- Not to be confused with Hyrule Warriors, a similarly named game in The Legend of Zelda series.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is a spin-off game of The Legend of Zelda series. It takes place in the world of Breath of the Wild, but in an alternate timeline during the second Great Calamity due to the time-traveling Terrako.[1]
On February 17, 2021, downloadable content for the game was announced, called the Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity Expansion Pass. It was released in two waves, the first, Pulse of the Ancients, being released on June 18, 2021, and the second, Guardian of Remembrance, on October 29, 2021.[2][3][4]
Story[]
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Chapter 1[]
At about the same time Zelda's powers awakened in the events of Breath of the Wild, a small Guardian emerges from a box in Hyrule Castle. As it sees the destruction caused by Calamity Ganon and hears Zelda’s desperation to protect everyone, it opens a Gate of Time to travel back before the Great Calamity. Before it jumps into the gate, a Guardian Stalker attacks it, but the small Guardian manages to make it into the gate unscathed. Unknown to it, a part of Calamity Ganon's Malice also made its way through the Gate of Time, following the small Guardian.
The small Guardian emerges in Hyrule Field before the Second Great Calamity began, where King Rhoam is rallying a group of Soldiers to drive off an incoming horde of Enemies. During "The Battle of Hyrule Field", Link, one of the Soldiers, comes across the seemingly inert Guardian, but before he can inspect it Impa arrives being pursued by Bokoblins. She stumbles and drops her Sheikah Slate, which causes the Guardian to awaken. It raises a Sheikah Tower from underground, fending off the Bokoblins in the process.
When the battle ends, the small Guardian rushes off until it finds Zelda. Zelda notices that the Sheikah Slate has reacted to the Guardian, and decides to head to the Ancient Tech Lab to study it. Link is appointed as Zelda's bodyguard, and Impa joins them on their journey. On their way to the lab, Malice possesses a ruined Guardian Stalker and attacks Zelda's party in the battle, "Road to the Ancient Lab". Though initially outmatched, the Guardian reactivates some ruined Guardians in the area, breaking the armor of the corrupted Guardian and allowing Link and his allies to destroy it. After defeating the Guardian Stalker, they eventually reach the Ancient Tech Lab.
Robbie and Purah confirm that the small Guardian is a previously unknown form of Guardian able to amplify the effects of other ancient technology. They are also able to decode part of its memory, revealing to Zelda the devastation that will occur if Calamity Ganon is not stopped.
Chapter 2[]
As Korok Forest is cut off by monsters and Zelda's sealing power has not yet awakened, King Rhoam sends Link and Zelda to meet with the four candidates selected to pilot the Divine Beasts. With some reluctance, he allows the small Guardian to accompany them as well.
(The following four segments up until "The Champions Assembled" can occur in any order, as decided by the player.)
Mipha[]
Zelda, Link, and Impa travel to Zora's Domain, where they request for Mipha, the Zora princess, to pilot the Divine Beast Vah Ruta. King Dorephan is reluctant to allow Mipha to pilot the Divine Beast, as he believes it will not be safe for her to go without the knight who seals the darkness. Zelda's protest is cut short by a warning of a monster attack from Ploymus Mountain. King Dorephan sends for Mipha and Sidon, when Mipha realizes that Sidon is missing. Mipha, Link, Impa, and Zelda search for Sidon, eventually finding him trying to fight a Lynel on Ploymus Mountain. The Lynel is driven off, allowing Sidon to escape.
Mipha is upset by her brother's recklessness, but cannot help but be proud of his courage. They are interrupted again by the sight of a monster horde approaching Zora's Domain, and in response Divine Beast Vah Ruta is summoned for Mipha to pilot. She drives off the invading army, saving King Dorephan in the process. After the battle, King Dorephan acknowledges that the Zora were not able to hold off the Calamity on their own and gives his permission for Mipha to pilot the Divine Beast Vah Ruta.
Daruk[]
Zelda, Link, and Impa travel to Death Mountain and ask Daruk the Goron to pilot Divine Beast Vah Rudania. Daruk agrees, but warns Zelda and her allies that the path to the Divine Beast Vah Rudania is overrun by monsters. He persuades the party to accompany him and wipe out the monster infestation. After an intense series of battles, they reach Divine Beast Vah Rudania, which Daruk uses to eliminate the monsters on Death Mountain.
Following their victory, Daruk confirms his willingness to pilot Divine Beast Vah Rudania, offering Link a celebratory rock roast.
Revali[]
Zelda and her party travel to Rito Village, but are attacked by Rito warriors under Revali's command, who believe them to be raiders sent to attack Rito Village. Link and Revali fight and prove to be equally matched, but Zelda intervenes in the fight before it can get out of hand.
Zelda's party learns that Rito Village had recently been attacked by an army of monsters led by a small Guardian similar to the one in the party, and had thought it had returned to launch a second attack. While Zelda is grateful that neither Link nor Revali were hurt, Impa points out that the presence of another small Guardian linked to Calamity Ganon is worrisome in its own right. Revali interrupts to volunteer his service piloting Divine Beast Vah Medoh and questions Link's competence as a knight. When the small Guardian also chimes in, apparently to insist that it is also a knight serving Zelda, Revali can only grumble.
Urbosa[]
As the party arrives at Gerudo Town, they are attacked by Gerudo forces seemingly commanded by Urbosa to kill them. Zelda is confused by their unexplainable aggression, but is sure that the Gerudo chief can clear it up.
When they reach Urbosa's palace, she attacks, claiming that she wishes to "thwart their destiny". Before she can strike, however, the real Urbosa appears and exposes the one they had seen as a disguised Master Kohga. Master Kohga flees after summoning the Yiga Clan to surround the town, and Link's allies fight them off. With Urbosa assisting them, they summon a Molduga to distract the Yiga Clan forces long enough to launch an assault on the Yiga Clan Hideout. Master Kohga is defeated, but his lieutenant Sooga helps him escape. Urbosa thanks Zelda and her allies for helping her deal with the Yiga Clan, and agrees to pilot Divine Beast Vah Naboris.
Meanwhile, Master Kohga and Sooga are reprimanded for their failure by the dark prophet Astor. He calls upon the corrupted small Guardian seen earlier, which he calls the Harbinger, to show them a vision of the future in which the Great Calamity goes unchecked, and warns that he will not allow the future to be changed.
The Champions Assembled[]
With her magic still dormant, Zelda dedicates herself to calibrating the Divine Beasts for their pilots' use. However, she is increasingly disheartened by King Rhoam's frustration with her lack of progress. On their way through Gatepost Town, near the Great Plateau, they are ambushed by Sooga and the Yiga Clan, who are supported by monsters. The Four Champions fend off the attack and make their way to the enemy stronghold, only to find that it was a diversion. This leaves Link on his own to battle Sooga, and he ultimately prevents the Yiga second-in-command from assassinating Zelda. Defeated, Sooga then calls for the Yiga Clan to retreat.
Chapter 3[]
King Rhoam commands the Divine Beasts' pilots to find a knight able to wield the Master Sword, which will first require them to fight off the monsters in Korok Forest. Zelda accompanies them to gather more data to calibrate the Divine Beasts, and Link follows as well. After delivering a few more petty insults towards Link, Revali summons Divine Beast Vah Medoh to eliminate the monster outposts surrounding the Great Hyrule Forest.
The party enters the forest, where they meet Hestu. The Korok musician agrees to escort them through the woods in exchange for protection against the monsters. After fighting their way past a Stalnox, the party's progress is stymied by a pool of Malice conjured by Astor. They trace the source of the Malice to four Hollow- dark replicas of the Four Champions composed of Malice. When they are destroyed, the Malice dissipates.
Hestu volunteers to hold off the monsters long enough for Link and Zelda to reach the Master Sword's resting place. They find Astor waiting for them, and he summons the Hollow to attack. The Hollow' combined assault overwhelms Link and breaks his sword, but before they can kill Zelda he draws the Master Sword from its pedestal and is able to defeat the Hollow once more. Astor takes matters into his own hands and battles Link himself, but the Master Sword's power forces him to withdraw.
The Great Deku Tree awakens to speak with Zelda, telling her that the Master Sword has chosen Link to wield it and that she must have faith in herself. With his message delivered, he returns to his slumber.
Even with the Great Deku Tree's message, Zelda still fears that she may not be able to awaken her power in time. The small Guardian soothes her by playing Zelda's Lullaby, and she recalls that she has met it once before. However, the realization is cut short by the appearance of monsters blocking the road to Hyrule Castle, which the party fights through.
Zelda reflects on how much stronger Link has become, and Urbosa correctly guesses that she finds herself to be lacking in comparison. The Gerudo champion reassures the princess that Link is no different from who he was before he claimed the Master Sword, and in that respect is just like Zelda herself.
The ceremony is held in which Link, Mipha, Daruk, Revali, and Urbosa are named Four Champions. The small Guardian and Impa get into a fight, distracting the princess from her worries for a time. Mipha reminds Daruk about their earlier discussion about training, which Daruk accepts. She looks at Link, who overhears her intentions to fight alongside him and she stammers in panic as he approached her, wanting to know more about her thoughts on him. The scuffle between Impa and Terrako gets Revali caught in the middle, upsetting him to the point where he leaves the vicinity in disgust.
Chapter 4[]
Purah's research into the Sheikah Tower reveals the presence of other towers hidden underground, all linked to a control system within Hyrule Castle. The Four Champions set out to bond the Sheikah Slate with the towers, which will activate the control device.
King Rhoam continues to express his irritation with Zelda's failure to manifest her powers and focus on the relics, but accepts a relic from Zelda that she and her mother believed to have unknown potential and gives her permission to continue studying the ancient technology.
Back at the Yiga Clan Hideout, Master Kohga and Sooga realize that if the Sheikah Towers are activated the Yiga Clan will be exposed. Astor quiets their dissent, reminding them that they will have their parts to play. The corrupted Guardian is revealed to be possessed by Calamity Ganon itself, and Astor declares that he will use it to seize power over all of Kingdom of Hyrule. Sooga warns the prophet that Ganon cannot be controlled by mortals, but his words go unheard.
Link activates the first tower with the Sheikah Slate, triggering the appearance of the other towers across Kingdom of Hyrule. Link and his allies continue to activate the towers until they reach the last one in Akkala. There, they are informed that the Yiga Clan has captured Akkala Citadel, which was previously thought impenetrable and is where the last tower is located. They break through the Yiga Clan's defenses, defeating Sooga again and forcing the Yiga Clan to retreat. With the last tower activated, Purah explains how the towers can provide maps for a region. Urbosa uses the maps to lead a preemptive strike on the Yiga Clan Hideout, clearing a path for a follow-up assault. The party confronts Master Kohga and Sooga once more, and the Yiga Clan leaders flee to save themselves after being defeated.
Kohga and Sooga confront Astor, demanding to know why he failed to tell them that they would be defeated. Astor merely comments that all is going according to plan, reminding the Yiga Clan that they are bound to serve Calamity Ganon and that Ganon will punish them if they try to harm his chosen seer.
Purah continues to lead research on the Sheikah Towers, demonstrating their ability to be used for teleportation. Zelda gives her support to further study, but she is troubled by her own lack of progress.
The Guardian's records indicate that Calamity Ganon will return on Zelda's 17th birthday. In the hopes of awakening Zelda's power in time, King Rhoam sends her to train at the Spring of Courage. Zelda's ruminations over her perceived failure are interrupted by a horde of monsters that besieges the spring. They are able to make it out of the spring thanks to Zelda's knowledge of the relics in the area, and Impa chides Zelda for thinking so little of her efforts.
Chapter 5[]
As nobody younger than 17 is permitted to set foot on Mount Lanayru, Zelda plans to train at the Spring of Wisdom as soon as she comes of age. As the small Guardian's memory indicates that this would be the day that Calamity Ganon would awaken, King Rhoam makes arrangements for evacuations and deploys the Divine Beasts to prepare for the Calamity's coming.
Robbie and Purah finish analyzing Terrako's memory, only for them to be captured by Yiga Clan spies. Purah manages to slip the Sheikah Slate with the decoded data to the small Guardian, which delivers the slate to Zelda just as she leaves for the Spring of Wisdom. It is at that exact moment that Calamity Ganon arrives, to Zelda's horror. Daruk appears on the Eldin Tower when he hears a sound and is shocked by what he sees at Hyrule Castle, while Mipha is unpleasantly surprised, Urbosa notes that he had revived sooner than they thought. Meanwhile, initially calm upon witnessing these events unfold at the castle, Revali saw the Sheikah Tower's circuitry malfunctioning before the ground shakes harder, scaring the Rito Champion as the Sheikah Towers all across Hyrule begin to shut down.
Link, Zelda, and Impa retreat from the castle as the Guardians are possessed one by one by Calamity Ganon. As they reach the exit, King Rhoam saves them from a Guardian attack. He entrusts Link with protecting Zelda at all costs and stays behind to give them a chance to escape. Zelda is dragged away by Link as three Guardian Stalkers surround the king and his men, and he is seemingly killed by their lasers.
As Calamity Ganon emerges from the castle, Impa shows Zelda the Sheikah Slate, revealing that Ganon has attacked the Divine Beasts. She breaks down in despair, lamenting her inability to awaken the sealing magic. However, the small Guardian opens a new set of time portals and they see Divine Beast Vah Medoh still glowing blue but with Malice trailing off of it, indicating that Revali is still alive but is in serious danger as are the other Champions, the party realizes that there is still a chance to stop the Great Calamity.
(The following two sections can be completed in any order, as decided by the player.)
Water and Fire[]
Daruk fends off Fireblight Ganon's fireballs as Mipha struggles against Waterblight Ganon. As the blow that would have killed Mipha in the original timeline is about to land, an adult Sidon bursts out of one of the time portals summoned by the small Guardian, declaring that he will not lose his sister a second time. At the same time, Yunobo emerges from a second portal just in time to block the attack that would have slain Daruk.
As Divine Beast Vah Rudania is surrounded by lava, Link's party chooses to make their way to Divine Beast Vah Ruta first. Sidon's aid is able to keep Mipha alive long enough for Link and his allies to join them in fighting Waterblight Ganon. Divine Beast Vah Ruta is not at its full strength and so cannot summon enough rain to clear the lava, so Sidon moves ahead to slay the Igneo Talus producing the lava flows. With the Talus dead, the Divine Beast is able to cool down the lava.
Yunobo begins to panic as Fireblight Ganon continues to pressure the two Gorons, but Daruk rallies his spirits with a reminder that Yunobo was supposed to save him. Link and his party arrive, and Fireblight Ganon is destroyed. Daruk thanks both Link and Yunobo for their help, as Sidon explains to Mipha that he is indeed her brother from the future. Zelda then explains what had happened at Hyrule Castle.
Daruk and Yunobo move out to support the Hylian forces at Akkala Citadel, wiping out an army of monsters and Guardians.
Air and Lightning[]
Despite her best efforts, Urbosa is losing her battle against Thunderblight Ganon. Revali is faring little better against Windblight Ganon, not withstanding his insistence otherwise. But at the fateful moments in which they would have died, Riju (with Patricia) and Teba appear out of the time portals to support their respective Four Champions.
With Divine Beast Vah Medoh too high in the air to reach, the heroes set their sights on Divine Beast Vah Naboris. Riju and Urbosa are nearly overwhelmed by Thunderblight Ganon, but Link and his allies arrive in time to help defeat it. Riju helps the party clear the path to Divine Beast Vah Medoh, and they arrive to help Revali. Windblight Ganon is bested, but teleports away before it can be killed.
Urbosa thanks Riju for saving her, though the younger Gerudo is sure to ascribe credit to the whole party. Revali on the other hand insists that he would have been just fine on his own; Teba is surprised to learn that the Rito Champion was so arrogant, but Urbosa suggests he not say that out loud. After Zelda tells the Four Champions about the events at Hyrule Castle, Revali and Teba move out with Divine Beast Vah Medoh to clear the skies around Hyrule Castle. They confront Windblight Ganon again in the aerial battle, ultimately slaying it.
Heroes from the Future[]
Zelda recalls how Sidon told her that he had a vision of Mipha being attacked by Waterblight Ganon, only to find himself within Divine Beast Vah Ruta with her. She realizes that the small Guardian was responsible for summoning him and the other future heroes and thanks it for its help. Their next destination is Akkala Citadel, where Robbie has escaped to.
Elsewhere, Astor is harvesting the souls of slain Yiga Clan members to resurrect the four blights. Master Kohga and Sooga are outraged by his treachery, and demand that the prophet explain himself. Astor informs them that their enemy has grown strong enough to warrant a change of tactics. Summoning a Hollow of Link to attack them, he declares that they can be useful "for once in their lives" as blood sacrifices for Calamity Ganon. Sooga requests that Master Kohga escape, but he cannot bring himself to abandon "his favorite lackey." Seeing his master's resolve, Sooga vows to protect Master Kohga even if it means he must die to do so.
Chapter 6[]
The defenders of Akkala Citadel are besieged by monsters and Guardians, and it seems as if the stronghold will fall to their assault. Robbie has a feeling that their luck will change, and he is proven right when Divine Beast Vah Ruta arrives. Mipha and Sidon clear the way for Link, Impa, and Zelda to reach the citadel. Mipha leaves the Divine Beast to provide aid to the defenders, and the rest of the party makes their way to Robbie. When they reach him, they fight off a Malice-infused Guardian and destroy the citadel bridge to keep any further monsters from reaching it.
Robbie directs the party to Fort Hateno, where Purah is located. However, it too is under siege. Urbosa and Riju fight off the army of Guardians and monsters occupying Hyrule Field as Link and the others depart. As the seemingly endless swarm draws closer, the other three Divine Beasts appear to reinforce them.
The party rushes to the fort, only to find Astor commanding the invaders. Taunting Zelda over her imminent death, he summons the four blights to attack. Link is nearly defeated by their combined power, but Zelda unleashes her sealing magic to save him and destroys Fireblight Ganon and Waterblight Ganon. Purah attempts to shut down the Guardians using devices based on the small Guardians's design, but only succeeds after Thunderblight Ganon and Windblight Ganon are also defeated.
After the battle, Zelda gives a speech to motivate the soldiers, urging them not to let despair get the better of them and assuming command of the armies of the Kingdom of Hyrule. Some time later, Zelda and Impa meet with a soldier who turns out to be Master Kohga, who has come to join her forces in order to avenge the Yiga Clan members that Astor has betrayed.
Chapter 7[]
The party responds to news of Hylian forces in battle at the Great Plateau by rushing to their aid. While it is too far to reach by foot, Purah is able to reactivate the Sheikah Towers and enhance their teleportation abilities. The Yiga Clan report that rubble is blocking the way to the Temple of Time where most of the soldiers are, and Purah comes up with the idea of using the Shrine of Resurrection as a travel gate. They break through into the temple and discover that King Rhoam is alive. He explains that the relic Zelda gave him turned out to be an ancient shield that saved his life, and father and daughter reconcile.
The unified Hylian forces march to Hyrule Field. They find that the castle is blocked off by a wall of Malice, generated by a group of Malice-infused monsters. Zelda is able to dispel the wall after they are slain, so the Champions can fire the Divine Beasts’ powerful lasers, only for the Blood Moon to revive all the monsters in the field shortly afterwards. However, the combined strength of the heroes is enough to make one final push towards the castle.
Astor confronts the heroes as they enter the castle. He is accompanied by the possessed Guardian, which is now clearly visible as the small Guardian of their own timeline. The latter, now the being known as Harbinger Ganon, shapeshifts into a monstrous humanoid form as the mad prophet rants about how his destiny is to destroy Zelda and her allies.
Fighting their way through the castle, the party battles the blights once more to reach the gatehouses. They battle Astor and Harbinger Ganon there, forcing them to withdraw. Enraged by his defeat, Astor commands Harbinger Ganon to destroy the heroes; instead, Harbinger Ganon consumes Astor uses his power to manifest itself as Calamity Ganon. To make matters worse, it lets out a surge of power that corrupts the other small Guardian, forcing it to attack Link and Zelda as well. They have no choice but to battle it.
Zelda is grief-stricken by having to fight their friend, who is now critically damaged. As she weeps over it, it begins to play Zelda's Lullaby for her, as if trying to comfort her. A flashback reveals the origins of the Guardian, revealing its name as Terrako: as a young girl, Zelda had activated it as a playmate and proudly shows it to her mother. It had helped console her after her mother's death, and had eventually been confiscated by King Rhoam when he assumed it was nothing more than a simple toy. The Champions caught up to her and were also saddened by Terrako’s broken state. Her resolve strengthened as well as the warriors, Zelda swears to stop Calamity Ganon at all costs.
Despite their best efforts, the heroes cannot even harm Calamity Ganon. As the abomination prepares a devastating attack that Zelda struggles to hold back, Terrako reactivates. The Guardian uses the last of its energy to launch itself at Calamity Ganon and self-destructs, breaking through Calamity Ganon's shield but leaving behind only a single screw. Terrako's sacrifice renews the fighting spirit of the party, and after a long and grueling battle Link and Zelda seal away Calamity Ganon.
As the sun rises, the united Hyrulian people rejoice to see that the Great Calamity is ended. Terrako's screw begins to shine, and Riju realizes that she, Teba, Yunobo, and Sidon must return to their own future. The Four Champions say their farewells to their descendants, and Zelda vows to treasure their friendship for all time.
Epilogue[]
An unknown amount of time after Calamity Ganon's sealing, Robbie, Purah, and Zelda have finished repairing Terrako using parts gathered from all over Kingdom of Hyrule.[5] While they initially fear that they were unsuccessful, the sight of Zelda's face causes Terrako to fully reactivate. Link, Impa, and the Four Champions happily look on as Zelda tearfully welcomes back the Guardian whose aid and sacrifice ultimately changed the course of history.
EX DLC Storylines[]
Development[]
By mid-2012, following the reception to Skyward Sword, The Legend of Zelda series producer Eiji Aonuma had determined that the franchise was in urgent need of reinvention, in order for it to remain relevant. Aonuma decided that the development team would focus on rethinking the conventions of Zelda, and that this would largely center around two misconceptions:[6]
- That Zelda games needed to be linear
- That Zelda games were strictly meant to be single player experiences
The development team tackled the notion of non-linear Zelda games with A Link Between Worlds and Breath of the Wild. While both games were in development, Nintendo was approached by publisher Koei Tecmo, whose studios had previously worked with the company on titles like Metroid: Other M and Fatal Frame, with a proposal to develop a new kind of Zelda game using its Omega Force studio—the team behind the Dynasty Warriors series of games.[7] The original pitch by Koei Tecmo producer Yosuke Hayashi involved a number of elements that were staples of Zelda, such as dungeon exploration, with elements of the Warriors series mixed in to create something new. However, Nintendo "Fellow" Shigeru Miyamoto asked that Hayashi graft the world of Zelda onto Dynasty Warriors gameplay instead.[8]
At the time, Aonuma had been playing One Piece: Pirate Warriors, another Warriors-style game developed by Omega Force, and saw the potential in a similar crossover with Zelda.[9] Development of this game, dubbed Hyrule Warriors (Zelda Musou in Japan), was completed in 2014, making it the first multiplayer Zelda game since Four Swords Adventures. In parallel, a small portion of the Zelda team also worked with Grezzo, the studio responsible for Ocarina of Time 3D and Majora's Mask 3D, to develop Tri Force Heroes, a three-player Zelda game for the Nintendo 3DS.
While work progressed on Breath of the Wild, Aonuma had already begun thinking of ways to explore another multiplayer Zelda title, this time using lessons the team had learnt from the development of that game.[10] After development wrapped, director Hidemaro Fujibayashi and art director Satoru Takizawa pitched Aonuma the idea of a second Warriors title, this time set in Breath of the Wild's past, against the backdrop of that game's "Great Calamity" event. Fujibayashi and Takizawa already had some sense of the kind of game they wanted to see, and the extent to which they had thought through their plans spurred Aonuma to discuss a second collaboration with Koei Tecmo.[11]
Yosuke Hayashi would serve as producer on the new project, alongside Omega Force's Masaki Furusawa, the director of the first Hyrule Warriors. Ryota Matsushita, who had served as a game designer on Samurai Warriors 4, Warriors Orochi 4, and Dynasty Warriors 9, was tapped to direct. Once the game's core elements had been decided upon, Omega Force proposed an outline for Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, with the Zelda team supervising each draft of the plan.[12]
Omega Force collaborated much more closely with the team this time around, than they had on Hyrule Warriors. Elements such as gameplay, graphics, the depiction of Hyrule, and all character dialogue were discussed with the Zelda team to ensure consistency with Breath of the Wild.[13] Breath of the Wild's characters had fragments of lore scattered throughout that game, and Omega Force used these as a starting point. They held discussions with the Zelda team to understand the team's impression of each character, which helped flesh out their personalities in Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity.[14] In the case of characters that were now going to require younger variants, such as Impa, Purah, and Robbie, Omega Force proposed new designs for each.[15]
Prior to development, Aonuma had requested that the Zelda team allow Omega Force a degree of freedom whilst creating the movesets for each playable character, which would allow them to explore more outlandish special moves for each.[16] While designing moves for the game's cast, Omega Force based Link, Zelda, and Impa on existing archetypes—namely, a knight, a mage, and a trickster.[17] Of the three, Zelda proved hardest to design, owing to the fact that she was never intended to be a fighter in Breath of the Wild, and that making her a combatant would potentially be at odds with her personality. The development team eventually settled on the idea of Zelda being driven by a sense of duty and taking up arms using the Sheikah Slate, using her backstory in Breath of the Wild as a point of reference.[18] In contrast, Impa's moveset came together more smoothly, as a byproduct of her being from the ninja-like Sheikah tribe.[19] According to the developers, the individual Sheikah Slate abilities for the rest of the cast were easy to derive from their personalities as well.[20]
During development, the team used its learnings from having worked on the first Hyrule Warriors, but encountered challenges while deciding how to integrate the open-world design of Breath of the Wild into the stage-based style of a Warriors game. The development team ultimately chose to design each stage to be more three-dimensional, with height or interconnected terrain, to create the feel of a more expansive world.[21] Omega Force found that working on Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity required less trial-an-error than its predecessor, as it had already understood how to incorporate Zelda-like concepts into a Warriors game, and was instead able to allocate resources towards creating a game that was of higher quality.[22] All throughout development, the Zelda team reviewed each aspect of Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity to ensure that the game inherited the look and tone of Breath of the Wild.[23]
The following members of the The Legend of Zelda series team are credited as part of Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity's credits:[24][25]
| Name | Credit on Age of Calamity | Credit on Breath of the Wild | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yoshiyuki Oyama | Nintendo Zelda Team | Senior Lead Artist - Character / Item | |
| Ryuji Kobayashi | Nintendo Zelda Team | Senior Lead Artist - Animation | |
| Manabu Takehara | Nintendo Zelda Team | Lead Artists - Structural | |
| Keijiro Inoue | Nintendo Zelda Team | Senior Lead Artist - VFX / Technical | |
| Daigo Shimizu | Nintendo Zelda Team | UI Design | |
| Makoto Yonezu | Nintendo Zelda Team | Senior Lead Artist - Landscape | |
| Aya Shida | Nintendo Zelda Team | Wildlife Art | |
| Tomohisa Saito | Nintendo Zelda Team | Graphics/Terrain Programming | |
| Atsushi Asakura | Nintendo Zelda Team | Graphics/Terrain Programming | |
| Yoshiyuki Sawada | Nintendo Zelda Team | Technical Artist | |
| Manaka Kataoka | Nintendo Zelda Team | Music | |
| Yasuaki Iwata | Nintendo Zelda Team | Music | |
| Koji Kondo | Nintendo Zelda Team | Not credited on Breath of the Wild. | |
| Daiki Iwamoto | Supervisor | Assistant Director | |
| Satoru Takizawa | Supervisor | Art Director | Pitched the idea for Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity. |
| Takuhiro Dohta | Supervisor | Technical Director | |
| Hajime Wakai | Supervisor | Sound Director | |
| Hidemaro Fujibayashi | Scenario Supervisor | Director | Pitched the idea for Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity. |
| Eiji Aonuma | Zelda Franchise Supervisor | Producer |
Note: At present, it is unknown whether all of the employees listed above are permanent members of the The Legend of Zelda series team. Some (like Eiji Aonuma and Hidemaro Fujibayashi) have worked on the Zelda series throughout most of their careers, while others move between various Nintendo projects as required.
Gameplay[]
The gameplay is similar to Hyrule Warriors's which is itself a based on Koei Tecmo's Dynasty Warriors series of video games, in which characters fight large armies of enemies and generals on a battlefield, with the the setting and characters originating from The Legend of Zelda series, specifically from Breath of the Wild. As such, it is much more combat-intensive that most Zelda games, with hordes of enemies on the screen at once.
Controls[]
The player controls multiple characters throughout the game including Link, Zelda, Mipha, Urbosa, Revali, Daruk, and Impa through the story, with the player being able to switch characters on the fly depending on the scenario. Characters also fight alongside regular Soldiers and other playable characters, and the game will alert if an ally requires assistance. The player can use many abilities seen in Breath of the Wild such as Magnesis, Cryonis, Stasis and Remote Bombs. The player can also use multiple elemental rods, such as the Fire Rod, Ice Rod, and Lightning Rod.
Gameplay Footage[]
| Nintendo Treehouse: Live | October 2020 |
Game Information[]
Graphics[]
Audio[]
Limited Edition[]
A limited treasure box edition of the game was released in Japan. It included a copy of the game, an acrylic art plate, a parasail blanket, and a metal charm.[26]
Speedrun Records[]
| Category | Runner | Time | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Any% (Easy) | Naoto09 | 3h 47m 56s | April 6, 2021 |
| Any% (Easy, New Game+) | Temchee | 2h 29m 48s | August 17, 2022 |
| Any% (Normal) | Erusoru | 4h 7m 7s 490ms | March 21, 2021 |
| Any% (Normal, New Game+) | Temchee | 2h 31m 56s | August 4, 2022 |
| Any% (Hard) | Naoto09 | 5h 11m 24s | Feburary 1, 2019 |
| Any% (Hard, New Game+) | Temchee | 2h 35m 37s | July 19, 2022 |
| Any% (Very Hard) | potetofry | 7h 39s | Feburary 1, 2021 |
| Any% (Very Hard, New Game+) | Temchee | 2h 41m 53sJune 8, 2022 | hwaoc/run/mkkvjovm |
| Any% (Apocalyptic) | Piccol_Link_ | 8h 33m 100ms | May 8, 2022 |
| Any% (Apocalyptic, New Game+) | Temchee | 2h 48m 37s | January 21, 2022 |
| Any% Co-op (Easy) | snowgirl ulysses0112 |
3h 51m 52s | October 2, 2022 |
| Any% Co-op (Easy, New Game+) | Locke Zelda1Fan |
3h 16m 2s | November 11, 2021 |
| Any% Co-op (Normal) | snowgirl ulysses0112 |
4h 12m 34s 970ms | June 17, 2022 |
| Any% Co-op (Normal, New Game+) | SnowNight SnowNights brother |
3h 32m 34s 48ms | June 7, 2021 |
| Any% Co-op (Hard) | snowgirl ulysses0112 |
5h 10m 16s 210ms | June 3, 2022 |
| Any% Co-op (Hard, New Game+) | Locke Zelda1Fan |
3h 34m 37s | July 18, 2022 |
| Any% Co-op (Very Hard) | — | — | — |
| Any% Co-op (Very Hard, New Game+) | — | — | — |
| Any% Co-op (Apocalyptic) | — | — | — |
| Any% Co-op (Apocalyptic, New Game+) | — | — | — |
| 100% (Easy) | Cartiss | 30h 2m 15s | January 17, 2021 |
| 100% (Medium) | — | — | — |
| 100% (Hard) | — | — | — |
| 100% (Very Hard) | — | — | — |
| 100% (Apocalyptic) | — | — | — |
Listings[]
Characters[]
Bosses[]
Enemies[]
Scenarios[]
Challenges[]
Items[]
Translations[]
Credits[]
Reception[]
Sales[]
On November 24, 2020, four days after the release of Age of Calamity, Koei Tecmo stated via Famitsu that the game had shipped over 3 million combined physical and digital copies worldwide, becoming the first game in the Warriors franchise to reach 3 million shipments as well as becoming the best-selling Warriors game of all time.[27] As of January 2022, the game has sold over 4 million copies worldwide.[28]
Nomenclature[]
 Names in other regions  | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Language | Name | Meaning | |
 | Japanese | ゼルダ無双 厄災の黙示録 (Zeruda Musō Yakusai no Mokushiroku)[29] | Zelda Unrivaled: Apocalypse of the Calamity |
 | ChineseSI | ZELDA无双 灾厄启示录 (Zerda wúshuāng zāi è qǐshì lù)[30] | Zelda Unrivaled: Disaster Revelation |
 | ChineseTR | ZELDA無雙 災厄啟示錄 (Zerda wúshuāng zāi è qǐshì lù)[31] | Zelda Unrivaled: Disaster Revelation |
 | FrenchCA | Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity[32] | |
 | FrenchEU | Hyrule Warriors : L'Ère du Fléau[33] | Hyrule Warriors : The Era of the Scourge |
 | German | Hyrule Warriors: Zeit der Verheerung[34] | |
 | Italian | Hyrule Warriors: L'era della calamità[35] | Hyrule Warriors: The era of the calamity |
 | Korean | 젤다무쌍 대재앙의 시대 (Jelda mussang daejaeang-ui sidae)[36] | The Age of Zelda Warriors Apocalypse |
 | SpanishEU | Hyrule Warriors: La era del cataclismo[37] | Hyrule Warriors: The era of the cataclysm |
 | SpanishLA | Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity[38] | |
| This table was generated using translation pages. To request an addition, please contact a staff member with a reference. | |||
Gallery[]
External Links[]
References
- ↑ Nintendo, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity - Announcement Trailer - Nintendo Switch, YouTube, published September 8, 2020, retrieved September 8, 2020.
- ↑ Nintendo, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity – Expansion Pass Announcement Trailer – Nintendo Switch, YouTube (video), published February 17, 2021, retrieved February 17, 2021.
- ↑ "Available June 18 on Nintendo eShop" — Nintendo, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity Expansion Pass Wave 1 – Pulse of the Ancients, YouTube (video), published June 15, 2021, retrieved October 3, 2021.
- ↑ "Available October 29" — Nintendo, Nintendo Direct - 9.23.2021, YouTube (video), published September 23, 2021, retrieved October 3, 2021.
- ↑ "Terrako
Guardian of Time
A tiny guardian who has traveled from the future to save Zelda. It was broken in the fight against the Calamity but has now been repaired and reactivated thanks to the effort of Link and the others." — Gallery (Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity) - ↑ "Aonuma: Our mission in developing this new Zelda game for Wii U is quite plainly to rethink the conventions of Zelda. I'm referring to things such as the player is supposed to complete dungeons in a certain order. That you are supposed to play by yourself, the things that we've come to take for granted recently. We want to set aside these "conventions," get back to basics to create a newborn Zelda so players today can enjoy the real essence of the franchise. We had actually worked on this kind of challenge with Skyward Sword, but we weren't able to put efforts in changing the linear structure of the game. I hope to be able to talk with you in more detail about how it will change after I see it come together a bit more." —Eiji Aonuma (Wii U Direct - Nintendo Games 1.23.2013)
- ↑ ""When Mr. Hayashi approached me for this collaboration, he said, 'let’s rethink our preconceived ideas of what we can do with a Zelda game'."" —Eiji Aonuma (Interview: Eiji Aonuma and Yosuke Hayashi on Hyrule Warriors and Shigeru Miyamoto's Definitive Role)
- ↑ "At first, when Hayashi-san approached me, he wanted to make this title closer to a Zelda game than a Dynasty Warriors game — that extended to having boss battles in the dungeons and [having] certain characters in the game. However, Mr. Miyamoto came along and up-ended the tea table, saying, 'No, that should not be the case. What we’re doing here is grafting Zelda onto the Dynasty Warriors experience.' It was a reversal of the original proposal from Hayashi-san, which was adding elements of Dynasty Warriors onto the Zelda franchise. It ended up being the other way around based on Miyamoto’s direction." —Eiji Aonuma (Interview: Eiji Aonuma and Yosuke Hayashi on Hyrule Warriors and Shigeru Miyamoto's Definitive Role)
- ↑ "At the time I was playing a Musou collaboration game called One Piece: Pirate Warriors. In this game, you are fighting a battle where there are many bases on the battlefield, and you have to figure out what order you take the bases in — and also the timing in which certain things occur. This is not something that had been in previous Zelda games, and so it was a very exciting idea for me to connect with." —Eiji Aonuma (Interview: Eiji Aonuma and Yosuke Hayashi on Hyrule Warriors and Shigeru Miyamoto's Definitive Role)
- ↑ "I would like to take what I learned from Breath of the Wild and see if we can somehow fuse those learning points into another multiplayer Zelda. For example, with Tri Force Heroes, which followed a similar format of Four Swords, there was a multiplayer involved in that game. That's definitely a possibility and we will continue to [experiment] throughout the Zelda franchise." —Eiji Aonuma (Zelda Producer: After Breath of the Wild, Next Game Could Be Multiplayer)
- ↑ "The idea came from Breath of the Wild’s director Hidemaro Fujibayashi and art director Satoru Takizawa. When they first pitched the “Great Calamity” as a setting for a Musou game, I was very interested but wondered if there would be difficulties when crafting the story. From there, we deliberated on how things would go, and the two of them already had plans in mind. Driven by how serious Mr. Fujibayashi and Mr. Takizawa were, I decided to consult with Hyrule Warriors producer Yosuke Hayashi." —Eiji Aonuma (Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity devs on how the game came to be, Nintendo wanting it to be a new experience, more)
- ↑ "After mixing in the core game elements, we were able to propose an outline from our side. We received close supervision from the first rough drafts of the storyline, and we kept in mind the point to balance ‘new experiences in the world of the past.’ Whenever we fleshed it out, were were supervised with each addition therein." —Ryota Matsushita (Koei Tecmo Developers Discuss the Freedoms and Challenges in Working With the Zelda Team to Create Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity)
- ↑ "The previous Hyrule Warriors games were filled with Zelda conventions. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild broke these conventions entirely, and perhaps it's the same for everyone here, but for someone like me, who's been playing Zelda games for a long time, this was an extraordinary experience. It's a new, special title for me. Unlike the previous Hyrule Warriors games, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity was developed by working closely with the Zelda team in every step of the process, including gameplay direction, graphics, world, and all dialogue. And while we maintain the distinct gameplay style of the Warriors series with exciting '1 vs. 1000' battles, and a wide variety of playable characters, this became the only game that will let you experience the world 100 years prior to the events of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild firsthand." —Eiji Aonuma (Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity - A story 100 years before The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild)
- ↑ "We created various characters’ personalities and their relationships to Link during Breath of the Wild’s development. However, we consulted with the Musou team to flesh that out in this game. Like with Purah, who ages quite strangely. I feel like we allowed her charms – and just her as a character to shine in this title." —Eiji Aonuma (Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity devs on how the game came to be, Nintendo wanting it to be a new experience, more)
- ↑ "I’m so glad we at Koei Tecmo were able to propose designs for Impa, Purah, and Robbie. Every character had fragments of rich lore scattered throughout Breath of the Wild, so we used those as clues to match the Zelda team’s impression and establishment of the characters. That’s how we formed their depictions of 100 years past. I felt it resembled how Link regained his memories in Breath of the Wild through little spurs." —Ryota Matsushita (Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity devs on how the game came to be, Nintendo wanting it to be a new experience, more)
- ↑ "While the theming is that of Breath of the Wild, a combat-centric game like Hyrule Warriors may have things like ‘special techniques for tearing up hordes,’ and I wanted them to be able to go a little crazy with those things without having to be too conscientious of the frame work... That is the perspective I asked the Zelda team to take in their management of the project." —Eiji Aonuma (Koei Tecmo Developers Discuss the Freedoms and Challenges in Working With the Zelda Team to Create Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity)
- ↑ "As for Impa’s style, that came together smoothly. Both as a factor of fighting with Sheikah Tribe techniques, and for balance between the three starting party members: the orthodox knight in Link, the mage-like Zelda, and the third member being a ninja-styled character with tricky abilities fit perfectly. So I think it came together naturally." —Ryota Matsushita (Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity Developers Discuss Their Approach to Combat in Recent Interview)
- ↑ "In Zelda’s case, she remained a challenge throughout production. No matter how you cut it, she wasn’t really envisioned as a warrior-princess, so it wouldn’t do to suddenly have her performing these Warriors-style actions. However, she is a person driven by her sense of duty, so what emerged as the action she should take in her situation was the Sheikah Slate-based combat." —Ryota Matsushita (Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity Developers Discuss Their Approach to Combat in Recent Interview)
- ↑ "As for Impa’s style, that came together smoothly. Both as a factor of fighting with Sheikah Tribe techniques, and for balance between the three starting party members: the orthodox knight in Link, the mage-like Zelda, and the third member being a ninja-styled character with tricky abilities fit perfectly. So I think it came together naturally." —Ryota Matsushita (Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity Developers Discuss Their Approach to Combat in Recent Interview)
- ↑ "That came together unexpectedly smoothly. The individual personalities and fighting styles of Breath of the Wild’s characters are consistently unique, so it was easy to give them that distinction. For instance, if we ask ourselves, “What would Revali do if asked to fight using the Stasis Rune?” we could get very strong, detailed, opinionated answers that, “Revali would obviously use it like this!” which we were able to piece together to create his actions. Everyone was able to give an answer quite readily. [laughs]" —Ryota Matsushita (Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity Developers Discuss Their Approach to Combat in Recent Interview)
- ↑ "A lot of the direction for how we integrate the Zelda setting and its rewarding gameplay into the Warriors systems came from our prior experience with Hyrule Warriors, but we encountered new challenges this time when deciding how to integrate the open-world systems of BotW into the stage-based design of Warriors. Basically, instead of changing the stage-by-stage structure of the game, we designed each stage to be more three-dimensional (with height or interconnected terrain) to create the feel of a more expansive world than before." —Eiji Aonuma (Why The Hyrule Warriors: Age Of Calamity Team Made A Breath Of The Wild Prequel)
- ↑ "The previous game was a challenge in terms of incorporating the concepts of one game into a different game, and we went through a lot of trial and error on the ground. As a development team, we had a number of things that we weren't able to achieve or would've done differently in hindsight. We didn't need to repeat that trial and error for Age of Calamity, and I think that allowed us to allocate those resources towards increasing the quality of the game." —Yosuke Hayashi (Why The Hyrule Warriors: Age Of Calamity Team Made A Breath Of The Wild Prequel)
- ↑ "To ensure that the game inherited the look and tone of BotW, we asked the Zelda team to review every detail of what we made. They consistently suggested ways to make the game exponentially more fun, while simultaneously showing great respect for the ideas the Warriors team had for this game as an action game." —Ryota Matsushita (Why The Hyrule Warriors: Age Of Calamity Team Made A Breath Of The Wild Prequel)
- ↑ Koei Tecmo, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity credits, , retrieved May 5, 2021.
- ↑ Koei Tecmo, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity credits, , retrieved May 5, 2021.
- ↑ TREASURE BOX, GAMECITY, retrieved September 8, 2020.
- ↑ Switch『ゼルダ無双 厄災の黙示録』全世界の累計出荷300万本突破。『無双』シリーズ初の記録, Famitsu, published November 24, 2020, retrieved September 18, 2022.
- ↑ "『#ゼルダ無双 厄災の黙示録』の全世界累計出荷本数が400万本を突破しました。プレイしていただいた皆さま、誠にありがとうございます。
1月10日(月)までセールも開催中ですので、この機会にぜひお楽しみください。
■購入はこちら
https://store-jp.nintendo.com/list/software/70010000028021.html
#ゼルダの伝説 #Zelda" — 『ゼルダ無双 厄災の黙示録』公式アカウント, 『ゼルダ無双 厄災の黙示録』公式アカウント on Twitter: 『#ゼルダ無双 厄災の..., Twitter, published January 5, 2022, retrieved September 18, 2022. - ↑ ゼルダ無双 厄災の黙示録, www.gamecity.ne.jp, retrieved September 8, 2020.
- ↑ 《ZELDA无双 灾厄启示录》第二支介紹视频, YouTube, retrieved September 28, 2020.
- ↑ 到不為人知的100年前戰場——《ZELDA無雙 災厄啟示錄》預定於11月20日發售, Nintendo (Hong Kong) Ltd.Games official website, retrieved September 28, 2020.
- ↑ Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity pour Nintendo Switch - Détails du jeu Nintendo, www.nintendo.com, retrieved September 8, 2020.
- ↑ Hyrule Warriors : L'Ère du Fléau | Nintendo Switch | Jeux | Nintendo, www.nintendo.fr, retrieved September 8, 2020.
- ↑ Hyrule Warriors: Zeit der Verheerung | Nintendo Switch | Spiele | Nintendo, www.nintendo.de, retrieved September 8, 2020.
- ↑ Hyrule Warriors: L'era della calamità | Nintendo Switch | Giochi | Nintendo, www.nintendo.it, retrieved September 8, 2020.
- ↑ 『젤다무쌍 대재앙의 시대』 2nd 트레일러가 공개. 캐릭터 「임파」나 『젤다의 전설 브레스 오브 더 와일드』와의 저장 데이터 연동 특전도 공개., Nintendo of Korea Co., Ltd. official website, retrieved September 28, 2020.
- ↑ Hyrule Warriors: La era del cataclismo | Nintendo Switch | Juegos | Nintendo, www.nintendo.es, retrieved September 8, 2020.
- ↑ Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, nintendo.com, retrieved September 10, 2020.
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