Hyrule Warriors – Age of Calamity

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is a 2020 hack and slash game developed by Omega Force and published by Koei Tecmo in Japan and by Nintendo internationally for the Nintendo Switch. Like the original Hyrule Warriors (2014), Age of Calamity is a crossover that mixes the world and characters of Nintendo’s The Legend of Zelda series with the gameplay of Koei Tecmo’s Dynasty Warriors series, acting as a spin-off of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (2017). Set 100 years before Breath of the Wild, Age of Calamity takes place in an era glanced via flashbacks in the original game.

It follows Link and Princess Zelda as they gather allies across Hyrule to fend off forces led by the evil Calamity Ganon, who is attempting to revive himself and destroy the kingdom. Players control Link, Zelda and their various allies to fight Ganon’s minions in large-scale battles reminiscent of Dynasty Warriors, with various gameplay elements taken from The Legend of Zelda. During the Great Calamity, a small Guardian awakens within Hyrule Castle and escapes the destruction through a time portal, but is followed by some of Calamity Ganon’s Malice. Arriving in an alternate timeline before the Calamity began, the Guardian is reactivated by Link and Impa during a battle.

They take it to engineers Purah and Robbie for study and learn that it came from a future in which Ganon reawakens and destroys Hyrule. To prevent this, King Rhoam assembles four pilots for the recently-discovered Divine Beasts — Mipha, Revali, Daruk, and Urbosa — and commands them, Link, and Zelda to find the Master Sword in Korok Forest. The Champions encounter the dark prophet Astor, who has learned of the future from Harbinger Ganon — the small Guardian from the current timeline, infected by the Malice from the original timeline — and plots to revive and control Calamity Ganon with the aid of the Yiga Clan, led by Master Kohga. Astor corrupts Korok Forest, but Link draws the Master Sword and forces him to withdraw.

Purah’s research reveals the presence of Sheikah transport towers hidden underground; the Champions reactivate the towers and use them to lead a preemptive strike on the Yiga Clan’s hideout in Gerudo Desert. Upon learning from the Guardian’s records that Calamity Ganon will return on Zelda’s seventeenth birthday, Rhoam deploys the Divine Beasts and sends Zelda to train in hopes of awakening her sealing magic. Like the previous Hyrule Warriors game, Age of Calamity mixes the hack-and-slash gameplay of Koei Tecmo’s Dynasty Warriors franchise with the characters, locations, and elements of Nintendo’s Legend of Zelda series. 

The basic gameplay consists of participating in large-scale battles against enemies, while also completing objectives and taking strategic actions such as capturing bases and commanding troops. In addition to retaining the combat, material crafting, and weapon-upgrading systems from Hyrule Warriors, the game incorporates environmental puzzle solving and the use of the Sheikah Slate and paraglider from Breath of the Wild. Players can upgrade their characters, complete missions and challenges, use resources to access new areas, build weapons, and cook foods that provide buffs. Unlike in Breath of the Wild, weapons are invulnerable and do not break over time. 

The game’s map is similar to Breath of the Wild’s map, and players can choose stages from it and use the Sheikah Tower to explore between regions. The game features 18 playable characters; 14 are obtained via progression in the main story, while four can be unlocked by completing various side quests. Besides the characters, players can also control the gigantic Divine Beasts to destroy large numbers of enemies. The maximum level is level 100. The game also features compatibility with Nintendo’s Amiibo figures, with the figures of the four Champions relaunching alongside the game’s release.