I’ve always enjoyed the Hyrule Warriors games on the original Nintendo Switch, but I wish they would run a little better on aging hardware. Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment is the latest installment in the hack-and-slash series and is based on the events that take place in the incredible mainline sequel, The Legend of Zelda: Kingdom of Tears.
It’s important to note that this 15-minute demo doesn’t give much context to the overall story. Still, we watched the opening cutscene where Princess Zelda, King Raul, and Queen Sonia journey deep into a mysterious cave. The King and Queen of the Zonai are now playable characters alongside Zelda. While exploring this cave, I was amazed at what the Switch 2 hardware actually did for this experience.
Quite simply, it feels like the intended experience past titles were aiming for, without being tied down by hardware limitations. I don’t plan on using the original Switch all day long, but the frame rate drop was so severe that it felt like it was consistently taking the player out of the moment.
It’s firing on all cylinders here and working great. Combat is fast and frenetic, while the number of enemies on screen is impressive. It’s hard to know how this will translate into the game’s final release, but things are looking much better now than they were in the chaotic moment. In addition to being able to smoothly and seamlessly switch between each of the three characters, players can now team up characters to create even more powerful special abilities.
The overall feel of combat feels similar to the previous two games, although you’ll have to mix and match light and heavy attacks in various combinations. I’m not saying that’s a bad thing, just like the Dynasty Warriors games, things have always felt pretty great. But while the focus on new special attacks through team coordination feels like a big key, Zonai constructs are available as new consumables and items to use in combat.
I’m sure fans of these previous games will be excited about these new combat enhancements, but I’m still impressed with how the hardware has breathed new life into these titles and given them the freedom to run them as intended.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Prisonment will be released exclusively on Nintendo Switch 2 on November 6, 2025.