Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity

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78

Generally favorable reviews - based on 113 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
7.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 537 Ratings

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  • Summary: See Hyrule 100 years before the Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild game and experience the events of the Great Calamity. Join the struggle that brought Hyrule to its knees. Learn more about Zelda, the four Champions, the King of Hyrule and more through dramatic cutscenes as they try to saveSee Hyrule 100 years before the Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild game and experience the events of the Great Calamity. Join the struggle that brought Hyrule to its knees. Learn more about Zelda, the four Champions, the King of Hyrule and more through dramatic cutscenes as they try to save the kingdom from Calamity. The Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity game is the only way to firsthand see what happened 100 years ago. - Battle hordes of Hyrule’s most formidable foes - From barbaric Bokoblins to towering Lynels, Ganon’s troops have emerged in droves. Playable heroes like Link, Zelda and more must use their distinct abilities to carve through hundreds of enemies to save Hyrule from the impending Calamity.
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Hyrule Warriors Age of Calamity Guardian of Remembrance Launch Trailer

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 90 out of 113
  2. Mixed: 23 out of 113
  3. Negative: 0 out of 113
  1. Digitally Downloaded
    Nov 18, 2020
    100
    I do think that Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity will mean more to people who have played Breath of the Wild, and that's fine. For Zelda fans, there's no way they haven't played it anyway. For Musou fans coming to Age of Calamity from that angle, the sell's a little harder. The narrative that it weaves are great. The presentation is impeccable, and each and every one of the characters are fun to play with. It's just that where the original Hyrule Warriors felt like a love letter to the history and heritage of Zelda, Age of Calamity is more immediate, and that's just a little less of a celebration, though with the tradeoff being it actually contributes to the lore. For me, that's a worthwhile tradeoff, and I didn't even have the assumed knowledge going in.
  2. Shacknews
    Nov 18, 2020
    90
    Take a cornucopia of familiar Hyrule lands, add an absolutely fantastic soundtrack to each of them, and let a collection of amazing characters loose to tell a great story on the battlefield and off, and Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is a game no Zelda or Musou fan should pass up.
  3. NintendoWorldReport
    Nov 18, 2020
    85
    Humorously, aside from the technical issues, a lot of my problems with Age of Calamity echo the ones I had with Breath of the Wild. The Divine Beasts are solidly the weakest part of the campaign and the inventory is a little clumsy to manage. That all being said, the totality of this Musou game is soundly enjoyable. The confidence on display in Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity echoes the earned success Nintendo has found after Breath of the Wild and the Switch. This is a refined and tight action-packed experience that delivers an excellent mix of Zelda lore and creatively ridiculous brawler gameplay.
  4. Nintendo Life
    Nov 18, 2020
    80
    Approached with the knowledge that this is a full-featured side-dish, you'll have a very good time hacking and slashing your way through Calamity Ganon's minions in Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity; just remember that despite its sparkling presentation, it is still not a Zelda game. What it is is a brilliant Zelda-infused Musou experience filled with varied and satisfying combat and Breath of the Wild additions that work beautifully within the boundaries of the Warriors template. The care and attention given to detail here is hugely impressive. We found performance to be adequate and, crucially, it didn't affect our enjoyment throughout — just be prepared for a slideshow once the pyrotechnics start in two-player co-op. In many ways, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity could be exactly the game you need right now.
  5. GameMAG
    Nov 19, 2020
    80
    If the name "The Legend of Zelda" means a lot to you, and you can have fun with musou-style games, then Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity will not disappoint. Overall it is of the best games Omega Force has ever done with fast-paced and deep gameplay combined with some really great music.
  6. MMORPG.com
    Nov 30, 2020
    75
    If The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is the calm, reserved child, then Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is its loud, rowdy older sibling. The action starts at 10 and never lets up, giving me battle after battle of tight and fun Musou action. The story beats are for the most part great, but a few of them definitely left me wanting for more and not in a good way. Age of Calamity delivers on the action-heavy goods, just don’t come in here expecting the story to blow anyone’s minds...and that’s the real Calamity.
  7. Metro GameCentral
    Nov 18, 2020
    60
    The best Dynasty Warriors style game ever made, which means it’s slightly north of mediocre, with simplistic combat, weak storytelling, and a whole lot of repetition.

See all 118 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 156 out of 239
  2. Mixed: 41 out of 239
  3. Negative: 42 out of 239
  1. seburo
    May 11, 2021
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I rate it 10 just because the stupid rating under 7 or 8. I think its a good game, way better than WiiU HW because the action feels more solid and, subjective 100%, the great love I have for BOTW. I was quite disappointed when I discovered its not set in the same timeline as BOTW but I imagine they are saving it for BOTW2. All in all, I recommend it strongly. Even if you don't love musous, like me. I had a great time. :P… Expand
  2. Vertreal
    Nov 22, 2020
    10
    Giving it a 10 to offset the unwarranted zeros, as they mostly come from salty smashtards and morons that think a ubisoft rehash is somehowGiving it a 10 to offset the unwarranted zeros, as they mostly come from salty smashtards and morons that think a ubisoft rehash is somehow better than this game.

    Real score is more akin to an 8. Pros and cons listed below.

    Pros:
    - Diverse and unexpected playable characters
    - Extremely solid and varied gameplay for each character
    - Good story and direction
    - Amazing music

    Cons:
    - Framerate issues on certain maps
    - Some missions are repetitive (nothing new for Warriors games)    … Expand
  4. ReptileInsane
    Nov 21, 2020
    10
    Love it, addicted to it, wish there was more of it. I know people with scared that the game story would ruin Breath of the Wild but I feelLove it, addicted to it, wish there was more of it. I know people with scared that the game story would ruin Breath of the Wild but I feel like it compliments it well while still keeping Breath of the Wild seperate.… Expand
  5. Pilseneger
    Aug 28, 2021
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Me gustó mucho. El gameplay es de lo más sencillo. Muchos personajes. Si no te gusta uno, sólo no lo uses. Giros inesperados de la historia que enfadarán a unos y gustaran a otros, como yo. Lo disfruto mucho. Quizás los fps y los gráficos no sean de lo mejor en Switch, pero es algo secundario. Tendrás horas de juego y diversión. No conocía ni me importaban los Musou. Éste juego cambió mi paradigma… Expand
  6. GameCorp_Meyk
    Sep 13, 2021
    8
    Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity offers hours of mindless gameplay. With a good plot, very good music and a graphic style that makes TheHyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity offers hours of mindless gameplay. With a good plot, very good music and a graphic style that makes The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild look old, Age of Calamity can join the Zelda series without hesitation. Only the performance and the grinding for some side missions can reduce the fun of this title. If this doesn't bother you and found the demo version good, you will find a good 70 hours of fun here.… Expand
  7. EdwardG
    Jan 17, 2021
    7
    Age of Calamity is a good hack and slash game that provides a welcome opportunity to jump back into the world of Breath of the Wild, albeitAge of Calamity is a good hack and slash game that provides a welcome opportunity to jump back into the world of Breath of the Wild, albeit with a completely different style of gameplay.

    For the most part, I enjoyed the over the top, large scale battles that are characteristic of the Warriors franchise. Getting into the flow of it and mowing down hundreds of enemies with satisfying combos is great fun. There's usually plenty of cannon fodder on screen for you to toy with, but there's plenty of larger enemies too which require a bit more of your attention.

    Age of Calamity features a healthy roster of playable characters that you unlock as you progress through the game, and they all have fairly different movesets and unique traits. I found myself sticking to the few characters I could do the most damage with - Link, Impa and Teba - but I'm sure different people will gravitate more to others.

    Playable Divine Beast sections break up the core gameplay loop and although they're mostly a decent diversion, the Vah Rudania (the Gorons' Divine Beast) quests are a bit frustrating because of its poor blocking capabilities.

    Unfortunately, Age of Calamity starts to wear a bit thin after a while. It's not a short game, and I found its gameplay too mindless and repetitive to hold my interest for long periods of time. The oftentimes sparse checkpoint system only serves to exacerbate this issue. The side content is particularly egregious as much of it doesn't even have any story to support it - it has some context but is mostly devoid of any proper narrative. It's good that it's there for when you want a quick bit of action, but it could've been better.

    In terms of story, Age of Calamity isn't the prequel I was expecting, and it instead introduces a separate timeline. It's tone is also perhaps a bit lighter than I thought it'd be. Taken on its own merits, the story is okay. It's nice to see the characters we grew to love from Breath of the Wild again, and fighting against the Great Calamity with them was a treat. That said, I think a proper prequel could've told a much more mature, tragic story. Seeing the downfall of the Champions could've made for some excellent storytelling, and it could've been a bold, refreshing move to let us lose for once.

    Overall, this is a fairly good, enjoyable title, which perhaps unfairly has to live in the shadow of Breath of the Wild. Its connection to one of my favourite ever games is simultaneously why I expected more from it but also a big reason I liked it. If, like me, you're a big Zelda fan, just know to temper your expectations a bit regarding the story - as said, it's more of a 'what if' than a prequel. For me though, I still enjoyed Age of Calamity despite the gameplay sometimes feeling too grindy for my tastes. It's a cool, exaggerated hack and slash with a strong range of playable characters and, of course, a great soundtrack.    … Expand
  8. Zelda_Gamer
    Jan 11, 2021
    0
    Honestly, Hyrule Warriors is a great game, no doubt. When I got it I thought it would end with the champions, well, die but the ending at theHonestly, Hyrule Warriors is a great game, no doubt. When I got it I thought it would end with the champions, well, die but the ending at the end of the game just ruins Botw for me. I love the idea of Link awakening from a 100 year sleep the defeat the Great Calamity once and for all. I do recommend playing though, especially since you can do multiplayer mode.… Expand

See all 239 User Reviews

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87
#87 Best Switch Game of 2020
5
#5 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2020

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