Hyrule Warriors
Overview
Platform: Wii UThough Its initial announcement baffled and irked many gamers, how did this Koei Tecmo/Nintendo collaboration turn out?
If you’ve never liked the Dynasty Warriors style of hack and slash action games, Hyrule Warriors probably won’t change your mind about them. Koei Tecmo and Nintendo’s latest collaboration delivers the same basic experience – that of mowing down hundreds of troops while claiming positions on a battlefield – that this type of game has employed since 2000′s Dynasty Warriors 2.
However, thanks to Nintendo’s exacting standards and hefty financial backing, Hyrule Warriors ends up not only being the most polished but also the most nuanced Dynasty Warriors-type title ever released. Though a casual observer might see it just as a Warriors game with a Legend of Zelda skin, several meaningful mechanics have been either brought over from Nintendo’s franchise or greatly reworked, substantially improving the overall experience.
Perhaps the single most significant addition is the stagger meter from Skyward Sword. Officer and boss enemies will occasionally open themselves up to be dealt a heavy blow, indicated by a silver meter appearing above their heads. If you can whittle said meter down fast enough with attacks you’ll deal a highly damaging and usually spectacular-looking strike to them.
This often works in tandem with another Zelda-inspired addition – secondary items such as the hookshot, bombs and bow. Though most aren’t that useful on standard enemy troops, most officers and bosses can be opened up to a stagger by certain items during particular windows of opportunity. Combined with the dodge move and the classic 3D Zelda lock-on system, this ‘wait and strike’ method successfully evokes the fantasy franchise’s approach to combat and adds a great deal of diversity to Hyrule Warriors’ moment-to-moment combat.
Other Zelda-isms include hidden chests and collectable gold Skulltula tokens, and the occasional traversal and exploration using the likes of the hookshot and bombs.
Carrot-on-a-stick game design at its finest.
Another big jewel in Hyrule Warriors’ crown is Adventure Mode. Taking those core Zelda tenants of exploration and hunting for secrets, it presents the player with the map from the original 8-bit Zelda, with each screen providing a different, often quick-fire challenge. Beating each task opens up more of the map and grants unlockable rewards such as characters, materials, plus classic Zelda items specific to the mode. Said items can be utilised to explore and uncover secrets on each screen, unlocking further rewards for beating that area’s challenge. It’s a wonderful merger of both Zelda and Dynasty Warriors, and probably the single most addictive element of the game.
As is tradition for the Warriors series, there’s a boatload of things to unlock and improvements to be gained for your characters. You’ll be constantly gathering materials, weapons and rupees throughout the game, all of which can be used to level up or improve your warriors and their primary weapons. There’s a surprising amount of depth to this, and includes imbuing potions with one-use bonuses and building out talent trees for each playable character. It’s yet another aspect that implores you to get coming back to the game.
On a related note, the range of characters is also another highpoint for Hyrule Warriors. Serious Zelda fans will likely be tempted to try the game purely to be able to play as someone other than series hero Link, and Koei Tecmo have really done them justice, even just from a game play perspective. Each is distinct and satisfying to use, with many even having multiple completely different move sets thanks to the variety of available weapons. Many even have unique special powers, such as Sheik’s ability to swap between elements and Ruto’s power to aim and blast waves of water across the battlefield. Mastering and fully maxing out each warrior is – once again – surprisingly compelling and provides a great deal of variety.
You’re going to want to have a Wii U Pro Controller for co-op since the Wii Remote option requires you to waggle for basic attacks. Unless you want permanent wrist damage, that is.
There aren’t many noteworthy negatives to the Hyrule Warriors experience. It doesn’t have any online play which may be an annoyance for some, and the resolution and frame rate take a minor hit when playing local two player co-op. The camera can be a little wonky sometimes especially in small areas, and the lock-on tends to target anyone but your intended target when there are several bosses and officers nearby.
I do wish that Koei Tecmo had gone a little bit further in a few areas though. While no-one was expecting great things from the story, the lazy time and dimension crossing plot with little to no character development doesn’t do the Zelda series justice and feels like a missed opportunity.
On a related note, for a game that has a certain element of fan service to it, it’s a shame that it seems to focus so heavily on characters and maps from The Ocarina of Time, Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword. The original NES Zelda does get representation in the form of Adventure Mode as mentioned, but it feels like a huge swath of the series isn’t represented. However, at least four downloadable content packs have been promised in the future, so hopefully this will change.
Hyrule Warriors is definitely a Legend of Zelda spin-off rather than a proper, canon entry in the series. To go into it expecting to find the series’ signature puzzle solving, exploration or storytelling would be foolish. If you’re down to throw thousands of enemy troops around a battlefield with some non-stop and over the top combat, you’ll have a good time with it. It’s a new high bar for both the Warriors series and the action sub-genre that it spawned.
