I’ve always enjoyed the Hyrule Warriors games on the original Nintendo Switch, but I wish they ran a little better on the ageing hardware. Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment marks the latest entry in the hack-and-slash series, building up to the events that take place in the incredible mainline sequel, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.
Off the bat, it’s worth noting that we didn’t really get much context into the overall story in this 15-minute demo. Still, we were treated to an opening cutscene that sees Princess Zelda, King Rauru and Queen Sonia journeying into the depths of a mysterious cave. The Zonai king and queen are now playable characters alongside Zelda, and as we explored this cave, I was amazed at what the Switch 2 hardware is actually doing for this experience.
Quite simply, it feels like the intended experience those previous titles were aiming for, without the limitations of the hardware. Now I’m not going to bash the original Switch around all day, but I felt as though the frame rate drops were way too harsh and consistent and took players out of the moment.
Here, things are firing on all cylinders and working a treat. Combat is fast and frenetic, while the number of enemies on screen is impressive. It’s hard to tell how this will translate to the game’s final release, but things are running much better now in those chaotic moments. Being able to switch between each of the three characters is smooth and seamless, while players can now team characters up to create even more powerful special abilities.
You’ll still need to mix up your light and heavy attacks for a range of combinations, and I feel like combat overall feels the same as it did in the previous two titles. It’s not to say that’s a bad thing, and much like the Dynasty Warriors games, things have always felt rather fantastic. But the focus on new special attacks through team coordination feels like a big key, while Zonai constructs are available as new consumable items and items to use in combat.
I think fans of those previous games will get a kick out of those new combat enhancements, but I’m still impressed at how the hardware has given these titles a new lease on life and the freedom to perform as intended.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment will launch exclusively on the Nintendo Switch 2 on the 6th of November, 2025.
