[Expired]《Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment》
Just like how "Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity" complemented "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild," "Hyrule Warriors: Echoes of Wisdom" serves as a narrative expansion for "The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom." While the former focused on the Champions' stories and offered an alternative timeline to address players' regrets, this latest collaboration between Koei Tecmo and Nintendo primarily concentrates on the "Sealing War" that left players with endless speculation in the main Tears of the Kingdom storyline.
Based on the released trailers, the plot revolves around Princess Zelda who is sent back in time, narrating her alliance with the first King Rauru, Queen Sonia, and other characters as they fight together to resist the invasion of the demon king Ganondorf. Players who have completed "Tears of the Kingdom" and collected all "Dragon's Tears" will find this particularly intriguing. Additionally, similar to "Cadence of Hyrule," there's always a fascinating feeling when you actually control Princess Zelda instead of Link in a "Legend of Zelda" game.
The PV demonstrates that this title still maintains the Warriors-style hack-and-slash as its core gameplay, with different characters possessing unique abilities and a combo system for powerful coordinated attacks. Players can also use the Zonai devices for attacks and puzzle-solving, reducing the repetitiveness of enemy encounters. The video repeatedly features a "mysterious automaton" that resembles Link, and its true identity remains one of the game's biggest mysteries.
"Age of Calamity" didn't perform well on the NS, with issues of blurriness and lag. Thanks to the improved performance of the NS2, "Echoes of Wisdom" performs much better, with a significant increase in the number of on-screen enemies while maintaining stable frame rates. Though the game is an NS2 exclusive, it supports local split-screen co-op and can be shared with another NS1 console through game sharing.
Warriors-style games have a very specific audience—some players find them stress-relieving while others consider them boring. This year's "Dynasty Warriors: Origins" was of very high quality, and "Echoes of Wisdom" is also quite good, with a Metacritic score of 79 and positive reviews from most media outlets. If you're a devoted fan of the Zelda franchise who finished "Tears of the Kingdom" but still craves more about ancient Hyrule, consider picking up the physical version. If you're both a fan of the IP and enjoy hack-and-slash games, and frequently take your Switch 2 on the go, the digital version is worth considering—after all, being able to jump into a quick session anytime, anywhere to relieve stress and pass time is extremely satisfying.
