Welcome to our full review of Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, the newest Zelda game and it’s of the Musou genre again!
See Hyrule 100 years before the Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild game and experience the events of the Great Calamity. Join the struggle that brought Hyrule to its knees. Learn more about Zelda, the four Champions, the King of Hyrule and more through dramatic cutscenes as they try to save the kingdom from Calamity. The Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity game is the only way to see firsthand what happened 100 years ago.
Let us start off with addressing the elephant in the room, is this game more Zelda or is this game more Musou? I have seen several articles stating it is a Zelda game with some Musou characteristics but I wholeheartedly disagree. I think it’s primarily Musou with some added elements to resemble the Zelda games and I will try to explain why I think so.
For this, I need to give you a proper idea what the game is like and how expansive it really is. Let us start with all the RPG elements and their link to the Zelda games. Similar to the Breath of the Wild game, there is cooking in this game. Still the same principle, your dishes need ingredients and will give a certain advantage. Yet you can only go for one advantage per level you embark upon at first. My personal favorite being the one where you gain more experience in the level.
The aforementioned ingredients can be found while finishing levels or in shops. The more you play, the more shops that are available to you with each having their own inventory. I like how the game has the option to just buy all available stock of a certain item with a single click of a button. While I disliked is spending my cash on items, there was always the choice to go into previous levels and finish those once more to get the items that I needed.
Items are not just used for cooking but also for achieving certain POIs on the map which will in turn give more benefits later on in the game. The more I played it, the more I realized the game was intended around the fighting on top of the collecting. Yes, you can ignore several of the POIs but then again, who says no to more hearts in a game like this, right?
Another small tidbit about finishing levels, either they will further the storyline or they will grant you new powers. This can go from additional hearts (like mentioned before) or additional slots to your combo system. This is exactly why you cannot ignore the fighting as it will only increase your strength and lower your chances of defeat.
Amiibo seem to have the same effect as in Breath of the Wild, so there is that too!
I know it’s quite unusual to start a review like that instead of telling the story but there is just so much to say about this game. Being a real fan of the genre, meaning I have played dozens of others, I was very happy to see how well both aspects of the game were intertwined. Yet the most important part has always been the actual fighting, where it excels strongly.
Koei Tecmo are the true Masters of the Musou genre and I applaud them for bringing such a niche genre to a franchise like Zelda. The perfect marriage between fighting and the advancement of the story is quite impressive, especially considering this is a true canon game. Usually this genre is known for button mashing and very impressive combinations of hundreds and hundreds of kills, actually very present in this game as well, but it all just mixes so well!
Now, let’s talk about the story. We’re not completely going to reveal everything that comes up but at least lift the veil on what chapters 2 and three will bring. For those having played the demo, which if you haven’t I really recommend you do, you know Hyrule is being invaded and threatened by the Calamity Ganon. Evil forces are at bay and they are trying to destroy the world. Right after defeating your first Guardian, you enter chapter 2 and you set out to recruit the heroes and the Divine Beasts.
If you have played Breath of the Wild and I assume you did, you are familiar with them and the map of Hyrule. Personally, I started off with Urbosa and without going into much detail, this is for you to discover, I ended up beating a certain infamous clan for the first time. I still remembered most of the layout of the desert and it did make things a little easier on me.
One of the other playable characters is Daruk, the big fella and he was even more impressive in Age of Calamity than he was in Breath of the Wild. A worthy opponent but dream to have on your team so early in the game; but more on the actual fighting mechanics later on.
Next up was Revali and he turned out to be my favorite fighter of the lot. He was very arrogant and was backed by his impressive Divine Beast. Due to the nature of his attacks, the majority of his troops used long range attacks adding some more fuel to the fire.
Last but not least, the Zora Kingdom and Mipha. I remember how graphically impressive this looked in Breath of the Wild and I must say that Age of Calamity does it due diligence to this place. Obviously these events take place prior to Breath of the Wild and it should be nicer but Musou games generally do not include top tier graphics.
Now let us talk battle mechanics .
Musou games are a niche genre, often described as mindless hack and slash or button mashing galore. For anybody looking from the outside in, this is actually true! A lot of the time it does seem like all you are doing is just pressing buttons, slashing away at enemies, but in reality Age of Calamity is actually a rather complicated game.
Some typical Breath of the Wild mechanics such as stasis or bombs, using apples to regain health and so much more are introduced into the hack & slash madness. Expertly hidden behind easy to use menus, slowing down time when you need them so you don’t get slaughtered while deciding what do use. I often really liked this aspect especially when I was fighting for example an electric Moblin and be able to attack him properly, meaning that I could avoid accidentally discharging my electric attack on him, resulting in little to no damage.
Most of the times, games like these are set apart by their combo system or the way big bosses are approached. Age of Calamity actually does both! like I mentioned before, the additional levels will free up more combos and thus making you more powerful. Trust me when I say you will want to spend your time leveling up!
Most bigger enemies, like Moblins or Wizards, are quite easy to beat on even the highest difficulty settings, experienced players will rarely suffer defeat from their hands. It all comes down to proper timing and avoiding their attacks, allowing you to move in and unleash a flurry of slashes. If you time it right, you can even dish out a finishing blow in the process.
The really big enemies, or story based enemies, again no spoilers, are on a different level. My first encounter with with one of those, I was lucky enough do have my special attack at the ready and even luckier to dodge its first attack perfectly, allowing me to break its defense wheel and instantly go in for serious damage. I have to admit here that that those enemies look impressive in the Musou game, reminding me of the first time I saw them in Breath of the Wild.
Now, how was the game?
Well prior to starting my conclusion, I was unsure for a long time what score I was going to give this game. So I decided to take a whole new route and go for a double score to validate my final verdict. I intend do separately rate the storyline and the approach to the genre. I know it’s very unusual, but I feel it is the most honest way to rate this game.
So let me start with the story, being a predecessor to Breath of the Wild, the expectations were maybe too high and despite the proper intertwining of a more than decent amount of cut scenes in between fighting and after successfully defeating levels, it did take me a while to really get into the story. I admit that it got better after I was around halfway through chapter 2.
The score I had in mind for the storyline, a 9 out of 10 is especially due to how well it ends up filling the gaps in parts of the story.
Next stop is the gameplay, quite possibly one of my most favorite genres of all time and I can hear you think it’s already, but Timmy, you must be prejudiced prior to starting the game. But allow me to assure you, Age of Calamity is a near perfect Musou game! There is very little it does wrong and so many things are done right.
Each character brings its A-game to the table and the game allows you to fully play to their benefits. Need a quick scout to the other side of the map? Either send somebody in your stead through the menu or use a fast character like Revali to just fly there rather than walk. The possibilities provided are only limited by your own choices.
The score given for the gameplay is a perfect score. I generally do not lose my sleep over the genre, but the proof is in the day I went to bed at 3:00 AM on a working day. I just loved beating up the enemies that night.
In conclusion, my score is 9.5 out of 10. Some small details might have flipped it over to a perfect 10, but it is no Breath of the Wild…
