With the Switch 2 launching, many fans expect Nintendo to roll out the red carpet for its biggest IPs. So far Mario, Donkey Kong, Kirby and soon Metroid have all received new instalments on the new hardware. But one series is missing. It did get an upgrade pack for two of its titles, but there still hasn’t been a new Zelda game on the Switch 2. Yet.Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment is the third game in Koei Tecmo’s spin-off series.
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The game blends the Dynasty Warriors formula with Nintendo’s much‑loved world, letting you experience Zelda from a very different angle while expanding the series’ lore.
Hyrule Lore
The story takes place during the Imprisoning War, referenced in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Like Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, it is set 100 years before the main title.
If you played Age of Calamity, you’ll know the community’s mixed feelings about its narrative twists. Age of Imprisonment avoids that approach and sticks closely to its role as a prequel, choosing not to bend canon.
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In doing so, the story becomes something of a non-event. You already know the outcome, and it rarely offers anything new. It’s a shame, as a slight loosening of the canon could have allowed for more options, characters and surprises.
Side Story
If you’re a die-hard fan who has somehow missed this sub-series, the gameplay may shock you. It’s completely different from the core titles, playing instead as a 1‑vs‑100 hack‑and‑slash battler, or Musou game.
You control one of several characters deployed on a mission, completing objectives while fighting hordes of enemies.
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Each character has a unique move set built around weak and strong attack combos, though it can feel a bit button‑mashy in the heat of battle.
You also have a range of special attacks that unleash powerful moves, each with a cooldown before they can be used again.
In Character
The character roster is more limited this time, as the story is set during a very specific point in the Tears of the Kingdom timeline. This narrowing has happened gradually: the original Hyrule Warriors drew from a decade of the series, Age of Calamity focused on Breath of the Wild, and Age of Imprisonment is restricted to a tight time frame.
It’s not a major issue, but players hoping for a huge cast of named heroes may feel disappointed. There are plenty of other characters, but none are major figures or strong supporting roles.
Switch 2 Power
Age of Imprisonment makes full use of the Switch 2’s power and is the best Hyrule Warriors game technically. It holds a solid 60FPS, dipping only slightly when the action gets chaotic.
Oddly, the resolution drops at times and feels closer to the original Switch. It’s not a big problem, but switching between gameplay and pre-rendered cutscenes makes the softer 30FPS cutscenes stand out.
Homespun Charm
Visually, the game fully embraces Tears of the Kingdom and often feels like an extension of it. The world, characters, fonts and HUD all fit naturally. The sound design also draws heavily from the source, giving everything a familiar tone.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment is the strongest entry in the series from a performance standpoint, but its strict adherence to canon holds it back more than you might expect.
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Still, as the Zelda series’ first original outing on the Switch 2, it offers fans plenty to enjoy, with loads of content and an addictive gameplay loop to keep them busy until the next mainline chapter arrives.
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