Hyrule Warriors: Age Of Imprisonment Review: End Of An Era

Hyrule Warriors: Age Of Imprisonment is another solid entry in the Legend Of Zelda spin-off series, though doesn’t really revise the formula in any meaningful way.

The Legend Of Zelda is a franchise that works well as a hack-and-slash game, with a variety of blade-wielding protagonists and side characters that rarely get the opportunity to truly show players what they’re capable of.

One such character is the titular lead of the series herself, Zelda, who’s received more attention than ever in recent years, even getting her own game, The Legend Of Zelda: Echoes Of Wisdom. It’s well-deserved and Hyrule Warriors: Age Of Imprisonment is another story all about the beloved gaming princess.

Nintendo

An Extended Legend

Story-wise it builds off the plot of The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom. At the start of the game Link and Zelda get separated across time and space, and whilst exploring Hyrule you learn where Zelda is but more importantly when. Fragments of a time long-gone inform the player of Zelda’s role in Hyrule’s history but the full story is never told, until now.

From a lore-perspective this makes Hyrule Warriors: Age Of Imprisonment a must-play for those who cherish these stories and desire more context for when they next play Tears Of The Kingdom. Not only do we learn more about Zelda’s past adventure, we also get to know Tear Of The Kingdom’s characters on a deeper level, such as King Rauru and Queen Sonia, and of course Ganondorf. New characters are also introduced that have enormous implications for Tears Of The Kingdom.

Unlocking The Imprisoning War

Gameplay-wise there’s not a lot I can say that hasn’t been said of other Warriors-style games. They do tend to play the same way and that’s not a bad thing if you vibe with that playstyle.

Playing as Zelda and an expanding roster of characters you’ll blast and cleave your way through increasingly difficult hordes of enemies, as well as take on mighty monsters and ruthless warriors.

Aside from increasing your character’s level you’ll also upgrade them through side missions. Whether it be increasing the number of hearts you have, adding an extra attack to a combo or buffing your stats there’s a clear and steady sense of progression, but you can also adjust the difficulty if you find things too hard/easy.

Nintendo

Whilst the majority of battles will have you mashing a button with your thumb till it falls off the combat does get broken up with some fancy counters. The bullet-time dodge from The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild and Tears Of The Kingdom returns allowing for a flurry of attacks, and certain moves can be interrupted with some of your abilities. This is all done in an attempt to stun your opponent before unleashing a devastating attack. Some of Tears Of The Kingdom’s gameplay mechanics also get translated into the Warriors format too, such as the constructs. Throw out a flamethrower to keep a horde off your back or barrel through them with a rocket, there are plenty of options and while it’s not as experimental as the game they come from they’re still an excellent addition to the sandbox.

My favourite part of the combat was the team-up mechanic though. Two characters can join forces in flashy and downright fun combo moves. Examples include one with Zelda and Minerva that sees Zelda temporarily control a titanic construct, and another that sees Rauru and Sonia elegantly blast away an opposing force. These moves were not just useful in a fight, they were gorgeously animated and really sold the connection between these characters.

Bosses were another highlight, as they actually required a bit of thought and strategy to slay them. Combining your close-quarters and ranged attacks is essential, as well as waiting for counter opportunities and knowing when to unleash your ultimate moves.

Like other Warriors games the battles you're engaged in are all-out warfare, albeit a lot more toned down than what we’ve had before. Maybe I was spoiled by Dynasty Warriors: Origins but it feels like the battlefields were a lot more confined than other games in the series, at least for the first half of the game. It wasn’t a deal-breaker for me as the combat shines brightly enough to obscure the lesser environments but this more claustrophobic, linear set-up might not appeal to veteran players.

Nintendo

The End (?)

Hyrule Warriors: Age Of Imprisonment plays a lot of the same notes as its predecessors but there’s definitely more depth here than Hyrule Warriors: Age Of Calamity, and as an extension of Tears Of The Kingdom it’s a strong entry.

What Hyrule Warriors continues to do exceptionally well is offer a fun, accessible entry point into the hack-and-slash genre. For that reason I’d likely say Age Of Imprisonment is better suited to those who don’t usually play Warrors games, but there’s still plenty of appeal for those familiar with Koei Tecmo’s other games.

We don’t know Nintendo’s plan for the next Legend Of Zelda game, and whether we’ll be saying goodbye to this part of the Zelda timeline anytime soon. If the series is heading in a different direction I think Age Of Imprisonment is a fine send-off to this era of the Zelda series, but if not I’ll be looking forward to the next entry.

Pros: Fantastic combat, extends the story of Tears Of The Kingdom, stunning visuals both in and out of conflict, steady performance all around

Cons: Linear, smaller scale conflicts

For fans of: The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom, Dynasty Warriors

9/10: Exceptional

Hyrule Warriors: Age Of Imprisonment is out on 6 November, 2025, releasing for the Nintendo Switch. A review code was provided by the publisher. Read a guide to our review scores here.