Metascore
70

Mixed or average reviews - based on 58 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 29 out of 58
  2. Negative: 4 out of 58
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  1. Apr 11, 2016
    74
    Hyrule Warriors Legends is a pretty amazing achievement on the 3DS hardware, but that same hardware imposes some rather glaring limitations. It’s almost feature-complete compared to the Wii U game but a smaller screen and lower resolution hamper the overall experience.
  2. Mar 21, 2016
    73
    On the New 3DS Hyrule Warriors Legends is a surprisingly entertaining port of the Wii U-game. It misses some detail, but there are new characters and missions to make up for that. The game is still repetitive and on older models the frame rate is very bad, but if you own a New 3DS, this is definitely worth playing.
  3. Apr 7, 2016
    70
    If you have a New 3DS, I really can’t recommend, Hyrule Warriors Legends enough; it’s gorgeous to look at, runs beautifully and is home to an absolute mountain of content. Yes, its still home to the same core Musou gameplay as always, but it has been refined to within an inch of its life here and the ability to swap between characters on the go really does add an exciting new element to the gameplay. Sadly, if you’ve got a bog standard 3DS/2DS then, well, perhaps you should give this a miss. The content is all there, but it runs poorly and doesn’t look nearly as good.
  4. Apr 4, 2016
    70
    Hyrule Warriors Legends feels rough in several areas, and most of it is likely due to the hardware constraints of Nintendo’s handheld. There is simply too much going on at a time for the little system to keep things in order.
  5. Apr 3, 2016
    70
    On the whole Hyrule Warriors Legends is a solid game built upon the strong foundation of its predecessor. However it suffers greatly from its existence on a less powerful machine.
  6. Mar 31, 2016
    70
    Hyrule Warriors Legends is a worthy adaptation of the original game. It has a nice amount of content and features beloved characters from the Zelda series; however, the performance issues hinder the overall experience. It may be a repetitive game but all Dynasty Warriors games are like this, so you should not be surprised by this particular trait.
  7. Mar 26, 2016
    70
    All in all, Hyrule Warrriors Legends is the definitive version of the game, wrapping up some of the issues and storyline features from the original with additional content, refined controls and even more playable characters.
  8. Mar 24, 2016
    70
    If you don’t own a New 3DS, stay away from this, since the old-gen 3DS-systems can’t cope with the technical requirements. If you are the owner of a new system though, you’ll get the same musou fun in Hyrule as on the Wii U.
  9. Mar 24, 2016
    70
    If you didn't have the chance to play Hyrule Warriors and if you love musou games, then go for this 3DS version. It gathers everything that worked on Wii U and even adds new features and new content. You will need a New 3DS to enjoy it fully though.
  10. Mar 21, 2016
    70
    Hyrule Warriors: Legends is a good conversion from the Wii U's Zelda-inspired fighting game and it brings an enormous amount of content and gameplay that can easily go into one hundred hours. It's difficult to understand, however, why there is no multiplayer in this version and the lack of a cross save feature will frustrate many who have already gone through the Wii U original.
  11. Mar 21, 2016
    70
    Assessed solely as a Zelda game, Hyrule Warriors probably isn’t good enough to lure in non-Dynasty Warriors fans, but it is passable enough to offer Musou lovers something different to play between their usual battles for dynastic superiority.
  12. Mar 21, 2016
    70
    For the most part, Hyrule Warriors Legends is exactly what you'd expect from a 3DS port. The visuals are downgraded and the co-op and challenge modes are absent, but otherwise this is a close match in terms of pure gameplay; it's actually surprising how well the core mechanics have been transferred over to Nintendo's handheld despite the yawning technical abyss which exists between it and the Wii U. In that respect, Hyrule Warriors Legends can be considered a success; it faithfully replicates its domestic parent on weaker - but more portable - hardware.
  13. Mar 23, 2016
    68
    On the whole, Hyrule Warriors Legends is an ok experience for New 3DS owners. Despite adding five awesome characters and some smart control-swapping and fast-travel options, the performance problems and shabby-looking graphics make it difficult to appreciate all the fanservice that’s packed in here. The poorly downgraded textures, hideous menus, and pop-in are all real eyesores. And stay away from 3D if you prefer a stable framerate.
  14. Mar 27, 2016
    65
    Hyrule Warriors Legends is a really strange experiment. On the one hand Koei Tecmo, achieved its goal of implementing almost all of the elements of the core Wii U game into a portable version and present them in a practical way. You can be sure that you will find here all of that action packaged gameplay and extensive fanservice in the palm of your hands. Having said that, this game fails in achieving the most desirable experience because of its many flaws, the most noticeable related with its graphics and resolution. It is a recommended only for the fans of the home console version or those who have been waiting to try it and have a lot of tolerance to really slow framerate.
  15. Mar 21, 2016
    65
    Hyrule Warriors Legends tries really hard to offer an attractive package with lots of new content, but the technical limits of the hardware are simply too much relevant.
  16. Mar 30, 2016
    60
    Hyrule Warriors Legends lacks the visuals of it’s Wii U counterpart but instead offers a lot more content. However, it’s rather unplayable on a normal Nintendo 3DS and should have been released as a New Nintendo 3DS exclusive.
  17. 60
    If you like this type of game, and happen to own a New Nintendo 3DS, then you can't really go wrong with Hyrule Warriors Legends. It somehow manages to be more fun than its console peer, and packs a ton of content into its small game cart.
  18. Mar 24, 2016
    60
    Hyrule Warriors Legends should have been made a new 3DS exclusive, as the performance issues on the older system make the game nearly unplayable. However, the new characters, and the ability to swap fluidly between playable characters, make the game feel more fresh than a standard port.
  19. Mar 24, 2016
    60
    Hyrule Warriors Legends is still a solid action game featuring Zelda characters and worlds, and the added mechanics, levels, and characters for 3DS are fun and worthy additions. Unfortunately, the game’s technical performance drags it down significantly.
  20. Mar 22, 2016
    60
    Hyrule Warriors Legends is a worthy port of the original The Legend of Zelda spin-off, allowing fans to take the game with them on the go – with a few noteworthy additions.
  21. Mar 21, 2016
    60
    This 3DS version of Hyrule Warriors offers exactly the same experience as its Wii U counterpart (except a logical graphical downgrade) but it adds new characters and missions, and especially an interesting new fairy mode. The result is still the same: Zelda fans will love it or not depending on their judgement about the repetitiveness of the Dynasty Warriors formula.
  22. Apr 29, 2016
    56
    Have you played Hyrule Warriors on Wii U? Do you own a Wii U? If the answer to either of those questions is "Yes" then you shouldn't bother with Hyrule Warriors Legends.
  23. Mar 22, 2016
    55
    Nintendo 3DS has a lot of problems to run Hyrule Warriors Legends. The game adds a lot of content to the original Wii U version, but it's low performance and some design decisions make it less fun in all ways.
  24. Mar 21, 2016
    55
    If you play this game on a classic 3DS, and not the upgraded version, you are going to be utterly disappointed.
  25. Mar 21, 2016
    50
    Passable, certainly, but not the stuff of legend.
User Score
7.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 119 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 79 out of 119
  2. Negative: 18 out of 119
  1. Mar 27, 2016
    7
    If you " have nothing against Hyrule Warriors itself" at least give it something higher than a 0. Even those who didn't like it gave it a 2.If you " have nothing against Hyrule Warriors itself" at least give it something higher than a 0. Even those who didn't like it gave it a 2. Honestly, it doesn't run that bad on the old 3DS. I read what others were saying and I was afraid it was going to be unplayable but it's not that bad, not even when a ton of things are happening at once. I don't doubt it's better on the New 3DS but it's definitely not as bad as people are saying. Full Review »
  2. Mar 25, 2016
    0
    I have nothing against Hyrule Warriors itself, but the game running on the old 3DS at 10 fps is unacceptable. I still can't believe Nintendo -I have nothing against Hyrule Warriors itself, but the game running on the old 3DS at 10 fps is unacceptable. I still can't believe Nintendo - of all the Ubisoft's and Warner Bros. and Bandai Namco's of the world - did this to their own audience. Such atrocity mustn't be tolerated. Full Review »
  3. Apr 7, 2016
    10
    I have the game for my O3DS XL.

    And it is amazing! First off, it runs great on the O3DS, 100%, completely playable. Yeah, it's not the
    I have the game for my O3DS XL.

    And it is amazing!

    First off, it runs great on the O3DS, 100%, completely playable. Yeah, it's not the 30 fps that the N3DS version runs, but it's still great, and gameplay is not hurt. Really, the only times I really notice the framerate is when doing a 180* turn running around the battlefield, and still, it's never game breaking or anything. Even with a few giant bosses and tons of enemies, the game maintains a good 20~24 fps. However, I do miss 3D. And there is some quite obvious enemy pop-in, even when they are right in front of you. But it's really just a minor detail, and not something game-breaking or anything the sort.

    Attacks feel great and powerful, the player animations are great, and combos are easy to do. The controls are good, if not great, and are customizable, so even if you don't like certain button action, you can just change it.

    Graphics are ok, but really pale in comparison when compared to other 3DS games. The good thing is, though, that when actually playing the game, you won't even notice them! So much action! Music is good, but for me at least, it plays a bit too low, even with headphones. But I guess that really depends on your headphones.

    As for the game itself, (and not just the port), the game is amazing! It is basically a hack and slash game. And it is super addicting, with tons of content, many different characters, a nice story, character models, music player, illustrations, tons of missions, and more! You'll definitely sink a lot of hours into this game, I assure you.

    As a Zelda fan, I wanted to try this out, but since I had never played a Dinasty Warriors game, I didn't know what to expect. I tried a store demo once, and it really didn't get to me. But when they announced it for the 3DS, I got excited. A hack and slash for the 3DS! And now that I have played it, I don't regret at all my purchase. It is REALLY good. Amazing game, for such a small console! Get it, even if you have a normal 3DS. You won't regret it!!
    Full Review »