Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamityis the latest addition toThe Legend of Zeldafranchise. Although the game is quite different than most entries into the series, it adds value in terms of drastically mixing up the gameplay, as well as filling in major plot points of the story.Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamityis a spin-off from the mainline franchise, but it is still connected via characters and the lore.
Koei Tecmo’s take on a hack and slash title in the long-running series may not be as impressive as thebestLegend of Zeldagames, but Nintendo can still learn fromHyrule Warriors: Age of CalamityandThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2will be better because of it.
Breath of the Wild 2is a highly-anticipated video game. The first was so successful and beloved, many can barely wait for what Nintendo has in store, but there is someroom for improvement withBreath of the Wildand its sequel. A few smart changes would help the game improve, andHyrule Warriors: Age of Calamityhas set the table for success forBreath of the Wild 2.
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The originalBreath of the Wildhas stayed a top 10 Switch gamein terms of sales since it launched, proving that there is a continual appetite from fans to play the game. In general,Zeldagames often sell well, butBreath of the Wildtook the game to new heights.Breath of the Wild 2will obviously take a lot from the original, but it can and should also be a better game thanks toHyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, and thanks specifically to interesting game mechanics, the story thatAge of Calamityset in place, and the pressure that it has taken off ofBreath of the Wild 2.
What Breath of the Wild 2 Can Learn from Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity
While a title likeThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wildis considered a masterpiece, theHyrule Warriorsgames are not quite on that level critically.Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamitydid receive relatively positive reviews, however, providing players with a fun twist in gameplay to the typicalZeldaexperience, and right inside the world ofBreath of the Wildno less.
In many ways,Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamityis proof that the Zelda franchise should expandand try new things. Games likeCadence of HyruleandLink’s Crossbow Trainingare few and far between. While theMarioseries has seen countless spinoffs, Nintendo holdsZeldaa little closer to its chest. But Breath of the Wildalso brought so much new to the franchise, it was a leap of faith in many ways. WhatAge of Calamitydoes is show that Nintendo should allow theZeldaseries to continue to evolve and grow. Experimenting with the franchise should be encouraged as long as the core DNA of the games remain.
WhileBreath of the Wild 2shouldn’t be a hack and slash beat ‘em up by any means, it could certainly learn from both specifics ofHyrule Warriors: Age of Calamityand from a philosophical level. Specifically,Age of Calamityshows that the weapon breaking systemfromBreath of the Wildperhaps can be tweaked. The world can be explored without slippery mountains. And perhaps even allowing other characters to be playable, like Zelda, would be a fun change of pace. And even if a one-to-one idea fromAge of Calamityisn’t used, Nintendo should know that theBreath of the Wildsequel should explore new ideas. Simply giving players the exact same game with a new story won’t be enough.
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How the Story of Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity Helps Breath of the Wild 2
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamitytakes place 100 years beforeThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, 2017’s Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2017. The game revolutionized the series in many ways. In terms of story,Breath of the Wildopened up new possibilities in the franchise, including moving the games to a more mechanical future with the Guardians and the Beasts and their powers.
But the game also presented a lot of questions. How did Hyrule get so destroyed? Why has Link been sleeping for so many years? Where did these Guardians come from? Where is Ganon? While the game answered some of these questions, there was still a lot of mystery, andHyrule Warriors: Age of Calamityfilled in some of those story gaps.
WithAge of Calamitybeing a prequel, the “how did we get here” type questions have now been mostly answered. What that means forBreath of the Wild 2is that it doesn’t have to worry about answering specifics about the war, the champions, and more.Breath of the Wilddirector Hidemaro Fujibayashi personally pitched the idea ofAge of Calamity, and Nintendo worked with Koei Tecmo on the project. The story has the blessing of the team, meaning nowBreath of the Wild 2can simply work around the foundation that was built with both the originalBreath of the WildandHyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity Takes the Pressure Off of Breath of the Wild 2
Mostrumors placeBreath of the Wild 2as a 2021 release. Between the original and the sequel, that would be a four-year wait. With series likeHalf-Life, Doom, Battletoads,andEarthboundeither seemingly vanishing or having huge hiatuses between entries, four years isn’t a long wait. However, with how great the originalBreath of the Wildwas, the anticipation leading up to its sequel is immense. In some ways, thankfully,Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamityhas taken away some of the pressure.
Age of Calamitybridges the gap for that four-year wait forZeldafans, giving them a game directly in theBreath of the Wildworld.Age of Calamityhas sold so much better than the firstHyrule Warriorspartially because it is in theBreath of the WildUniverse. While it isn’t an open-world exploratory adventure, it gives players a taste, and therefore temporarily curbs the appetite.Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamitysimultaneously allows players to go back to Hyrule while building anticipation for what is next.
There is something to be said about not wanting to be the game that comes directly after a masterpiece, because it seems impossible to meet those expectations. TheBreath of the Wildsequel now is able to follow upHyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity. And whileAge of Calamityhas sold very well and is enjoyed, it is not considered in the same “all-time classic” realm asBreath of the Wild, which is somewhere that the sequel likely wants to be as well.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamityis available for the Switch.Breath of the Wild 2is currently in development.
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