Hyrule Warriors: The Age of Calamity (Switch)
Edcel Javier Cintron Gonzalez, Contributing Editor
I’ve been a huge fan of the Legend of Zelda series ever since I played The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time on the Nintendo 64. What I always looked forward to in the Legend of Zelda series is how the story gets remixed to create a unique or updated environment and how each entry in the franchise adds memorable characters and game mechanics. My all-time favorites from the series will always be Wind Waker, Twilight Princess, and, of course, Breath of the Wild. Wind Waker was a game changer for me. As an islander, I liked that Wind Waker involved Link having a sense of community and a family living on a tropical island. The game made Link more of a regular human being, rather than an obvious hero. The cartoon-like animation was also a bonus.
Besides being a fan of The Legend of Zelda, I’m also intrigued by the Destiny Warriors franchise. This hack-and-slash and conquest video game created by Omega Force and Koei is originally based on the 14-century Chinese historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms. What’s made this franchise so popular is how each character has their own story to tell and the space to develop their history, personality, and in-game fighting abilities. Instead of focusing on one hero, Warriors games feature diverse ensemble casts. And I have to say, Hyrule Warriors: The Age of Calamity was everything I didn’t know I wanted in a Destiny Warriors type of game.
Age of Calamity takes place 100 years before Breath of The Wild. I’m excited to experience this part of the game’s storyline, because as I was playing BoTW, there was no other way to get to know the other characters, except for the memory missions and the divine beast story arcs. Here, the player has the opportunity to learn about the history, conflict, rise and fall of the Sheikah technology, as well as how the war began in Hyrule Kingdom.
If you’ve played Hyrule Warriors, or any Destiny Warriors type of game, you’ll find Age of Calamity’s game mechanics very familiar. You start as Link fighting hordes of Bokoblins in order to stop them from reaching Hyrule Castle. Link’s combos have a similar feel to the Link in the original Hyrule Warriors, but with a few Breath of the Wild twists thrown into the mix. Link can use his shield as a snowboard to pass through multiple enemies and then slash at them with his iconic spin attack. However, his jump combo now has the ability for him to use his paraglider to fly through the battlefield. This is a mechanic I wish other Destiny Warrior-type games had because it makes it so that you can combo, jump, paraglide to the next hoard of enemies, and then attack them from above. After a few hours into the game, it seems all playable characters have the ability to paraglide, but what changes is the way they use their unique abilities and the Runes of the Sheikah Slate in combat. This adds opportunities for characters to present their unique actions, another feature worth highlighting in the game.
By pressing the ZR button on the Nintendo Switch, each playable character can do a Unique Action that adds to their combos or performs a special attack. Link, for example, fires multiple arrows from his trusty bow, which comes in handy when enemies are standing next to explosive barrels. Impa produces Sheika symbols that she absorbs to create clones of herself to use in battle. Impa can generate up to 8 clones of herself that she uses for some fierce combo attacks. I have to say, my all-time favorite character to use in the game is Urbosa, the Gerudo Champion and pilot of the Divine Beast Vah Naboris. Urbosa has the ability to generate electricity as her unique ability. This electricity can be used to power up her combo attacks and shock enemies. Moreover, Urbosa also channels her power over electricity when she uses the different Runes. She can collect the surrounding enemies’ weapons by combining her power with the magnet rune, and she delivers a devastating spin attack when she locks her foes with the magnesis rune. I also can’t help but love the animation when Urbosa snaps her fingers to shoot lightning down on her enemies.
Besides battling multiple swarms of enemies, there are a lot of side quests, empire building, and story arcs to discover in Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity. This game reminded me why I’m so fascinated by the storytelling ability and genre remixing of the Zelda series. Part of the reason why I enjoyed Destiny Warriors is having the opportunity to learn about the different characters in the game and their contribution to the story. While I enjoyed the storytelling and the game’s cinematic sequences, what I’m really looking forward to is leveling up my characters and unlocking their full combat abilities to use them again in previous missions. As much as I love Link as a character, I’m glad I don’t have to rely on using him throughout my time playing Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity. And that’s the true revelation of the game, that the depth of Hyrule exceeds any one character, that the strength of the series continues to be its world full of charming personalities.
