Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment announced for Switch 2
From the creators of Dynasty Warriors comes another entry in the Hyrule Warriors series, following Zelda's journey through the past in Tears of the Kingdom.
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Today, during the hour-long Nintendo Switch 2 Direct, The Legend of Zelda fans were treated to an unexpected follow up to 2020’s Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity. Developed in partnership with Koei Tecmo Games, the creators of the Dynasty Warriors series, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment follows in the footsteps of those hack-and-slash action games where major Legend of Zelda characters take on hordes of enemies. This game is set to take place in the time long before Tears of the Kingdom, following Zelda’s journey through the past.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment announced during Nintendo Switch 2 Direct
While the Dynasty Warriors games have had their ups and downs in the past, Dynasty Warriors: Origins, also developed by Koei Tecmo Games, released to general praise this past January. While I personally haven’t played this new game, it could show that the development team has tapped into something great recently, and that could make this next Hyrule Warriors game stand out as well.
Surprisingly, during the full trailer, Link, the usual protagonist from The Legend of Zelda games, does not make an appearance. It’s possible, especially given the story context of this game, that Link is not a playable character at all. Just like in the recent Echoes of Wisdom, we might get an opening scene with Link and then Zelda is on her own the rest of the game. Two Zelda focused games so close together is great to see, and I’m glad that the series isn’t afraid to leave its iconic protagonist behind for the sake of the story.
Instead, the trailer seems to suggest that the playable characters will be the past champions encountered in Tears of the Kingdom. This would match what happened in Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, where the player was able to take control of the defeated champions Link rescues in Breath of the Wild. Tears of the Kingdom’s discoverable cut scenes have already given players a sense of what to expect from this story.
This looks like it will be a great game for fans of the gigantic battle sequences in Dynasty Warriors games, and/or fans who want to learn more about the Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom lore. It’s great to see Nintendo continue to trust other developers with one of their biggest properties. Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment will launch on the upcoming Switch 2, but for now, all we know is that it will become available sometime this winter.
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Author: Matt Buckley
Matt has been writing for Gamepressure since 2020, and currently lives in San Diego, CA. Like any good gamer, he has a Steam wishlist of over three hundred games and a growing backlog that he swears he’ll get through someday. Aside from daily news stories, Matt also interviews developers and writes game reviews. Some of Matt’s recent favorites include Arco, Neva, Cocoon, Animal Well, Baldur’s Gate 3, and Tears of the Kingdom. Generally, Matt likes games that let you explore a world, tell a compelling story, and challenge you to think in different ways.
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