Source: Wikipedia
It’s no surprise to me that the fans like Hyrule Warriors better than the critics – just look at this Kotaku review where the reviewer notes “I’m a Zelda guy, not a Dynasty Warriors guy.”
Fair enough, but what I can’t believe is that so many people expected the game to be more Zelda-esque, especially considering the game was made by the team responsible for all the Dynasty Warriors games. This is by no means an addition to the Zelda universe and franchise; indeed, I think it’s more of an addition to the Dynasty Warriors franchise. And that’s exactly what I expected of it – an awesome gesture on Nintendo’s part to offer over their beloved story into the hands of those quirky guys who make Dynasty Warriors what it is: a hack and slash, button mashing melodrama, with waves upon waves of enemies to cut down in a massive map with ever changing conditions.
What I love about Hyrule Warriors is that it truly seems like the developers handled the Zelda name with care, but not without adding their own personal touch. Fans will be excited by the flushing out of the Zelda universe, giving us the opportunity to imagine Zelda as the commander of a vast army, a position only barely realized in the canon Zelda games. One of her trainees (Link) proves himself on the battlefield, and is eventually realized as the great hero of legend. I believe fans will also be amused by the fact that Link is surrounded by many powerful lovely ladies – Impa, Zelda, Shiek, Midna, and Fi, for starters. There is also the addition of Lana (an obvious invention of the Dynasty Warriors team), who plays a pretty interesting role in the game, one that bothered my loyalty to the Zelda franchise (spoilers). But what I will say is that she is a cool enough character that it didn’t bother me too much, and I found the additions/changes that the development team made to be a little enchanting, especially when considering the boldness they showed. Kudos to them for re-imagining a story that’s been told the same way for ages.
Lana. Source: gematsu.com
All-in-all, Hyrule Warriors plays like most of the Dynasty Warriors games, but on a simpler level. I’m amused that people found the game to be overburdened, when I found it much cleaner that the Dynasty Warriors games. I also think it’s a shame that some players don’t seem to appreciate how the development team integrated the importance of item-collection and problem-solving. I found this absolutely genius! They recognized and acknowledged the value that items play in the Zelda franchise. I found this to be a lovely and refreshing touch the the usual Dynasty Warriors grind. It’s fun to exploit an enemy’s weakness with one of your iconic Zelda items (be it a bomb, bow and arrow, hookshot, etc.), only to then beat them senseless Dynasty Warriors style – it’s a great combination of both universes.
Midna using the iconic hookshot on her foes. Source: http://www.technobuffalo.com
But the complaints come mostly from the addition of the Adventure Mode, where you go to different parts of a map, enter battles with various win conditions, and unlock items in order to help you clear the map. Along the way you will win various rewards such as new playable characters, new weapons, and heart-upgrades (as well as the items that you need). The mode is presented old-school Zelda style, with pixels and an overview map. I was quite charmed by the throw-back, and found the mini puzzles with the items to be amusing. I took no mind in having to recollect an item from an already played map, especially considering every venture into battle always brings its own rewards. I actually think this mode is rather well-thought out, and that the people who don’t like it are probably not Dynasty Warriors fans to begin with – because what fan of the series doesn’t like endlessly beating up wave after wave of enemies?
Adventure Mode. Source: no.ign.com
If I had any complaints, it’s that I wanted more. More bosses, for one, with more unique ways to beat them, as well as more of the main story-line quest. Also, I have to say I was a bit disappointed by the whole lack of availability of alternative costumes, that only seem to be available via DLC. This isn’t the style of either development team, so I was a bit surprised. One more thing is the lack of split-screen option for co-op play, but using the game pad hasn’t proven to be very painful. On that same note, there is no Online Multiplayer, which seems to be a huge oversight, especially considering this is a common feature in the Dynasty Warriors games.
Source: http://www.giantbomb.com
Otherwise, I’m overall impressed and happy with Hyrule Warriors. There are many characters to chose from, and thus many different fighting styles. I found the action to be smooth and intuitive. As long as you know what you are getting yourself into (a game that is ultimately hack and slash), you will definitely love this game.
I am giving it a 7.5 out of 10. It loses points because I think the main story could have been much longer, but is overall an excellent piece of work. Be sure to pick it up as soon as you can!
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