The latest version of Hyrule, as seen inBreath of the WildandTears of the Kingdom, is getting another entry withHyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment. Nintendo’s most recent Direct livestream confirmed the game is coming to the Nintendo Switch 2 in winter 2025, though no specific release date was given. While any newLegend of Zeldagame is something to be excited about,the radical choices of the lastHyrule Warriorstitle make it difficult to be excitedaboutAge of Imprisonment.
While the Direct called this newest game canon to the timeline ofBOTWandTOTK, it’s hard to get excited aboutAge of Imprisonmentafter the major plot twist inAge of Calamity. Rather than sticking to the tragic events that set up the events ofBreath of the Wild,the lastHyrule Warriorsgame featured a completely altered series of eventssurrounding Calamity Ganon’s return. SinceAge of Imprisonmenthas a similar setup toAge of Calamity, taking place during a pivotal era in Hyrule’s history, it seems likely that the game will repeat past series mistakes.
Age Of Calamity Missed The Mark With Setting Up TOTK
Alternate Timelines Mean Missing Set-Ups For Canon Sequels
One of the most emotional aspects ofBreath of the Wildis the loss Hyrule suffered 100 years before the events of the game. King Rhoam and all four champions – Mipha, Revali, Urbosa, and Daruk – died fighting Calamity Ganon after their Divine Beasts and Guardians were possessed.Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamitywas advertised as a prequel and promised to show what exactly happened during the fateful battle and the lead-up to it as Princess Zelda struggled to harness her powers.
Instead of showing what happened to these tragically fated heroes,Age of Calamityopted for an alternative timelinein which the original champions and theirBreath of the Wild-era successors team up with Link and Zelda todefeat and seal away Ganon permanently.Age of Calamitycould have been theHalo: Reachof the series, a game in which the main characters are destined to die, and their inevitable fate makes every action and sacrifice even more poignant. Instead, the game set up a strange time loop situation for a happy ending.
This deviation from the canon established inBreath of the Wildis interesting, but, in the end, it neither continues the story ofBOTWnor does it set up what’s coming inTears of the Kingdom.Age of Calamityhad the uniqueopportunity to hint at the events ofTOTK, particularly regarding the threat posed by Ganondorf once again and the ancient history of Hyrule.Breath of the Wildended with such a sense of finality, so any sort of setup inAge of Calamitywould’ve helped bridge the gap between the two mainline titles.
Age Of Imprisonment Probably Isn’t Canon Either
The Next Hyrule Warriors Game Might Have The Same Twist
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, recently announced at the most recent Nintendo Direct at the end of July, isa sequel to 2020’sHyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity. On top of the similar gameplay, it’s very likely thatAge of Imprisonmentwill similarly be outside the established mainline series canon forBOTWandTOTK.Despite stating that it would feature “canonical events” in the latest partner Direct, it may be an alternate-history style narrative again.
The game takes place during the period Princess Zelda spent back in time in ancient Hyrule with the first king, Rauru, and the first queen, Sonia. Like the events ofBOTWwith the original champions, the characters in ancient Hyrule are met witha tragic fate at the hand of Ganondorf.It seems probable thatAge of Imprisonmentwill take a similar routewith its plot and create an alternate timeline for every character to get a happier ending.
Hyrule Warriors Games Are A Nice Distraction But Not Too Exciting
Non-Canon Events Aren’t As Interesting
In the end, any newLegend of Zeldatitle is exciting, butHyrule Warriorsgames aren’t as thrilling as mainline titles.Age of Calamityadvertising itself as a lead-up to the events ofBreath of the Wild, only to take a wildly different path from the canon story, makes it hard to build hype forAge of Imprisonment. Once it’s been established that these titles won’t reveal any more information about what truly happened in between games, it’s difficult to build any anticipation.
For fans of hack and slash games, and for anyone who enjoys spending more time in this unique version of Hyrule, theHyrule Warriorsgames are worth picking up. However, for anyone more interested in getting a more canon story about what happened during periods of Hyrule’s past that are mostly seen through cutscenes inBOTWandTOTK, thenHyrule Warriorsgames are more of a temporary distraction than something to get overly hyped for. Nintendo did hint thatAge of Imprisonmentwould be canon, but given the marketing for the firstHyrule Warriorsgame, the company may be using the term in a very loose definition.
