Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment Review
Zelda's adventure set in Hyrule's ancient past stands as the best entry in the Hyrule Warriors series so far. Playing Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, it was natural to recall Tears of the Kingdom's story and Age of Calamity's approach to the Breath of the Wild backstory.
While Zelda games have included stories in the past, recent titles seemed to falter despite their potential. The concept of a narrative unfolding behind the scenes in Tears of the Kingdom, set after Breath of the Wild, was appealing but left key elements unfulfilled.
On paper, Age of Imprisonment promised to deliver everything hoped for in the original storyline and to retroactively complete a story that had all the emotional ingredients but just missed the mark.
As with Tears of the Kingdom, success depended on execution, including delivering a solid Warriors gameplay experience. Fortunately, Age of Imprisonment turned out to be a sleeper hit and a personal game of the year contender.
Context for Players
If you're reading this review, it's likely you have some familiarity with the Dynasty Warriors series or an interest in Age of Imprisonment.
"While it would be unfair to say that Zelda games haven't really focused on story in the past, I've been of the opinion that the series' recent outings have been a bit of a misstep, albeit ones with quite a lot of promise."
"On paper, Age of Imprisonment would be everything I'd wanted out of that original narrative, and could retroactively fill in the blanks for a story that had all the pieces for something moving - but never quite got there for me."
"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."
Summary
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment successfully expands the Zelda narrative with compelling storytelling and strong gameplay, standing out as a top series entry.
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