Hyrule Warriors Review: A Dynasty driven Zelda trip

While many fans of the Legend of Zelda series have been clamoring for the upcoming release of the newest title to represent Link, an initial change in thought process may be required. Hyrule Warriors isn’t going to be your typical Legend of Zelda adventure, and whatever your preconceived notions are surrounding Warriors, well, they’re likely to be wrong too.

More from Entertainment

Where Legend of Zelda titles take gamers on epic journeys through difficult dungeons, and puzzle ridden theatrics, Hyrule Warriors lays waste to landscapes and all who inhabit them.

From a gameplay standpoint, Hyrule Warriors is cut from the same cloth as any of the Dynasty Warriors titles. The premise is simple, large-scale battles will take place, and as you control one of 13 familiar faces (ranging from Zelda herself all the way to Ganondorf), you will lay waste to battlefields full of opposition.

Playing through the main story mode will net just around 10 hours of gameplay. As with Dynasty Warriors, your chosen hero is stronger than roughly 80% of the foes you will run across. This is by design however, as watching your mounting KO total rise is one of the draws of the game. When it comes to bosses, they are designed in a very Zelda like fashion.

Although puzzles and dungeons aren’t required to take on a boss on any particular part of the map, each does have their own special weakness. No matter what difficulty you play on however, the weakness and pattern stays the same. The amount of damage handed out, and the amount taken doubles, making for a some lengthened battles.

The story falls short of being anything worth bearing the Zelda crown. Hyrule Warriors ties three Zelda games together, but does little to separate itself as any sort of epic quest that the characters it depicts are normally a part of. However, for the duration of the gameplay, it does enough to suffice and keep you going.

For those looking to get more out of Hyrule Warriors, a rather intuitive crafting system is available. Replaying through parts of the game or farming for materials can lend itself to some pretty cool combinations that can lay waste to the battlefields in a pretty satisfying manner. There is also a local multiplayer option (online has been left out), but that puts a second player solely on the gamepad, and it isn’t pretty.

One of my biggest complaints with Hyrule Warriors is the lack on any sort of awe factor. Nintendo has long supported its consoles with strong first party titles. While the gameplay at its core passes, the graphics simply do not. Mario Kart 8 showed off what the Nintendo Wii U could look like, Hyrule Warriors looks like a template from Twilight Princess. That’s an indication of how good Twilight Princess was on the Wii, and how lackluster the appearance of Hyrule Warriors is on the superior Wii U.

For fans of the Legend of Zelda series, there is enough here to draw you in. Hyrule Warriors won’t wow anyone, but those looking for a Dynasty Warriors type experience with a Zelda makeover, the game is worth checking out. Should the series go forward, Hyrule Warriors is a solid groundwork for what could have been so much more.

The Good

Engaging battle feel
Adventure mode
Replayability

The Bad

Graphics and appearance
Lack of challenge
No real two player option

Home/Entertainment