Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment Review
Zelda's journey into Hyrule's ancient past delivers what many consider the best Hyrule Warriors experience yet. Starting the game, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment naturally brought to mind the story of Tears of the Kingdom and Age of Calamity's take on Breath of the Wild’s origin.
While Zelda games have often included strong narratives, I’ve felt recent titles missed the mark in some areas, despite their potential. I appreciated Tears of the Kingdom exploring a post-Breath of the Wild world and its behind-the-scenes story, yet it left me wanting more in key narrative elements.
On paper, Age of Imprisonment promised to deliver the extended story I was hoping for, filling in gaps with a compelling tale that had all the ingredients to be emotionally engaging but hadn’t fully succeeded before. As with Tears of the Kingdom, success depends heavily on execution—and it also needed to stand as a solid Warriors gameplay experience.
Fortunately, Age of Imprisonment proves to be a quiet standout—one of my personal favorite games of the year.
"Let's take a step back for a moment; I have my doubts you'd be reading this review otherwise, but I assume you have at least a passing knowledge of Dynasty Warriors if you have an interest in Age of Imprisonment."
For fans familiar with Dynasty Warriors, Age of Imprisonment blends its signature combat style with a deeply woven Zelda story set in ancient times, offering a fresh and satisfying experience.
Summary
Age of Imprisonment successfully expands Zelda’s lore with strong storytelling and engaging gameplay, surpassing expectations and standing out as a top Warriors title.
Would you like a version with more detailed gameplay analysis or kept strictly to the narrative aspects?