There has been somewhat of a drought in Switch exclusives, making it doubly hard for fans of the Legend of Zelda, particularly those awaiting more information regarding the highly anticipated sequel to the Breath of the Wild.
Thankfully, in a surprise announcement earlier today, Nintendo unveiled: Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, a sequel to the original Hyrule Warriors, at least in terms of formula; and a direct prequel to the original Breath of the Wild, set 100 years prior to Link’s awakening (no, not that Awakening).
This close adherence to the original game’s direction seems to be in the hopes of making a game that feels like it belongs within the same series but within a different, more action-oriented style of gameplay, indicative of the Warriors style of game.
Unlike the previous Hyrule Warriors, Age of Calamity’s development has been tied closely with the staff responsible for Breath of the Wild, ensuring a more faithful interpretation of that specific game world and not just in terms of aesthetics but gameplay mechanics as well. According to the game’s producer, Yosuke Hayashi, “the previous Hyrule Warriors games were filled with Zelda conventions. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, broke these conventions entierly, and perhaps it’s the same for everyone here; but for someone like me, whose been playing Zelda games for a long time, this was an extraordinary experience.”
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity promises to retell the events leading up to the beginning of Breath of the Wild, giving fan’s a first-hand look into the Calamity Ganon’s uprising and the eventual siege of Hyrule. In other words, Age of Calamity’s war should naturally fit into the Koei-Techmo Warriors formula of gameplay.
Both Zelda and Warriors fan don’t have to wait too long as Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity will release exclusively on to the Nintendo Switch November 20, 2020.
