It does make the combat pretty formulaic eventually so taking on harder challenges is recommended in the later hours but the characters and visual flourishes were enough to keep me playing. By the end of the game, I could stun lock a Lynel indefinitely and stack up damage by rotating critical hits, magic rods, and special attacks. This creates a few solutions that when strung together make combat faster and more rewarding than the key fights found in the first Hyrule Warriors. ![]() Defeating a monster’s guard opens up a critical attack that does way more damage than just wailing on them. For example, many enemy attacks will telegraph with a Sheikah Slate symbol, and using that power will interrupt the attack and make an opening. Each enemy has a wheel of stun guard that can be whittled down by doing certain actions. These mechanics are not nearly as diverse as what’s found in Breath of the Wild but it adds enough flourish to the Musou gameplay to be really fun to discover and master.įights against larger enemies are generally more enjoyable here than any other Musou game. Fire magic sets fields ablaze, players can shock enemies in or nearby water for extra damage, firing an arrow at a Moblin’s face does extra damage and stuns the beast. Breath of the Wild was all about various reactions and elements and in Age of Calamity, some of that is still present. What I like most about Musou games that use other well-known franchises is that knowledge from those other games sometimes carries into the hack-and-slash gameplay. Armies clash on various battlefields and the enemies are all types found in Breath of the Wild. Map design is about what one would expect from a Musou title. The optional characters are interesting but a few do feel like the developers were reaching pretty deep into the Breath of the Wild lore to make something work. There are a few that I don’t care for but most of the cast is fun to play as and fun to watch in the game’s story. Playing through the critical path introduces most of the game’s roster and getting to play as new characters was almost always a delight. Each character also feels unique with various moves and rhythms to their attacks. For example, each character has different approaches to the four Sheikah Slate powers Link throws several bombs but Zelda summons a bomb-lobbing tank. The combat in Age of Calamity is simple but there are enough mechanics to keep players actively engaged. It was surprising to have time travel at the outset of this story but this element is more reserved than the dimension smashing found in the first Hyrule Warriors game.Įven at the first battle, I realized that this may be the strongest Musou game so far from a gameplay perspective, at least in my experience. The little guardian even makes cute whistling noises and generally adds to the game’s humorous and tender moments. ![]() Some of my favorite games have tragic endings and I was fully prepared for that moment but that tone was muddied by the introduction of a time-traveling guardian that joins Link and Zelda, almost like a little R2-D2. This narrative setup creates an opportunity to further explore the heroes of that conflict but, as players of Breath of the Wild know, it was a battle that was lost. In this story, Zelda and Link travel the land gathering up Champions, preparing for a confrontation with the monstrous Calamity Ganon and the horde of monsters that pair with its arrival. Eyes bright with wonder and eager to come back to the mysterious and somber vision of Hyrule established in Breath of the Wild, I poured a considerable amount of time into Age of Calamity.Īge of Calamity takes place before the fall of Hyrule during a great war that is referenced throughout Breath of the Wild. Being that I am a fan of tragedies, combined with my recent enjoyment of Musou games, I picked up Age of Calamity on launch. One of the most exciting takes on a franchise using Musou elements is Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, a spiritual successor to the well-received Hyrule Warriors and a narrative prequel to Breath of the Wild. Even now, I’m setting aside some time to play Persona 5 Strikers next February. For years, I wrote off games in this genre as mindless wastes of time but the more Koei Tecmo plays with other franchises the more I flock to them. The Musou genre continues to excite me in ways I hadn’t expected. LACKING IN GRACE BUT A FUN EXCUSE TO RETURN TO HYRULE
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