Hyrule Warriors

Beloved world, action-packed gameplay, easy to get into, enjoyable to master. [Issue#245]

Needless to say, I really, really enjoyed Hyrule Warriors. As a fan of musou-style games, and as a lifelong Zelda fan, there’s a lot to love here.

Every single aspect of Hyrule Warriors is great fun and utterly compelling. I've easily been losing hours at a time to it. Everything it tries to do, it pulls off with aplomb; there's not a single aspect I've disliked, or found to be a misstep.

Hyrule Warriors is, without doubt, extremely fun, surprisingly complex and in general one of the best and prettiest games on the Wii U.

An action hack and slash game in the known world both the experienced gamers and newcomers will fall in love with. Hyrule Warriors is offering great gameplay along with accessible controls, as well as with well-designed ascending game difficulty. Furthermore, they are not afraid to accentuate both exploration and tactical behaviour.

Hyrule Warriors looks great, sounds great and plays great. While hack-and-slash games have never been my personal preference, I lost an entire weekend to Hyrule Warriors without even realising it.

Hyrule Warriors is an outstanding crossover of The Legend of Zelda and Dynasty Warriors with addictive gameplay, a slick presentation, and a lot of content.

Hyrule Warriors is a different kind of Zelda game. That doesn't mean it's any less fun. Amazing production values, addictive gameplay, a rich story and an overall sense of extreme quality, polish and confidence make Hyrule Warriors much more than a mere spinoff.

Omega Force superbly balances the beat 'em all combat of Dynasty Warriors with the enchanting world of The Legend of Zelda. With a meaty combat system and tons of stuff to uncover, Hyrule Warriors is a mad idea that should logically get old after an hour, but never does. It's a novelty that can't quit being novel, and I love it to death.

A new and promising hybrid that could lead the way for more collaboration. [Nov 2014, p.78]

It’s clever use of familiar faces and settings with the most satisfying style of over the top fun to watch combat is flawless. It isn’t without its short comings, but has more than enough strengths to make them seem un-noteworthy.

What we have here is a Dynasty Warriors -style hack'n'slash adventure with The Legend of Zelda -trappings. The combination works surprisingly well. [Sept 2014]

It's one of the most thrilling titles I've played this year, at once an adoring shout-out to the games that dominated my childhood and an introduction to a series that—surprise!—I actually resonate with. It's not a game for everyone, but it was most certainly the game for me.

Fans of Zelda and musou games, this is a no-brainer, but for anyone else on the fence, it is definitely a game worth checking out.

Despite being light on The Legend of Zelda in favor of being not much more than a Dynasty Warriors reskin, Hyrule Warriors still manages to be perhaps the most accessible, charming and exciting entry in the Musou franchise. Zelda fans will drown in its nostalgic presentation and rocking rearrangement of beloved theme songs, while getting the chance to experience how riveting the action-packed gameplay of the Warriors games can truly be.

One of the year's weirdest prospects comes out as one of its most interesting and fantastic. [Nov 2014, p.61]

We think there's still room for improvement (like a quite empty co-op), but it is definitely a great game for musou fans.

Hyrule Warriors wasn’t a game I expected to fall in love with, but thanks to its oodles of Zelda fan service and shockingly engrossing gameplay, upgrades, and modes, it turned into something very special that lives up to the Zelda legacy.

Hyrule Warriors can fall into the same trappings as any hack and slash, but the amount of effort that went into making it enjoyable for Zelda fans is staggering. This is one of the best couch co-op games I've ever played, warts and all.

Hyrule Warriors has little in common with a traditional Zelda game. You don’t solve any puzzles, you don’t explore any dungeons, and you certainly don’t break into anyone’s house and destroy all of their pottery. Still, it definitely works as a spin-off that focuses almost entirely on action.

Longtime series fans will probably get the most out of the abundant homages and shout outs to series’ lore, but action games enthusiasts in general will get a thrill out of Hyrule Warriors‘ fabulous gameplay. Wii U owners shouldn’t hesitate to give the game a purchase.

So THIS is why these games are so popular. [Issue#257, p.58]

The game marries Dynasty Warriors with Zelda and provides the same kind of fun that classic arcade beat ‘em ups did. You just move in 3D and simultaneously fight hundreds of enemies instead of three. [Nov 2014, p.57]

It's certainly more Warriors than Zelda, but it makes excellent use of the source material, so it doesn't feel like Link's face was slapped on an unrelated title. Some may miss the Zelda dungeon-crawling and exploration, but Zelda and Warriors fans will find a lot to like here.

A great mix of the Warriors gameplay and the universe of the Legend of Zelda franchise. The well-known (and quite repetitive) gameplay is present, but the magic of Nintendo truly shines and gives a breath of much needed fresh air.

If you’re a fan of either franchise and own a Wii U, you owe it to yourself to at least give Hyrule Warriors a try.

Hyrule Warriors forms a beautiful tribute to the Zelda series. The joint effort between Tecmo Koei and Nintendo results in a very strong summation of both worlds and at the same time is able to meet the fan’s expectations.

Everything about it oozes with callbacks and fanservice that Zelda fans will be overjoyed with, but unable to contain the potent mix of Nintendo nostalgia and ludicrous action without tearing at the seams.

Hyrule Warriors ought not to work – it smacks of Nintendo’s desperation to get any sort of game out for its overlooked machine – but it will certainly delight the faithful fans, and manages to remain utterly true to the world of Zelda while offering really fresh-feeling gameplay.

Hyrule Warriors is not a Zelda game, it's a Dynasty Warriors. But truth is it's the best Dynasty Warriors yet and the best you can play.

Design-wise and in terms of using the Zelda license, Omega Force deserves a pat on the back. It's their best game to date.

Way better than Dynasty Warriors.

Hyrule Warriors offers an intriguing blend of both the Zelda and Dynasty Warriors series, making for an experience that fans of either series can thoroughly enjoy. It stays true to the Zelda series’ lore, sights and sounds, and combines it with the fast-paced, button-mashing action the Dynasty Warriors series is so well-known for.

Hyrule Warriors isn't a masterpiece, but the cooperation between Nintendo and Tecmo Koei has created a really great Zelda themed action game. The Adventure mode is interesting, and the huge amount of unlockable content grants many hours of pure fun. The stunning soundtrack, moreover, is the real jewel of this project.

Hyrule Warriors is a guilty pleasure for every Zelda fan with a bit of an open mind: if you're not a die-hard integralist of the saga, you will probably enjoy this unconventional and unique twist on the legendary saga.

Hyrule Warriors offers massive battles in the Zelda universe, with an extra layer of quality over the normal Dynasty Warriors entries.

If hack-n-slash games are your jam—or you can tolerate them but really just love The Legend of Zelda in all its iterations—then Hyrule Warriors is a more-than-worthy warmup for Link on the Wii U.

It’s a fun, attractive and surprisingly deep experience, therefore unable to be regarded as anything less than an emphatic success.

The marriage of Zelda and Musou is an unexpected success, then - a game that recounts the Zelda myth not just in a new way, but in a whole new language.

Aside from introducing many Legend of Zelda fans to the Warriors franchise, Hyrule Warriors adds little innovation to Koei’s megaseries as a whole, but nevertheless brings an undeniable spark ignited by the crossover cast itself.

It’s certainly not perfect, but Hyrule Warriors’ combat and treatment of the typically sterile Zelda franchise is just big, dumb, loud fun.

Like another delicious mashup, the Cadbury Creme Egg, Hyrule Warriors is superficially dead simple, but for those willing to unwrap its foil lining and bite through the chocolate shell, there lies a wealth of cleverly designed gameplay mechanics, charming references to fan-favorite characters and locations and a whole lot of tasty, sugary goo.

The repetition of Dynasty Warriors pervades throughout Hyrule Warriors, but this unexpected crossover with the Zelda universe works. It might not be the Zelda game we expected for Link’s first original Wii U debut, but it will happily hold us over while we wait for the console’s first true Legend of Zelda experience.

While Hyrule Warriors might want for modes and options compared to recent entries, it more than compensates with the variety of its roster, subtle refinements to its systems, and that extra layer of Nintendo polish. Against all odds, it works beautifully. [Issue#152, p.102]

In case it’s not obvious, no one should come to Hyrule Warriors expecting a traditional Zelda game. Hyrule Warriors is quite possibly the most anti-Zelda game out there, but it’s also perfect for those of us who have always wanted to send Link on a mass killing spree through hordes and hordes of moblins with the Master Sword.

If you're a fan of the Dynasty Warriors gameplay and the lore of The Legend of Zelda series, you will absolutely fall in love with Hyrule Warriors and enjoy the extensive list of replayable modes. For those of you who feel this is a taint on the Zelda brand, I can assure you that nothing but care and dedication has been given to the mythos of the franchise. That said, the gameplay itself can become quickly repetitive without a difficulty challenge besides beating the enemy to the punch.

Hyrule Warriors delivers a wonderful Legend of Zelda action game with a large cast of familiar characters, identifiable worlds, a great upgrade/leveling system and endless amounts of action. It’s far from a perfect game, especially in regards to controls and repetitiveness, but it’s much better than expected.

Hyrule Warriors is, plain and simple, a Musou game with a Zelda skin. Fun and spectacular but also repetitive, with a shallow combat system, poor enemies AI and a really bland story. But the Nintendo atmosphere and characters help a lot making the game a nice addiction to the Wii U library.

It looks like Zelda and plays like Dynasty Warriors. Yep, it does pretty much what it says on the tin.

Hyrule Warriors provides plenty of entertainment value and enough familiarity for fans of The Legend of Zelda. Bland environments and a lack of depth in terms of gameplay keep it from rising to the level of quality that Zelda usually brings to the table.

Hyrule Warriors is at its core a Dynasty Warriors game, but it injects enough of that Legend of Zelda pizzazz to feel fresh and fun in its own right. This game won’t convert you into Dynasty Warriors fan and it has its fair share of problems, but after all is said and done I can say this; Hyrule Warriors is fun, and I guess sometimes that’s all that matters.

Hyrule Warriors – not the kind of game that fans of the series expect. But while the new Zelda is forged under strict secrecy in the Nintendo workshops, why not revisit the familiar locations with the sword and bombs? The storyline with clashes during different eras of Hyrule and meeting of the characters who could never meet is rather entertaining and capable to provoke the idea to finish at least a Legendary mode. [Nov 2014, p.102]

You’ll have two distinct feelings after playing Hyrule Warriors. Yes, the fan service through the recognisable characters, weapons and environments are a Zelda-fanboy’s wet dream. Yes, there was a lot of content there. But what were you doing in those countless hours? Fighting, fighting, fighting. Hyrule Warriors offers little variation or depth, but is fantastic for a nostalgic trip down memory lane.

Overall, Hyrule Warriors, despite its flaws, is a very addictive game and is most certainly worth playing extensively.

Hyrule Warriors mixes Dynasty Warriors with The Legend of Zelda and the result is a rather flirtatious game of fan service. But it's all in good fun since Hyrule Warriors also remembers to be a fun game with varied forms of action and plenty to do.

This is the kind of old-school experience one expects when you pick up a Dynasty Warriors title, but on the flipside of the coin, the game attempts to inject depth where none was ever needed when it comes to how to upgrade characters and weaponry.

A Zelda Musou is still a Musou.

Against all skepticism the seemingly unholy union between Link and Koei's Warriors works surprisingly well. Tecmo Koei is far from delivering a totally new gameplay experience, but offers a nice take on the Zelda mythology and shows an interesting facet of the heroes and heroines in Hyrule.

I’d hope that more major franchises, especially those that have leaned on gaming tropes, like saving a princess from a tall castle, take notice. Hyrule Warriors benefits from allowing the Zelda series to take some big risks.

We were waiting for something awful, but Hyrule Warriors is a nice surprise after all. Omega Force and Nintendo did some good work to make the two IP's match without any problem. The high number of treasures will force you to explore and the Adventure mode with its 8-bits map, is a true jewel. Alas, without online modes and a smart AI, Hyrule Warriors becomes sometimes really annoying.

Hyrule warriors delivers brief and satisfying bursts of enjoyment, but it's a bit repetitive too.

The result is a healthy, fun, welcoming and long-lasting blend which is certain to please the fans. It’s rather limited in its scope, though, and ends up falling on a certain mid to long-term repetitiveness.

When played in short sessions, Hyrule Warriors is mindless fun that celebrates the rich history of the Zelda series. However, your long term enjoyment of this game boils down to how much you like Dynasty Warriors, or hack-and-slash games in general, and whether or not you care about exuberant amounts of Zelda fan service. It more than delivers on both these points, but if either one of these is a turn off, this likely isn’t the experience for you.

Hyrule Warriors is basically a one-note experience, but it hits that note with perfect pitch. The Zelda universe works better as a musou button-masher than you might expect, and much of that success is down to Tecmo's obvious love for the subject matter.

As a spin-off from the Zelda franchise Hyrule Warriors does the job. It’s fun, pays decent fan service, and uses the Dynasty Warriors template well.

Hyrule Warriors is a success. It enables Nintendo to explore the Zelda cast and world in large scale conflicts, while also offering fans an avenue for rampant nostalgia. The game only falls down due to the documented trappings of the Warriors franchise and the fault of being the first of its line, even though it does make some brave attempts to improve on the template with this.

Character customization adds unique flavor to the simple combat, and the satisfying weapons, rewards, and story make it a fun alternative to the typically serious Zelda games. It’s just a shame you can’t share the action with a friend without significant slowdown.

For those that come in expecting a classic Legend of Zelda adventure this could potentially be an underwhelming experience; yet as a fun action game with plenty of content is delivers well. Once the problem of perception — courtesy of the iconic characters at play — is resolved, this is an entertaining addition for action fans.

Hyrule Warriors has an attractive and well executed Zelda-skin, but the repetitive Warriors gameplay and lackluster co-op functionalities make this a less-than-successful spin-off.

Imagine a self-filling pinata. Imagine a hundred of them. Imagine them lumbering at you, wielding swords.

Hyrule Warriors is a great tribute to The Legend of Zelda thanks to the large number of characters and references included. Unfortunately, as a game it suffers from basic design flaws such as awkward artificial intelligence, poor level design and repetitive missions.

If you expected a real evolution, you will be disappointed. The game blindly adheres to the canons of the genre, and not just a couple of extra mechanics and ideas can save this title from the mire in which these kind of games have been wallowing for years.

There is a tremendous amount going on, to the point that it's all too easy to miss a mission-critical SOS. [Nov 2014, p.108]

This quirky offshoot is better than any Dynasty Warriors game I’ve played, while simultaneously being the worst Zelda game I’ve ever played.

Don't be fooled: Hyrule Warriors is pure Dynasty Warriors within the universe of The Legend of Zelda. Fan service and repeatability are the best words to define this Koei Tecmo game. If you are more a Dynasty Warriors fan than a Zelda fan, play it, or else, beware.

Visiting familiar Zelda locations and wiping out hundreds of enemies offers brief but satisfying bursts of mindless enjoyment, just don't expect to be engaged in the same way as a full series release.

Team Ninja and Omega Force have forced Zelda's universe into the confines of a beat-em-up, but much of the charm and appeal was strained out in the process.

There's no reason why a Dynasty Warriors game wearing a Legend of Zelda costume can't work, and at first Hyrule Warriors is surprisingly entertaining. Unfortunately the game runs out of steam after only a couple of hours. There's no depth to the combat system and slaying countless monsters becomes fairly monotonous.

Hyrule Warriors has brilliant Zelda fan-service, but is ruined by unimaginative combat and brain-dead enemies.