One of the most interesting aspects of the game’s story is that you aren’t constantly following Link’s point of view. Link still doesn’t talk (his talking is done through a fairy named Proxi… GET IT?!), but it’s interesting to see how the other characters interact with one another – something that really hasn’t been explored much in a Zelda game before. It was fun to see how Impa responds to Darunia and Princess Ruto, but I particularly enjoyed seeing Ganondorf bring Ghirahim and Zant under his heel to serve his own dark ambitions.
As the first new Zelda game to hit the Wii U, it looks simply fantastic. While the game’s cutscenes are pre-rendered, the in-game graphics still look great, with cool slashes, explosions and particle effects from certain spells filling the screen with plenty of eye candy. Of course, with so many enemies filling the screen at once, it’s unavoidable that there would be a drop in the frame rate, though it’s nothing game-breaking, and doesn’t last nearly long enough to be a problem.
The game’s soundtrack, too, is one of the highlights, containing remixed tracks of some of the most memorable music in the Zelda franchise. I particularly enjoyed the rock-and-roll remix of the original theme that plays during victorious moments in the game. Not only the music, but many the game’s sound effects are also lifted straight from previous entries in the series. From the sounds that play when picking up Rupees and Hearts to the sound that plays when locking on to an enemy to the indicator for when an enemy’s weakness is revealed, the whole thing is a nostalgia-fest. Plus, if you liked Navi telling you when she had something to say, you’re going to love Proxi practically screaming “HEY! LISTEN!” whenever she has a tutorial message for you.
The other main mode of Hyrule Warriors, Adventure Mode, is likely where players are going to sink most of their time in the game. Here, players are presented with a large map in the form of the world map from the original Legend of Zelda on NES with each cell of the map representing a new mission to take on. These often play like the missions in Legend Mode, but with different restrictions, such as having to use a certain character or weapon element. There may also be modifiers active during the mission, like all player and enemy attacks becoming one-hit kills.
Many cells on the map also contain items, like Bombs, Compasses or Candles. Completing the mission with the necessary letter ranking will net players the items. These can then be used on different areas of the map to reveal additional rewards or, in some instances, the enemies needed to be defeated to advance. There’s a lot of variety in these missions, and the rewards, such as new weapons, characters, Heart Pieces or even Gold Skulltulas, are sure to keep players coming back for more long after finishing the main story.
Both Legend Mode and Adventure Mode can also be played on two-player local co-op. During multiplayer, Player 1 is still subject to any character restrictions that a given scenario might present, though Player 2 is free to choose anyone they want, aside from the one Player 1 chose. Unfortunately, there is no online multiplayer in the traditional sense. However, if you do connect to the Internet and access Adventure Mode, you will see Link avatars appear on your map from time to time. These Links represent other players online, and, if you complete the missions that they give you, both you and the other player will be rewarded with weapons or items.
All playable characters in Hyrule Warriors are present in the game’s Legend Mode, though, while most become available as you work through the story, some are only unlockable in Adventure Mode. Either way, there’s a lot of variety in how they play – from purely physical fighters like Link, to Lana’s trap-laying magic, to Sheik’s status-changing songs – so there’s sure to be someone to suit any player’s tastes. While some scenarios in Legend Mode will lock players into playing as a specific character, it is often possible to play as any hero present in the story at any given time. As such, if you don’t feel like playing as Link all the time, there will be times when you are free to slice up enemy forces as Impa or pound them into the dirt as Darunia. However, who you play as really has no bearing on the story. It still turns out the same way, and Link is still the big hero at the end of the day.
Unfortunately, the distribution of weapons is a little lop-sided. While Link has five different types of weapons (plus at least one more coming in DLC), almost every other character only has access to one or two. It isn’t huge deal, but it’s annoying playing as one of the other characters that specialize in fire or lightning attacks when Link covers a good number of them on his own, making their existence in the game somewhat redundant.
Simply playing as a character will level them up during battles as they clear out enemy forces; increasing their attack power and health, but, for additional stat bonuses, players will want to visit the Bazaar in between missions. Materials taken from defeated enemies can be used here to create badges for each character. Badges act as permanent bonuses to a character in the form of new weapon combos, increased defense to different elements or the ability to hold more healing potions, among many others. Materials can also be used at the Apothecary to create special potions that will increase different types of weapon drops during battle. Finding Gold Skulltulas during missions, aside from giving you cool art pieces, will also upgrade the Apothecary, meaning that you have the potential to find even better weapons. These weapons can then be taken to the Smithy where players can fuse weapon skills together to craft the perfect killing tool.
Legend Mode takes around 10 hours to complete, though players who are particularly taken with the gameplay mechanics will likely sink at least twice that time into Adventure Mode. Additionally, promised DLC is purported to include even more maps for players to explore in the coming months. However, I say “those taken with the mechanics” because I really don’t think this game is for everyone. It looks and sounds fantastic, and seeing battlefields full of Bokoblins and Stalchildren to slice up as some beloved Zelda characters is a wonderful feeling initially, but, before too long, players will find there isn’t a whole lot to it beyond that. I think the main problem with Hyrule Warriors is that the only people who will get any lasting enjoyment out of it are probably those who are big fans of both franchises. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but there just isn’t much overlap otherwise. The story and mechanics are probably too simplistic for Warriors fans, and the gameplay is likely too bland for Zelda fans. It’s fun while it lasts, but it is very obvious that this is not a mainline Zelda game. Fans expecting otherwise are going to be disappointed.
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Game is provided by the author
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