There’s been a veritable cornucopia of Dynasty Warriors spin-offs over the years, including anime adaptations like Gundam, Berserk, and One Piece and video game collaborations with Persona and Fire Emblem. The 2014 collab Hyrule Warriors and its sequel, Age of Calamity, are perhaps the most warmly received of them all, owing to their blend of Omega Force’s overblown hack-and-slash action with The Legend of Zelda’s iconic characters, locations, and enemies.
With Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, the two long-running series are more intertwined than ever, to the point where it feels more like a brand-new Zelda release than just another musou spin-off. It’s not without its faults and is unlikely to convert anyone unconvinced by this style of game already, but Age of Imprisonment improves upon its predecessors in numerous ways.
The game’s story is the most obvious aspect where the two series are aligned. Unlike Age of Calamity and its alternate timeline ideas, Age of Imprisonment is considered canon by Nintendo, expanding on the fragments of information shown in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom to reveal the full extent of Hyrule’s founding, Ganondorf’s rise as the Demon King, and the subsequent Imprisonment War. If you’ve played Tears of the Kingdom, there aren’t many surprises to be found here. Its most crucial story beats have already been covered, so part of the game involves revisiting these inciting incidents and exploring their aftermath.