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''Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity'' is a 2020 hack and slash game developed by
Koei Tecmo is a Japanese video game, amusement and anime holding company created in 2009 by the merger of Koei and Tecmo. Koei Tecmo Holdings owns several companies, the biggest one of those being its flagship video game developer and publisher Koei Tecmo ...
's
Omega Force (stylised as ''ω-Force'') is a Japanese video game developer and a division of Koei Tecmo, founded in 1996 by Akihiro Suzuki and Kenichi Ogasawara, and is best known for the ''Dynasty Warriors'' video games. History Omega Force was founded ...
and published by
Nintendo is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto. It develops, publishes, and releases both video games and video game consoles. The history of Nintendo began when craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi ...
for the
Nintendo Switch The is a video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. Released in the middle of the Eighth generation of video game consoles, eighth generation of home consoles, the Switch succeeded the ...
. Like the original ''
Hyrule Warriors ''Hyrule Warriors'' is a 2014 hack and slash game developed by Omega Force and Team Ninja and published by Nintendo for the Wii U. The game is a collaboration between Koei Tecmo and Nintendo, mixing settings and characters from Nintendo's ''The ...
'' (2014), ''Age of Calamity'' is a
crossover Crossover may refer to: Entertainment Music Albums * ''Cross Over'' (album), a 1987 album by Dan Peek, or the title song * ''Crossover'' (Dirty Rotten Imbeciles album), 1987 * ''Crossover'', an album by Intrigue * ''Crossover'', an album by ...
that mixes the world and characters of Nintendo's ''
The Legend of Zelda is a media franchise, video game series created by the Japanese game designers Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka. It is primarily developed and published by Nintendo; some portable installments and re-releases have been outsourced to Flags ...
'' series with the gameplay of Koei Tecmo's ''
Dynasty Warriors is a series of Japanese hack and slash action video games created by Omega Force and Koei (now Koei Tecmo). The series is a spin-off of Koei's turn-based strategy '' Romance of the Three Kingdoms'' series, based upon the Chinese novel of ...
'' series, acting as a
spin-off Spin-off, Spin Off, Spin-Off, or Spinoff may refer to: Entertainment and media *Spinoff (media), a media work derived from an existing work *''The Spinoff'', a New Zealand current affairs magazine * ''Spin Off'' (Canadian game show), a 2013 Canad ...
of '' The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild'' (2017). Set 100 years before ''Breath of the Wild'', ''Age of Calamity'' takes place in an era glanced via flashbacks in the original game, and follows Link and
Princess Zelda is a Character (arts), character in Nintendo's ''The Legend of Zelda'' video game series. She was created by Shigeru Miyamoto for the original 1986 game ''The Legend of Zelda (video game), The Legend of Zelda''. As one of the central characters ...
as they gather allies across
Hyrule ''The Legend of Zelda'' is a video game franchise created by video game designers Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka and mainly developed and published by Nintendo. The universe of the ''Legend of Zelda'' series consists of various lands, th ...
to fend off forces led by the evil
Calamity Ganon is a character and the main antagonist of Nintendo's ''The Legend of Zelda'' video game series and franchise, as well as the final Boss (video games), boss in many ''Zelda'' titles. In his humanoid Gerudo form, he is known as A massive and male ...
, who is attempting to revive himself and destroy the kingdom. Players control Link, Zelda and their various allies to fight Ganon's minions in large-scale battles reminiscent of ''Dynasty Warriors'', with various gameplay elements taken from ''The Legend of Zelda''. ''Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity'' was released worldwide on November 20, 2020 to positive reviews from critics, who lauded its gameplay, varied character playstyles, amount of content, visuals, and soundtrack, although its technical performance (chiefly its inconsistent
frame rate Frame rate, most commonly expressed in frame/s, or FPS, is typically the frequency (rate) at which consecutive images (Film frame, frames) are captured or displayed. This definition applies to film and video cameras, computer animation, and moti ...
) was criticized by some. The narrative drew mixed responses, with much praise for the game's
characterization Characterization or characterisation is the representation of characters (persons, creatures, or other beings) in narrative and dramatic works. The term character development is sometimes used as a synonym. This representation may include dire ...
and expansion of ''Breath of the Wild''s setting, but dissatisfaction aimed towards its use of
time travel Time travel is the hypothetical activity of traveling into the past or future. Time travel is a concept in philosophy and fiction, particularly science fiction. In fiction, time travel is typically achieved through the use of a device known a ...
. ''Age of Calamity'' was a commercial success, becoming the best-selling game in the history of the larger ''
Warriors A warrior is a guardian specializing in combat or warfare, especially within the context of a tribal or clan-based warrior culture society that recognizes a separate warrior aristocracy, class, or caste. History Warriors seem to have been p ...
'' metaseries in four days and selling four million units as of January 2022. A third ''Hyrule Warriors'' game, '' Age of Imprisonment'', is in development for the
Nintendo Switch 2 The is a hybrid video game console developed by Nintendo, released in most regions on June5, 2025. Like the original Nintendo Switch, Switch, it can be used as a Handheld game console, handheld, as a Tablet computer, tablet, or connected via ...
. It will serve as a prequel to '' The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom'' (2023).


Gameplay

Like the previous ''Hyrule Warriors'' game, ''Age of Calamity'' mixes the
hack-and-slash Hack and slash, also known as hack and slay (H&S or HnS) or slash 'em up, refers to a type of gameplay that emphasizes combat with melee-based weapons (such as swords or blades). They may also feature projectile-based weapons as well (such as ...
gameplay of
Koei Tecmo is a Japanese video game, amusement and anime holding company created in 2009 by the merger of Koei and Tecmo. Koei Tecmo Holdings owns several companies, the biggest one of those being its flagship video game developer and publisher Koei Tecmo ...
's ''
Dynasty Warriors is a series of Japanese hack and slash action video games created by Omega Force and Koei (now Koei Tecmo). The series is a spin-off of Koei's turn-based strategy '' Romance of the Three Kingdoms'' series, based upon the Chinese novel of ...
'' franchise with the characters, locations, and elements of
Nintendo is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto. It develops, publishes, and releases both video games and video game consoles. The history of Nintendo began when craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi ...
's ''
Legend of Zelda is a media franchise, video game series created by the Japanese game designers Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka. It is primarily developed and published by Nintendo; some portable installments and re-releases have been outsourced to Flags ...
'' series. The basic gameplay consists of participating in large-scale battles against enemies, while also completing objectives and taking strategic actions such as capturing bases and commanding troops. In addition to retaining the combat, material crafting, and weapon-upgrading systems from ''Hyrule Warriors'', the game incorporates environmental puzzle solving and the use of the Sheikah Slate and paraglider from ''Breath of the Wild''. Players can upgrade their characters, complete missions and challenges, use resources to access new areas, build weapons, and cook foods that provide buffs. Unlike in ''Breath of the Wild'', weapons are invulnerable and do not break over time. The game's map is similar to ''Breath of the Wild'''s map, and players can choose
stages Stage, stages, or staging may refer to: Arts and media Acting * Stage (theatre), a space for the performance of theatrical productions * Theatre, a branch of the performing arts, often referred to as "the stage" * ''The Stage'', a weekly Brit ...
from it and use the Sheikah Tower to explore between regions. The game features 18 playable characters; 14 are obtained via progression in the main story, while four can be unlocked by completing various side quests. Besides the characters, players can also control the gigantic Divine Beasts to destroy large numbers of enemies. The maximum level is level 100. The game also features compatibility with Nintendo's
Amiibo (, ; stylized as amiibo; plural: ''Amiibo'') is a toys-to-life platform by Nintendo, which was launched in November 2014. It consists of a wireless communications and storage protocol for connecting figurines to the Wii U, Nintendo 3DS, Ni ...
figures, with the figures of the four Champions relaunching alongside the game's release.


Plot

During the Great Calamity, a small Guardian awakens within Hyrule Castle and escapes the destruction through a time portal, but is followed by some of Calamity Ganon's Malice. Arriving in an alternate timeline before the Calamity began, the Guardian is reactivated by Link and Impa during a battle. They take it to engineers Purah and Robbie for study and learn that it came from a future in which Ganon reawakens and destroys Hyrule. To prevent this, King Rhoam assembles four pilots for the recently discovered Divine Beasts – Mipha, Revali, Daruk, and Urbosa – and commands them, Link, and Zelda to find the Master Sword in Korok Forest. The Champions encounter the dark prophet Astor, who has learned of the future from Harbinger Ganon – the small Guardian from the current timeline, infected by the Malice from the original timeline — and plots to revive and control Calamity Ganon with the aid of the Yiga Clan, led by Master Kohga. Astor corrupts Korok Forest, but Link draws the Master Sword and forces him to withdraw. Purah's research reveals the presence of Sheikah transport towers hidden underground; the Champions reactivate the towers and use them to lead a preemptive strike on the Yiga Clan's hideout in Gerudo Desert. Upon learning from the Guardian's records that Calamity Ganon will return on Zelda's seventeenth birthday, Rhoam deploys the Divine Beasts and sends Zelda to train in hopes of awakening her sealing magic. Robbie and Purah are captured by Yiga spies while restoring the Guardian's memory. The Guardian escapes with the Sheikah Slate and delivers it to Zelda as the Calamity arrives. As Hyrule Castle is besieged and the Sheikah Towers shut down across Hyrule, the Champions are ambushed in their Divine Beasts by the Blight Ganons, while King Rhoam seemingly sacrifices himself for Link, Zelda, and Impa to escape the castle. The Guardian summons Sidon, Teba, Yunobo, and Riju from the original timeline to assist the Champions, buying Link enough time to destroy the Blight Ganons. With the Champions saved and the Divine Beasts restored, they begin to clear the way to Hyrule Castle. In an effort to stop the timeline from changing, Astor kills many Yiga Clan members and uses their life force to resurrect the Blight Ganons. Link is cornered by the Blight Ganons in Fort Hateno, but Zelda awakens her sealing magic to save him. Hyrule's forces are bolstered by Kohga and the remnants and the Yiga Clan, who seek revenge against Astor, and King Rhoam, who is revealed to have survived using a shield artifact given to him by Zelda. Purah uses the Sheikah towers to transport their allies to Hyrule Castle for a full-scale assault against Calamity Ganon. Although the Divine Beasts weaken Ganon's spirit form, Harbinger Ganon consumes Astor upon his defeat and becomes Calamity Ganon, who then corrupts the little Guardian, forcing Link to destroy it; during this time, Zelda remembers she activated the Guardian as a child and named it Terrako, which King Rhoam took away so she would focus on her training. Zelda and her allies confront Calamity Ganon, but are unable to damage him until Terrako self-destructs to weaken him. Calamity Ganon is defeated by Link and permanently sealed away by Zelda. The future heroes are returned to their timeline while Link, Zelda, and their allies look out at the now peaceful Hyrule. In a secret ending, Purah and Robbie repair Terrako, reuniting Zelda with her friend.


Development

''Age of Calamity'' was revealed in a trailer that was released in September 2020, presented by ''Zelda'' series producer
Eiji Aonuma is a Japanese video game designer, director, and producer at Nintendo. He is a senior officer within their Nintendo EPD division and serves as the producer of the ''The Legend of Zelda, Legend of Zelda'' franchise. Career Aonuma was born as on ...
and Koei Tecmo producer Yosuke Hayashi. The game features the same art assets as ''
Breath of the Wild is a 2017 action-adventure game developed and published by Nintendo. Set at the end of the Zelda timeline, ''Zelda'' timeline, the player controls an amnesiac Link (The Legend of Zelda), Link as he sets out to save Princess Zelda and prevent ...
'', but uses the more combat-focused gameplay style of the previous ''Hyrule Warriors'' game. More information was revealed at the
Tokyo Game Show , commonly known as TGS, is a video game trade fair and convention held annually in September in the Makuhari Messe, in Chiba, Japan. It is presented by the Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association (CESA) and Nikkei Business Publication ...
on September 26. The game came into fruition when ''Breath of the Wilds director
Hidemaro Fujibayashi is a Japanese video game designer at Nintendo. He has directed several games in the ''Legend of Zelda'' series, including '' Skyward Sword'', ''Breath of the Wild'', and ''Tears of the Kingdom''. Fujibayashi worked at Capcom prior to joining Nint ...
and art director Satoru Takizawa pitched the idea to Aonuma, who liked the idea and after discussions. Aonuma then approached Hayashi, a producer from Koei Tecmo, to make a new ''Hyrule Warriors'' about the events of the Great Calamity, which were mentioned but not properly shown in ''Breath of the Wild''. Aonuma felt that the battles would complement well with the style of a ''Warriors'' game. Nintendo's ''Zelda'' developers worked more closely with the development team at Koei Tecmo than on ''Hyrule Warriors'', providing advisement and assistance with gameplay, graphics, world, and dialogue. During the Nintendo Treehouse Live gameplay presentation on October 7, Nintendo stated that the game will explore more backstories and relationships between characters, aspects that were not thoroughly examined in ''Breath of the Wild''. At the end of that month, the demo became available to download from the
Nintendo eShop The is a digital distribution service for the Nintendo Switch and the Nintendo Switch 2, and formerly available via the Nintendo Network for the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS. Launched in June 2011 on the Nintendo 3DS, the Nintendo eShop served ...
, which includes the first chapter of the game. ''
Kotaku ''Kotaku'' is a video game website and blog that was originally launched in 2004 as part of the Gawker Media network. Notable former contributors to the site include Luke Smith, Cecilia D'Anastasio, Tim Rogers, and Jason Schreier. History ...
'' noted from the demo that the game felt more connected to ''Breath of the Wild'' than to a ''Warriors'' title.


Downloadable content

Downloadable content content (DLC) is additional content created for an already released video game, distributed through the Internet by the game's publisher. It can be added for no extra cost or as a form of video game monetization, enabling the publisher to gain ad ...
(DLC) for the game was released throughout 2021 via an "Expansion Pass". A purchase bonus was made available on May 28, featuring a new weapon and costume for Link. The first wave of content, titled "Pulse of the Ancients", was released on June 18, and features an additional playable character (Battle-Tested Guardian), new weapon types for Link and Zelda, new challenges in the Royal Ancient Lab, and newly added challenging enemies. The second wave of content, titled "Guardian of Remembrance", was released on October 29, and adds new story stages set during the events of the main game. "Guardian of Remembrance" also adds new battle skills for existing characters, and two additional characters: Purah and Robbie, who function as a single unit, and Sooga.


Reception


Critical response

''Age of Calamity'' holds a score of 78 out of 100 on
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website
Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Four reviewers for ''
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'' gave the game a total score of 36/40, the second-highest score for a 2020 Nintendo Switch game at that point of the year (with '' Animal Crossing: New Horizons'' receiving 38/40 in March of the same year). TJ Denzer of ''
Shacknews ''Shacknews'' is an American video game journalism website founded in 1996. It that publishes news articles, reviews, and cheat codes. History ''Shacknews'' was founded in 1996 by Steve Gibson. The website, originally named 'Quakeholio', was ...
'' gave the game a 9/10 rating, giving high praise to the gameplay, differences between character playstyles, and story; they called ''Age of Calamity'' as the most fleshed out and well-crafted ''Dynasty Warriors''-style game. They claimed that the game expands upon ''Breath of the Wild'' masterfully in both the iconic battle locations of the game and the soundtrack that accompanies them. Giving the game a 4/5 rating, Scott Baird of ''
Screen Rant ''Screen Rant'' is an entertainment website that offers news in the fields of television, films, video games, and comic books. It is owned by Valnet, parent of publications including Comic Book Resources, Collider, MovieWeb and XDA Developers. ...
'' stated that the game "offers a fascinating look into the world of ''Breath of the Wild'' alongside great gameplay", praising the combat system which rarely feels repetitive or dull, the differences between the character playstyles, the "hundreds of hours worth of content", and the character development. However, he criticized the
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, which "tends to get stuck during the indoor stages, which is especially frustrating when trying to dodge enemy attacks". While Baird praised the game for offering "a fascinating look at the world of ''Breath of the Wild''", he also pointed out that the setting "severely limits the types of enemies that the players will encounter ompared to the first ''Hyrule Warriors'' and the few additions to the lore (like elemental variations of monsters) feel less than impressive". Michael Goroff of ''
Electronic Gaming Monthly ''Electronic Gaming Monthly'' (''EGM'') is a monthly American video game magazine. It offers video game news, coverage of industry events, interviews with gaming figures, editorial content and product reviews. History The magazine was fou ...
'' also gave the game a 4 out of 5 review, praising the game's gameplay, and use of the universe, style, and gameplay elements from ''Breath of the Wild'', but was critical of the story's choice to feature time travel. In his review, Daniel Dell-Cornejo of ''Nintendo Wire'' gave ''Age of Calamity'' an 8.5, praising the gameplay, art style, cutscenes, music, and large roster but expressed disappointment with the story direction and occasional drops in framerate.


Sales

In the United Kingdom, the game placed sixth in physical sales during its launch week, selling nearly 324% more copies than '' Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition'' during the same timeframe in 2018. It also sold 173,215 physical copies within its first week of release in Japan, making it the second best-selling retail game of the week in the country. It was ultimately the 16th highest selling game in Japan for 2020. In the United States the game was the sixth best-selling game during its launch month. Four days after its release, Koei Tecmo revealed that the game has shipped over 3 million digital and physical copies worldwide, becoming the best-selling ''Warriors'' game of all time and outselling all previous games in the entire ''
Warriors A warrior is a guardian specializing in combat or warfare, especially within the context of a tribal or clan-based warrior culture society that recognizes a separate warrior aristocracy, class, or caste. History Warriors seem to have been p ...
'' franchise including all ''Dynasty Warriors'' games and their spin-offs, ''
Fire Emblem Warriors ''Fire Emblem Warriors'' is a hack and slash action role-playing game developed by Omega Force and Team Ninja, and published by Koei Tecmo in Japan and Nintendo internationally for the Nintendo Switch and New Nintendo 3DS. The game was released i ...
'', and the previous ''Hyrule Warriors'' games. The game has shipped over 3.5 million copies by the end of 2020. As of April 2021, the game has sold over 3.7 million units. As of January 2022, the game has sold 4 million units worldwide, making it one of the best-selling Switch games.


Legacy

In January 2021, Impa, Master Kohga, and Terrako from ''Age of Calamity'' were added to the crossover fighting game ''
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'' is a 2018 crossover fighting game developed by Bandai Namco Studios and Sora Ltd. and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch. It is the fifth installment in the '' Super Smash Bros.'' series, succeeding ' ...
'' as collectable Spirits. On April 2, 2025, ''Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment'' was announced exclusively for the
Nintendo Switch 2 The is a hybrid video game console developed by Nintendo, released in most regions on June5, 2025. Like the original Nintendo Switch, Switch, it can be used as a Handheld game console, handheld, as a Tablet computer, tablet, or connected via ...
. Similar to ''Age of Calamity'', ''Age of Imprisonment'' will be a
prequel A prequel is a literary, dramatic or cinematic work whose story precedes that of a previous work, by focusing on events that occur before the original narrative. A prequel is a work that forms part of a backstory to the preceding work. The term ...
story detailing the events of the Imprisoning War, as seen in '' The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom''.


Notes


References


External links

* * {{Musou series 2020 video games Fantasy video games Crossover video games Video game prequels Crowd-combat fighting games Warriors (video game series) Hack and slash games Koei Tecmo games Multiplayer and single-player video games Nintendo Switch games Nintendo Switch-only games Omega Force games Single-player video games The Legend of Zelda spinoff games Video games developed in Japan Video games that use Amiibo figurines Video games featuring female protagonists Video games with cel-shaded animation Video games scored by Kumi Tanioka Video games set in castles Video games about time travel