Age of Imprisonment (Nintendo Switch 2)
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment raises a similar thought I had with its predecessor, Age of Calamity. While the latter’s enjoyment depended, in part, on having played Breath of the Wild, this latest entry has a similar relationship with Tears of the Kingdom. And if you haven’t played that game on the original Switch in 2023, you’ve probably played it on Switch 2 in 2025. In which case, you’re not only prepped for Age of Imprisonment, but probably looking for Zelda content that’s genuinely new.
This time, the Musou formula (1 vs. 1,000 battles) is applied to the Imprisoning War. While alluded to previously, the overall story of this has remained a mystery. So, lore enthusiasts should eat this all up, as it introduces a narrative to replace fan theories. Age of Imprisonment is similar to Age of Calamity in ways. Instead of the time-traveling guardian of its predecessor, now we have Zelda herself going to the past. Which means that, among other things, short memory cutscenes from Tears of the Kingdom get expanded on. Zelda’s loss of consciousness at the start may explain any seeming lapses in her recollections.
However, for every player who puts the plot at the forefront, there’s another who is more focused on gameplay—gameplay that can be comfortingly familiar or seemingly overwhelming, depending on your familiarity with this style. Smartly, Age of Imprisonment retains four difficulty options. Even wiser, you aren’t locked into one. I found myself bumping the challenge up or down depending on the mission and if I was working solo or not. Inexperienced solo players may want to start playing on easy mode to get a feel for things. Meanwhile, a duo of veterans will definitely find more enjoyment playing on hard mode. Each difficulty setting has its own local leaderboard, which can incentivize replay as you further level up allies.
As the roster of playable characters grows, you discover unique Sync Strikes between the various combinations. These powerful attacks can turn the tide of battle, and it’s a lot of fun finding your favorites and unleashing them at ideal times to drive back Ganondorf’s forces. With this emphasis on “two allies working together,” it does seem odd that a handful of missions force you to play them in single-player mode only. Frankly, the game doesn’t do an effective job in explaining why these instances occur, and it’s a valid criticism in a sea otherwise filled with compliments.
Besides Sync Strikes, Zonai devices are another new battle addition that prove to be a lot of fun. It gives you more ways to take down Ganondorf’s monster hordes in your fight to reclaim Hylian territory. (Yes, unlike this game’s cast, I’ll never dignify him with the title of “King.”) Certain ones are even helpful beyond battle. The flame emitter and cannon, for instance, can light up the shadowy depths. Just make sure you have a battery charge.
Speaking of, besides battling in Hyrule, the depths and the skies will also be your playground in the ever-growing maps. While it’s exciting to watch these fill and change over time, it does look a bit sloppy. I prefer the straightforward map of the original Hyrule Warriors to these later icon-filled ones. But the locales above and below bring some appreciated graphical diversity, with the gloomy darkness of the depths contrasting with the bright sky.
But for me, it’s the audio, not the graphics, that’s the real highlight. You can access a music player in the game’s gallery (dozens upon dozens of tracks), and guess what I’m listening to as I type this? The compositions can be beautiful, dramatic, tense, and more, depending on where you’re at. Not to be neglected are this game’s vocal performances. The cast is bigger than ever, and the standout is Patricia Summersett as Princess Zelda. I’ve been mixed on her past performances, but here she shows a wide range of curiosity and excitement in her new (yet familiar) environment. I’m not sure how much of this stems from the direction and having more awareness of context, and how much comes from her simply growing into the character after all these years. But kudos.
Going back to the visuals for a minute, I want to be clear, I don’t think this game looks bad by any means. After all, how could it? It’s based on Tears of the Kingdom. But it’s clear that, with so many recent Zelda games triggering vocal complaints, the emphasis here was on a smooth experience. There are no performance versus quality options, as we’ll see in Metroid Prime 4. It can take a hit if playing two-player split screen. Our preferred way was playing co-op via game share sessions. Nintendo needs to stop burying this feature and bring it to the forefront. Playing this game with a friend on individual screens is what bumps this game from good to great.
Extras include familiar amiibo bonuses (even non-Zelda ones), save data bonuses, and collectible Korok seeds. There’s plenty to keep completionists going here, especially if you enjoy both Zelda and Musou gameplay. While you might be able to beat the main game in 20 hours, you can easily double that if you take advantage of everything that Age of Imprisonment has to offer. It’s content-filled, and if past entries are any indicator, don’t be surprised if DLC follows at some point.
Who knows how much longer this version of Hyrule (that started in Breath of the Wild) will continue? If this is the end, it goes out on a high note, especially when enjoyed cooperatively. Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment is an entertaining entry that will keep you busy during the first holiday season of the Switch 2. Heck, packed with content and surprises, it’s one you’ll likely return to when the mood strikes as well.
