When Hyrule Warriors first released on Wii U, it was designed to be a fun spin-off in the Zelda formula, existing outside of the Zelda timeline as an excuse to bring characters from across the franchise for a hack-and-slash title following the template of Omega Force and Koei Tecmo’s Dynasty Warriors games. By the time we reached its success on Nintendo Switch, the series evolved to being a full-on alternative-era prequel to the mega-hit The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, with Age of Imprisonment being a similar evolution.
Based on our brief time with an early version of the game showcased at Tokyo Game Show, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment is best viewed as an evolution of Age of Calamity – similar to The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Breath of the Wild's own relationship. This time around, Zelda has been transported back in time to the establishment of Hyrule, meeting King Rauru and Queen Sonia first introduced in Tears of the Kingdom as she learns to control her powers and stop Ganondorf.
