Nintendo quietly dropped a trailer on their YouTube channel today for a new Legend of Zelda spin-off, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity. Pitched to Koei Tecmo Games by Legend of Zelda series producer Eiji Aonuma, it will be developed by the same team and use the same hack-and-slash gameplay style as the original Hyrule Warriors. Unlike that title, this will take place firmly in the world of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, set during the Great Calamity that took place a hundred years before the beginning of Breath of the Wild. The trailer shows gameplay featuring Link, Zelda, and the four Guardians. According to Koei Tecmo producer Yosuke Hayashi, his team worked closely with the core Zelda team to help capture the look and feel of the world, and that while the original Hyrule Warriors adapted to traditional Zelda conventions, Age of Calamity will break those conventions the same way Breath of the Wild itself did.

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Source: GBAtemp Inbox

 

[Missing Number]

i do like me an occasional brainless musou every once in a while, though i do wish the stale formula would evolve a little, here is hoping its built with the botw engine as a base. Sure musou can make a location or two with some creative flair, but with the botw engine as a base with musou peppered in, it might make for an interesting change

 

[TobiasAmaranth]

Set aside the fact it's a Musou for a bit...

This game is being developed in close hands with Nintendo. The story, plot, characters, etc are all being guided. Let's consider for a moment how strict they are with the Paper Mario series. Consider the additional freedom gained by interacting with the big bosses themselves, and what they can actually do for plot.

Consider what implications this will end up having in the scope allowed for BotW2. Consider the additional depth that will be had with the locations, side characters, and lore. Consider this game, not as a Musou, but as a book covering the official backstory, yet playable. Like a visual novel but with combat befitting a great war.

There may also be a flip for the second half where you play as the bad guys and finish off the good guys to achieve the end the way it is for BotW itself. There's a lot of potential here.

Instead of looking at it as 'just a Musou' or 'just a spin-off', you should appreciate the rare circumstance of this game being developed in tandem with what they have in store for us in BotW2.

Obviously, don't overhype it, but recognize the potential and be happy it exists, since Nintendo often doesn't have much in the way of 'depth' when it comes to story.

 

[DiscostewSM]

I've yet to even touch the first Hyrule Warriors game (been waiting for it to get discounted a bit for Switch), and now this is coming out. Koei Tecmo seems to have a good relationship with Nintendo. Wish we could get more of their games, like a port of Fatal Frame V.

 

[Pokemon_Tea_Sea_Jee]

Zelda becoming generic like Final Fantasy.

 

[NumberXIIIEdwin]

There may also be a flip for the second half where you play as the bad guys and finish off the good guys to achieve the end the way it is for BotW itself. There's a lot of potential here.

Actually they did a similar thing in the first Hyrule Warriors. Towards the end of Story Mode you had to play through Ganondorf’s Tale which was set from the perspective of Ganondorf taking over Hyrule, which set up the finale arc when you would go back to playing as the Hyrulean army. And if I remember correctly one of the DLC packs came with Cia’s Tale which was a similar thing but about Cia and her activities throughout the Story Mode.

 

[Wavy]

I agree re-used assets and textures... wohooo.. Meh.

What did you expect all new assets? Give me a break! They aren't going to make completely brand new assets/textures when the ones from BOTW look and work fine. Plus the game is stylised, which also removes the need for new assets.

 

[elk1007]

Please tell me this is not BotW 2.

 

[SANIC]

Please tell me this is not BotW 2.

It isn't this is the prequel

 

[GuyInDogSuit]

A Breath of the Wild prequel, musou-stye? I could think of no better way to tell that story.

 

[AirbusX]

Shit, I'm excited for this! I can't wait

 

[fvig2001]

I hope the skin glitch exists in this one

 

[RichardTheKing]

Yeah, no thank you. I already have Fire Emblem Warriors, which is a much more interesting and enjoyable game than this seems to be.

Also, something I've noticed - the original Hyrule Warriors had 16 playable female characters and 15 male characters; hopefully this one will have a better ratio than that, especially before DLC's released.

 

[HarveyHouston]

Another Hyrule Warriors title? Meh, I'll pass.

 

[Freyjadour]

Haven't got my hands on Botw tbh, but more zelda games are welcome

 

[BvanBart]

Zelda is instant buy! Although I skipped the "normal old" hyrule warriors...

 

[MetoMeto]

BOTW.... good anime, bad Zelda game. Real Zelda and Anime fans would understand.
Btw Hyurle warriors isnt even a Zelda game so double no for Zelda, but YES for hack and slash game.
While playing ww, oot, mm, tp, i realised botw sucks bal*s.

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Zelda is instant buy! Although I skipped the "normal old" hyrule warriors...

I dont get why people consume everything titled "Zelda" even if it doesnt feel like one.

 

[seseiSeki]

This'll be the first "Warriors" game, I take a closer look at.

Though, I was wondering about one thing... I didn't complete BotW yet, but I upgraded all the runes for the Sheikah Slate, which unlocked dialogue options with Purah, in which she mentions, that they didn't know that the Sheikah slate had more functions than taking pictures 100 years ago. How come that Link and Zelda are using runes in the trailer? It'll be interesting to see how this is going to get explained.
Or maybe I just missed something.

 

[Chrisssj2]

What did you expect all new assets? Give me a break! They aren't going to make completely brand new assets/textures when the ones from BOTW look and work fine. Plus the game is stylised, which also removes the need for new assets.

It's a new game so I expect new textures or assets or gtfo!
Im done with lazy developing.

 

[Nemix77]

I don't like musou/warriors type games but I might play this one for the story.

 

[LuigiXHero]

I find it strange how people always say warriors games are mindless, they're really not? I mean sure repetitive I give you that but mindless no.

It's like you took a hack and slash and mixed in a strategy rpg. You have to constantly be mindful of the battlefield and making sure you know where everyone is at all times so you know where you are gonna head to next without losing too much.
Guessing you either are judging it by watching it or playing it on baby easy mode.