Hyrule Warriors Review

In what could be one of the strangest crossovers ever made, Koei Tecmo and Nintendo have partnered up to deliver a Dynasty Warriors and The Legend of Zelda mashup with Hyrule Warriors. For a gamer that had never played any entry in the Japanese Hack-and-Slasher and having only heard negative things about the franchise, I went into this experience with somewhat low expectations, wondering if adding Zelda characters would actually bring something unique to the game. The result was exactly what I expected: Mindless button mashing fun. That is, if you are a fan or not of both series that are used within this collaboration.

Dynasty Warriors has always been notorious for its repetitive button mashing gameplay, and it isn’t any different in Hyrule Warriors. You’ll constantly be pressing the A, B, Y and X buttons on the Wii U GamePad to pull off the many combos and special moves each warrior has to offer while also clearing out various Keeps to allow your troops to maintain control of the battlefield. With its somehow highly addictive combat, Hyrule Warriors successfully manages to remain engaging and fun despite all of its repetition. Plus, since the game’s entire lore is based around The Legend of Zelda, it borrows a lot of its elements to bring variety to the repetitive combat.

The biggest of all probably, is the addition of classic Zelda equipment that can be used in combat or to get passed various environmental hazards. Though it could’ve been implemented more often, shooting arrows and throwing bombs at a pack of enemies while ruthlessly slashing away at others results in impressive feats and combos that will make you feel like a certified badass. In addition to that, the vast lineup of Zelda characters that can be used all have their own personal traits, weapons and abilities that can be upgraded via the game’s Bazaar. The only disappointing thing with this is that character levels do not carry over from one warrior to another, which means you’ll have to individually rank up every character by grinding levels if you want to use them to their full potential. Thankfully, there is the option to buy some level ups with rupees to speed up the entire process. There is so much action going on at once in Hyrule Warriors that it will be very overwhelming for new players to wrap their heads around what needs to be completed, but everything rapidly makes sense  as you progress further along the 10 hour story, titled Legend Mode, that the game has to offer.

For a game that has its entire gameplay structure based around the Dynasty Warriors franchise, Omega Force and Team Ninja, the developers, did a solid job of making Hyrule Warriors feel like its own separate entry in the traditional The Legend of Zelda series in terms of story and presentation. It is the best mix of all main Zelda titles within a single game and, for a massive Zelda fan like me, it strangely felt like a dream come true. It successfully delivers a compelling story that regroups all of the major characters across Ocarina of Time, Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword accompanied with an amazing score composed of remixed and originally created The Legend of Zelda tracks. Additionally, it has so many references and nods to the Zelda franchise that it will certainly please enthusiasts of the 28 year old series.

However, despite having its own unique story set in the Zelda universe and timeline, it is worth noting that Hyrule Warriors’ third act falls flat and is, ultimately, meaningless because of the familiar threat that appears suddenly just to have him into the mix, especially when what should’ve been the original ending was an already satisfying conclusion. It was really frustrating having to replay the same areas and fight the same bosses as before just to see the end credits roll. Speaking of which, the boss battles are extremely disappointing by The Legend of Zelda standards and video games in general. Just like any Zelda boss, a weakness must  be uncovered and exploited in order to successfully damage the powerful foe. However, this element is barely present in Hyrule Warriors, which leads to constant button mashing until it is defeated. For a franchise that has always been known for its memorable and challenging boss battles, Hyrule Warriors does not deliver grand fights on par with the ones within the main The Legend of Zelda titles.

Graphics-wise, Hyrule Warriors looks rough, and I mean very rough. Because there are hundreds, if not thousands, of Bokoblins, Hylian Soldiers, Gorons and Stalchildren on-screen at once, the visuals take a big hit in terms of details, textures and even in the animations. At best, Hyrule Warriors looks like an upscaled regular Wii game that focuses more on the crazy action displayed in front of you than on its visual fidelity. You would think that sacrificing visuals would make the game run smoothly, yet I still encountered some slow-downs and frame rate drops when the action was getting too chaotic. It’s very disappointing to see, especially when seeing the impressive-looking opening cinematics that are highly detailed. Hyrule Warriors is missing a big layer of polish from a technical standpoint, though it doesn’t ruin the experience by any means, it does put in question the Wii U’s performance capabilities.

Once you have successfully become the savior of Hyrule by wiping out all of the evil menaces in Legend Mode, you can always go back to it and replay it on the higher difficulties or collect various collectible items to unlock multiple entries in the game’s Gallery, but you can also jump into Hyrule Warriors’ three additional modes in Free Mode, Challenge Mode and Adventure Mode. Free Mode allows you to replay every single level for fun or to test out your abilities, while Challenge Mode puts you in a level where you must complete specific objectives such as killing a certain amount of enemies within a certain time frame. Adventure Mode, on the other hand, is a much deeper and unique mode that acts as a throwback to the original Zelda game. Set in Zelda 1’s overworld, you must navigate from screen to screen and complete certain tasks within each of those screens. At first, this sounds exactly the same as the previous modes I just described, but the objectives are a lot more varied and creative that it will keep you invested in it. Plus you have a better chance at unlocking new warriors and weapons by playing Adventure Mode than the other modes.

Additionally, you can also play Hyrule Warriors in two player co-op where one player uses the GamePad as a screen while the other uses the monitor. Despite causing a slight drop in the frame rate, it is extremely fun to wipe out the fields of Hyrule from all evil with a buddy of yours. In the end, however, despite what game mode you choose, you’ll still be knocking out thousands of enemies as Link, Impa, Sheik, Zelda or as many other warriors consistently.

VERDICT

Let’s be clear: Hyrule Warriors is not the next entry in the traditional Zelda franchise nor should it be. It has the core elements of Dynasty Warriors mixed-in with beloved elements from The Legend of Zelda, which, surprisingly, creates an experience that works very well. It certainly isn’t the most polished game of all-time, but its gameplay remains fun somehow even if you are constantly pressing the same buttons over and over again. Hyrule Warriors is the pinnacle of fan service for The Legend of Zelda enthusiasts, but there is fun to be had with it even if you don’t enjoy Zelda or the regular Dynasty Warriors games. It is an authentic game on its own that will keep you occupied for multiple hours if you can get passed the constant repetition. Ultimately, Hyrule Warriors is a great game that will keep Zelda fans occupied until the real Wii U Zelda game is released next year.