Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment Review – Back to Top

Returning to the world of the ancient kingdom of Hyrule, as we briefly saw it during the flashbacks and time travel in Tears of the Kingdom, completely brought back memories of this unusual game, my favorite game of 2023. Not only in the story and setting, but also in the characters and game mechanics, including the inclusion of Zonai tools such as missiles, batteries, and more. If you enjoyed the world of Tears of the Kingdom, you should definitely check out this new spin-off, regardless of the genre change. Among other things, also because the Warriors series continues to develop and this time contains, in addition to action, a fair amount of exploration and role-playing game elements.

• Platform: Nintendo Switch 2
• Release date: 06/11/2025
• Manufacturer: Koei Tecmo AAA Games Studio (Japan)
• Genre: hack-n-slash action with RPG elements
• Czech localization: No
• Multiplayer: 2 players (split screen, GameShare)
• Download data: 43 GB
• Game time: 30+ hours
• Price: 1999 CZK

Return to the ancient kingdom of Hyrule.

The game’s plot returns to the events that we could see during the game Tears of the Kingdom in cinematic flashbacks: it shows how Princess Zelda went back in time to the founding of the ancient kingdom of Hyrule under the rule of King Rauru and Queen Sonya, who must face the invasion of the warrior Ganondorf and his army. If you liked the aesthetics of this ancient era or liked some of its characters, you’ll really get a fair bit of bonus here.

Source: Martin Zavrzel / Zing.cz

Source: Martin Zavrzel / Zing.cz

Source: Martin Zavrzel / Zing.cz

Source: Martin Zavrzel / Zing.cz

Source: Nintendo

Source: Nintendo

Source: Nintendo

However, this is somewhat of a double-edged sword. Since these are events in the past, and we’ve already seen key moments of them in the original game’s cinematic sequences, many of the most important revelations or twists are weakened by knowing about them before the game even starts. It definitely takes away from the drama and tension of the story because you just know where it’s going and how certain characters’ fates will turn out. At the same time, the game literally recycles previously seen film fragments from the original game.

King Raur and Queen Sona must face an invasion from the warrior Ganondorf.

While you may already know the basics of the story, Age of Imprisonment expands on them not only with lots of new details, but also with entirely new characters and plots that are rich and interesting enough to keep you interested. They are led, for example, by the figure of a mysterious “robot” with the nickname “Mysterious Construct”, which very strikingly resembles the knight Link. Additionally, you’ll see much more colorful art of all the characters than in the original game, not only with a lot of dubbed dialogue and movies, but also exploration passages where you can go through certain parts of the world and discover it without fighting. Thus, the game has gone beyond pure action and is more reminiscent of an action-adventure game, additionally enriched with light role-playing game elements.

You are not alone

Aside from some linear story sequences, most of the game involves you choosing which battles to fight and in what order on the world map. As in the original game, you also have at your disposal not only an overland map, but also an underground map, which served as one of the most striking additions to Tears of the Kingdom and also stands out in this game with a noticeably creepier atmosphere. You can choose which characters to use in most battles, and again, you can switch between them during the game and control them directly. Among other things, you can charge them with a special energy indicator, which can then be used for special spectacular attacks or synchronized attacks of two characters at the same time. Additionally, you’ll gradually upgrade weapons unique to each character, or alternate between different Zonai tools, such as bombs or a flamethrower. Unique bosses also add variety.

Already during your first playthrough of the game, you can choose whether you want to repeat some battles on a higher difficulty, for example to collect raw materials to improve weapons, gain experience for lesser-used characters, or simply beat your score in a given battle. Again, the passage may take you several tens of hours, or even twice as long, depending on how immersed you are in the game. The game is exclusive to the new Switch 2 console, so it looks beautiful and strives for 60 frames per second (30 on split screen), despite the often large armies of enemies. I certainly don’t need to explain to fans of the Musou genre how hectic these battles with hundreds of enemies can sometimes be. It’s also possible to play two players in split screen, or use one copy of the game and the GameShare feature on two consoles at the same time. In two-player, tactical decisions will stand out, whether you split up to defend different parts of the map or stick together, perhaps to take full advantage of these new synchronized superpowers between character pairs.

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