The main setting of many games under The Legend of Zelda franchise is Hyrule. Indeed, Hyrule has shaped many of the dynamic characters of the series. In Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, players were introduced to what was known as the Great Calamity, which has layed waste to the land.
In Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, players get to learn more about Hyrule. With the clock turned back 100 years, players also get to experience the Great Calamity as it happens. As players witness the events of this Great Calamity, they have a chance to choose from a wide range of playable characters and join the struggle that brought Hyrule to its knees.
You can view the debut trailer below:
The game offers wild combos mixed in with what are over-the-top special abilities. In terms of gameplay, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is rather fast-paced, and players need to come up with shrewd strategies on the fly across an ever evolving battlefield in order to win.
For those who have been fans of the Dynasty Warriors/Hyrule Warriors franchise, this new game features a lot of playable characters and creatures from Breath of the Wild that have since become favorites. These include Impa and the Divine Beasts, which in the right hands can be truly devastating tools.
In addition to offering a new spin on the Musou-style games, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity also has some unique additions that bring their own Legend of Zelda flavor to the genre. For example, Age of Calamity has rods that have elemental affinities like fire, ice, and lightning. These same rods can interact with the environment, which adds that extra layer of strategy when it comes to battles. Then there are the Sheikah Runes which vary in style when used by the different characters that have iconic abilities like Magnesis and Cryonis. With all of these different tools, players can make quick work of the hordes.
A trailer for Age of Calamity was released back in September of this year with additional details revealed last month. Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity was released for the Nintendo Switch on November 20 and is available for $59.99. A free demo is available on the Nintendo eShop and the save data carries over to the full version once purchased.