Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment

With Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, Koei Tecmo reaffirms that it delivers some extra quality when it comes to Nintendo IP, and this is an even better game compared to Age of Calamity. Production values are once again through the roof, sometimes competing with those of the mainline Zelda, while both narrative and gameplay got deeper and somehow more interesting despite the potential fatigue of the setting and the loss of charisma. The many new additions to the combat system also compensate for a more linear level design, and the strong performance and loading times make it a joy to play for just too many hours on both TV and handheld. It has a couple of peaks to its story I won't spoil here, but to me this is the best way to celebrate the end of an era.

Impresses with an emotionally staged story, strong atmosphere and varied combos, but suffers from recurring mission objectives and minor design flaws.

If you're coming into the Hyrule Warriors line for the first time, this isn't a bad place to start.

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment successfully delivers the fun of a Musou game with its exhilarating action, but it holds an unfortunate irony: the experience is actually diminished for those who already know the main narrative of Tears of the Kingdom. Ultimately, it fails to deliver the moving or comforting story that fans were anticipating, leaving a sense of disappointment.

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment takes us back in time to ancient Hyrule, following the events of the Imprisoning War. Smashing through hordes of enemies as Rauru, Zelda, and a colorful cast of characters is smooth and really therapeutic, while also educational as we learn what happened so many centuries ago.