Hyrule Warriors
- August 14, 2014
- Team NINJA
- 400h median play time
Is Zelda Dynasty Warriors spectacularly stupid or spectacularly awesome?
Hyrule Warriors is a hack and slash game featuring characters from The Legend of Zelda franchise. Players can battle through beloved Hyrule locations using powerful Dynasty Warriors-style moves against fierce enemies, either in single-player or local 2-player co-op mode. The game offers an epic journey through The Legend of Zelda history with over-the-top action.
Nintendo Switch
Wii
Wii U
Reviews
- The game offers a vast amount of content, including numerous missions and modes, providing hours of gameplay.
- Fans of the Zelda series will appreciate the extensive fan service and the incorporation of beloved characters and locations.
- The combat is engaging and fun, especially for those who enjoy hack-and-slash gameplay and mass combat scenarios.
- The gameplay can become repetitive and lacks significant variety, leading to a dull experience over time.
- Some players have reported technical issues, such as the game shutting down unexpectedly during play.
- The difficulty level may be frustrating for some, with a steep learning curve and challenging objectives that can detract from enjoyment.
- story10 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The story in the game is described as silly yet appealing to fans of the Zelda franchise, featuring familiar characters and locations from the core games. While it offers a vast array of missions and collectibles, some players find the narrative convoluted and the gameplay repetitive, leading to a mixed reception regarding its depth and engagement. Overall, it serves as a backdrop for the combat-focused experience rather than a central element.
“The story mode is quite good, featuring a lot of fan favorite characters from The Legend of Zelda.”
“It is an amazing combat game also focusing on the story as well.”
“The story is total nonsense; it's still a Warriors game, so yeah, it's still pretty mindless.”
“Repetitive gameplay that makes the experience feel old really fast, hollow game modes that don't offer anything new to play, convoluted story elements.”
“The story, whilst being very silly, will appeal to fans of Zelda lore as it explores various locations from the core games and introduces a lot of familiar faces along the way.”
- gameplay6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by fast-paced action and a nostalgic feel for Zelda fans, featuring a variety of characters and weapons. However, many players find it repetitive and lacking in depth, with limited modes and a convoluted story that can lead to a dull experience over time. Despite its shortcomings, the game offers a wealth of unlockables and fan-service that may still appeal to dedicated players.
“Fast and action-packed gameplay that is easy to pick up and play, with a variety of characters and weapons to enjoy. It's a great throwback to classic Zelda games.”
“It offers a ton of gameplay through unlockables and various modes, and will entertain with its Zelda fan-service.”
“Graphics and mechanics may lack a little compared to current games, but it's a definite title to own if you consider yourself a fan of the Zelda series.”
“Repetitive gameplay that makes the experience feel old really fast, with hollow game modes that don't offer anything new to play and convoluted story elements.”
“While the button-pounding gameplay is unquestionably repetitive, there's still a thrill to be found in dashing around the battlefield taking down enemy bases and turning the tide of the war with some well-timed intervention and carefully planned strikes into hostile territory.”
“Non-stop button mashing leads to a lack of gameplay variety, making combat overwhelmingly dull after just a few hours.”
- graphics4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -25 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The graphics are reminiscent of the Zelda aesthetic, with some cut scenes evoking comparisons to "Breath of the Wild," but overall, they fall short of current gaming standards. While the artwork is appreciated, the gameplay experience may feel repetitive, leading to a mixed reception regarding visual engagement.
“I love the artwork on it.”
“The Zelda aesthetic was enough to keep me engaged for a while.”
“Graphics and mechanics lack just a little compared to current games but is a definite title to own if you consider yourself a fan of the Zelda series.”
“I guess I saw some cut scenes that made it look like graphics similar to Breath of the Wild, but it really isn’t.”
“The Zelda aesthetic was enough to keep me engaged for a while, but in the end I came to realize I was just mashing the A button to progress through most of the game.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game suffers from poor optimization for portable play, leading to subpar performance, particularly in local co-op mode, and lacks online co-op features.
“Unfortunately, the game has not been optimized for portable play, and the performance there is not as it should be (as per Digital Foundry).”
“There is no online co-op, and there is a significant performance hit in local co-op.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players enjoy the grinding aspect of the game, particularly in the two-player mode, where they find it fun to engage in cooperative hacking and slashing.
- music1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its outstanding quality and abundance of content, with many noting the impressive fan service elements. Additionally, the visual presentation of the music enhances the overall experience, making it a gorgeous aspect of the game.
“The music is outstanding.”
“The abundance of content and the amount of fan service enhance the overall experience.”
“The visuals are gorgeous to look at.”
Critic Reviews
The Triforce of Silliness — Hyrule Warriors review
It's certainly not perfect, but Hyrule Warriors' combat and treatment of the typically sterile Zelda franchise is just big, dumb, loud fun.
80%old tricks
Hyrule Warriors' links to Zelda only run skin deep
55%Hyrule Warriors GBAtemp review
Hyrule Warriors was an interesting experience. The Zelda Aesthetic was enough to keep me engaged for awhile, but in the end I came to realize I was just mashing the A button to progress through most of the game. The Hollow Game modes offered, and the lack of any engaging in game content is what kept me from having any lasting playtime with the game. I found myself only being able to enjoy the game in short bursts, before wanting to set it down and play something else. In the end, It's an entertaining Zelda skinned game, but doesn't do anything to really change or set itself apart from other Hack and Slash games.
65%
