Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity review, a true Zelda that lives up to the legend

A few days later our first grip, it's time to deliver our final verdict on Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity. Under its air of true-false Zelda, the game wants to charm players by telling the events that took place before the legendary Breath of the Wild. But did the totally action-oriented gameplay fully convince us? The answer lies in this test.

View PriceRead ConclusionHyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity

A prequel to BOTW with an interesting story
The pleasure of finding certain places and emblematic characters
Enjoyable action with face-to-face gameplay
Some enemies impressive in size and power

Avoid portable mode (framerate drop, clipping, low resolution, etc.)
A camera too often on the street
Battles not always readable with many enemies on screen
Some repetitiveness can be felt

We will not return precisely to the details already mentioned in our preview of the title published at the beginning of the month. Let's just remember that Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity takes place 100 years before the story of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (which we will now call BOTW). The emblematic characters of the software released in 2017 on Nintendo Switch are therefore at the heart of this new production... But there is a major difference.

Le cocktail idéal en attendant le second Breath of the Wild

Like Dynasty Warriors, Samurai Warriors and other games of the same type, this second Hyrule Warriors (which, as you will have understood, is not at all the continuation of the Wii U episode) is a Musô. Behind this term hides titles that require you to face dozens or even hundreds of enemies present simultaneously on the screen. These are often very generic games that focus on their unbridled action. Fortunately for us, The Age of Scourge will look further and can even be akin to a real The Legend of Zelda.

Without going into details so as not to spoil the surprise, the scenario of this prequel to BOTW should perfectly satisfy lovers of the license. We find there many playable protagonists through extremely pleasant cinematics in terms of staging and for their plastic. Special mention to the Zelda character who evolves before our eyes over the hours. The script therefore keeps all its promises and is a delicious aperitif before the arrival (hopefully soon) of Breath of the Wild 2.

Buy Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity

A lifespan worthy of the great Zelda

In its breakdown, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is divided into several chapters for about twenty different main missions. Of course, there are also a multitude of secondary challenges to complete. These unlock as you progress. Here, the Hyrule Kingdom map serves as the central hub. By collecting resources during quests, it becomes possible to unlock cooking recipes, shops or even improve the health and combos of our fighters by selecting the appropriate icon on the famous map. It's quite basic but rather effective, this Hyrule Warriors not being an open world.

By taking our time, we spent about thirty hours before seeing the end credits scrolling on the screen. The title is therefore ultra generous in terms of content. Unfortunately, given the current circumstances, we weren't able to try out the local co-op mode, which allows two friends to fight side by side on the battlefield. In short, the menu of the title published by Nintendo is very copious... even perhaps a little too much.

Enjoyable but messy

Because despite the observation made during our preview at the level of the variety of objectives to be accomplished, it must be recognized that the game developed by Koei Tecmo becomes repetitive after a certain number of hours. If this feeling is less supported for the main frame, the sides quickly fall into redundancy. Killing so many opponents, capturing outposts, defeating bosses... We quickly go around in circles in this area. Added to this pitfall are gameplay issues that can be frustrating.

Because yes, Hyrule Warriors: The Age of Scourge is strewn with sometimes embarrassing approximations. Since the action never stops, you have to constantly rush into the heap. To do this, the characters all have a strong blow and a weak (or fast) blow. Link is the only one who can wield different types of weapons. Each hero can use the sheikah tablet modules to freeze (Cryonis), freeze (Cynétis), reflect projectiles (Polaris) and throw bombs. By using the right ability at the right time, the enemy suffers heavy damage and reveals his weak point gauge. Once the latter is empty, it is possible to give it a fatal blow.

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Watch for the symbol that appears above enemies to use the correct Sheikah Tablet Mod

The gameplay works wonderfully and can even boast of being instinctive to master. Alas, it's marred by a terrible camera that has a knack for getting stuck in absurd corners. The action on the screen then becomes unreadable, especially when dozens of creatures surround our fighter. And in those moments, the framerate suffers a lot. It is not uncommon to drop below 15 frames per second (or even less) during the most intense battles. This can sometimes ruin epic streaks when facing huge bosses.

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Some bosses take up a lot of space!

Hyrule, a magnificent kingdom that turns in slow motion

More generally, it is almost all of the technical and aesthetic part of the game that needs to be reviewed. In portable mode, the rendering is far from breathtaking with runny textures, excessive clipping and very low resolution (540p or even 380p). And what about the phases on board the divine creatures which are not at all adapted to the small screen of the Switch. It is therefore strongly recommended to go through this adventure on a television in docked mode (about 810p) which is much less likely to be affected by these technical wanderings.

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The phases aboard the divine creatures are intense but often confusing

The artistic direction of BOTW is however well used and always manages to sublimate certain panoramas. We can therefore "revisit" familiar places that will not fail to kindle our nostalgic flame. Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity may not be a true Zelda in its form, but it still retains the mesmerizing charm of Nintendo's series. Whether thanks to its universe, its music, its cast of endearing characters or its poignant cutscenes, this title will undoubtedly amaze fans of Link's epics.

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Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity – Clubic's opinion

Announced by Nintendo at the last minute, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is a pleasant surprise. Despite its repetitive side, the game escapes the lack of originality that strikes too often the many Musô (the first Hyrule Warriors had fallen into this trap). Here we are faced with a Zelda game that proudly bears the heavy legacy of a Breath of the Wild adored by players around the world.

The story, the artistic touch, the soundtrack or even the heroes of the game live up to the legend. We can only blame a lack of finish in terms of fluidity and for the placement of the camera. If the progression is also a bit repetitive, this pitfall will quickly be forgotten by those who love The Legend of Zelda saga for all that it represents in the video game industry.

Test carried out on Nintendo Switch from a code provided by the publisher

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Scourge

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is an undeniable achievement. It is quite simply the major and unprecedented exclusivity that the Switch needed at the end of the year. If the copy is not perfect technically speaking, the title of Koei Tecmo pulls out of the game thanks to its gargantuan content and its gripping story. This Hyrule Warriors has won a place of choice alongside the greatest opuses of The Legend of Zelda license and this is no small feat!