfwill all see significant story focus, though the biggest winners of this will undoubtedly be the original Sages from the four Champions’ tribes, as none of them were even named inTears of the Kingdom. Alongside the possibility of the Ancient Hero appearing in the flesh to replace Link,Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonmentwill be an event thatTears of the Kingdomfans can’t miss.
