Hyrule Warriors

Lore & Background

Hyrule Warriors mixes the hack and slash gameplay of Koei Tecmo's Dynasty Warriors series with settings and characters from Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda series. The player controls an original iteration of Link in melee combat to take on large numbers of enemies. While there is a much stronger emphasis on combat than other games in the Legend of Zelda series, the player may use common weapons from prior games, such as a sword, bombs, and Link's signature spin attack. Enemy targeting returns in combination with elements from the Dynasty Warriors combat system. Obtaining items through discovering and opening chests is retained. The game has a context-based combat system in which the player character's abilities change depending on the weapon chosen. Role-playing elements such as weapons and character leveling also appear. Defeating certain enemies gives players weapon bags, which grant a random weapon, and materials bags, which can be used to power up characters. Sealed weapons may be found in treasure boxes, increasing the types of weapons randomly generated. The game supports an asymmetric local two-player mode with one player using the Wii U GamePad and another using a monitor. It is also compatible with Amiibo figures, with figures based on The Legend of Zelda series unlocking additional content such as new weapons.

The main campaign, Legend Mode, allows players to progress through the story; these chapters can be replayed with any character in Free Mode. Adventure Mode lets players explore a map based on that of the original The Legend of Zelda and complete specific objectives. An update released on the game's launch date added Challenge Mode, which encourages players to collect as many rupees as possible in a set scenario. The in-game Bazaar allows players to forge new weapons, spend rupees to raise characters' levels, create potions, and exchange materials for badges. The game also offers an additional quest to collect 100 Gold Skulltulas, which unlock illustration pieces and contribute to upgrading the in-game apothecary.

Reader's Guide

Hyrule Warriors was developed by Koei Tecmo's studios with supervision from Zelda series producer Eiji Aonuma, who hoped it would provide a new style of gameplay differing from mainline installments. Nintendo promoted the game prior to release with appearances at E3 shows, and later supported it with downloadable content packs released from 2014 to 2016. The game received generally positive reviews, with critics praising its presentation and effective combination of Zelda and Dynasty Warriors elements, although the repetitive nature of its gameplay was criticized. Commercially successful, it became one of the best-selling games on the Wii U. An updated port for the Nintendo 3DS, Hyrule Warriors Legends, was released in 2016, and a second port, Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition, was released for the Nintendo Switch in 2018. The game was followed by Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity (2020) for the Nintendo Switch, and Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment (2025) for the Nintendo Switch 2. The game's plot is set in Hyrule outside of the official Zelda timeline, involving Ganondorf's resurrection through the sorceress Cia, and features an ensemble of heroes from various Zelda eras.

Did You Know?

• The game was announced in a 2013 Nintendo Direct presentation.
• It supports an asymmetric local two-player mode using the Wii U GamePad and a monitor.
• An update on launch day added Challenge Mode for collecting rupees.
• The game's story is set outside the official Zelda timeline.