In 2014, Nintendo and Koei Tecmo released their first crossover game. Designed as aDynasty Warriorsgame,Hyrule Warriorswas a spin-off ofThe Legend of Zelda. It released on the Wii U, 3DS, and Switch. In early 2020, a sequel was announced.Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamityreleased a while back and has helped Nintendo as many fans didn’t think they would receive a huge game this holiday.
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As both of these titles were made by Koei Tecmo and Nintendo, as well as having a lot of similarities, many players have compared the two. But which one of these installments is the better game?
10Age Of Calamity: A Prequel To Breath Of The Wild
Breath of the Wildis arguably the greatest game in the series. It was completely unique compared to the rest of the franchise and revolutionized gaming in general. Fans have wanted the critically acclaimed installment to be expanded upon for three years and thought they wouldn’t get anything until the upcoming sequel releases. They were delighted to find out that the charactersand plot introducedinBreath of the Wildwould return before then in this prequel.
9Original: A Standalone Release
UnlikeAge of Calamity, the originalHyrule Warriorswas not set in the same universe as any of theother games in the series. It could be played without having any knowledge onThe Legend of Zelda, though hardcore fans had a greater appreciation for this game. Despite being one of Nintendo’s most popular franchises, not every gamer is a fanof Link’s adventuresacross Hyrule. Those that prefer hack-and-slash games could finally experience the series in a way that they would enjoy. The same applies to fans of the series that were not experienced in hack-and-slash titles.
8Age Of Calamity: Insight Into Deep Lore
Breath of the Wildwas great for its gameplay but didn’t do much with its story. Link travelled around Hyrule and learned about the things he forgot 100 years prior to waking up in a cave before facing againstCalamity Ganon again. Besides that, not much was revealedabout the plotand some fans were disappointed.Age of Calamitydoesn’t only cover the battle that led to Link’s slumber but also reveals everything that led up to the battle along with a new timeline. After three long years, many questions were answered.
7Original: An Original Story
Hyrule Warriorstook the characters and plotlines from many games in the series and mashed them all together to create a new yet familiar story. One example of this is Zelda disguising herself as Sheik, which she previously did inOcarina of Time. The different time periods and dimensions fromThe Legend of Zeldacome together to tell the story of Link and his comrades facing against a sorceress named Cia.
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They also split into groups, leading to some interesting interactions that fans wouldn’t expect from traditional titles, and fight some of Hyrule’s other enemies, including Ganondorf.
6Age Of Calamity: Canon
As great as it was to see the different universes of the franchise come together in one epic installment,Hyrule Warriorsisn’t canon toThe Legend of Zeldaand fans will probably never need to know anything from in it to completely understand the other games. However, sinceAge of Calamitytakes place beforeBreath of the Wild, it is important for the series' plot and will most likely be referenced in other titles. It may even be connected to the upcomingBreath of the Wildsequel.
5Original: Playable Characters
Hyrule Warriorshad a lot more characters to play as thanAge of Calamitydid. This gave players a huge reason to play the game for hours even after beating it. They could control Link, Zelda, Impa, Lana, Darunia, Ruto, Agitha, Fi, Ganondorf, and many others.
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Even more characters were introduced through DLC. Though Nintendo nor Koei Tecmo have not announced DLC forAge of Calamity, some may release in the future. However, until then, players do not have nearly enough characters to control.
4Age Of Calamity: Gameplay
Age of Calamityis much better when it comes to the original game when it comes to the combat, which is the main focus ofDynasty Warriorsgames. Since there weren’t as many characters, Link, Zelda, Impa, and the pilots of the Divine Beasts are all very fun to control and mechanics fromBreath of the Wildwere implemented into this title well. Nearly everything that could be done from the 2017 release, such as using runes, can be done again.
3Original: A Longer Experience
Though each game’s story isn’t incredibly long nor too short,Hyrule Warriorsgives players a lot more to do. Those that care to play games that they can immerse themselves into for hundreds of hours will not be disappointed with what the first game in the series has to offer. According to howlongtobeat.com, the original version of the game takes the average player 204 hours to fully complete while the version on the Switch, which includes the DLC, takes 376.Age of Calamityonly takes 54 1/2 hours to beat everything.
2Age Of Calamity: A Harder Experience
The first game provided a good challenge. However, players that wanta more difficult game should playAge of Calamity. There are new gameplay mechanics and more to control which has proved to be hard for some of the players. The bosses are also much more challenging than they were inHyrule Warriors. Many gamers like to test their skills but those that aren’t as experienced can always play on an easier difficulty.
1Original: Soundtrack
Besides the story and gameplay thatThe Legend of Zeldais known for, many also recognize the series' popular and amazing songs.Age of Calamityhad a great soundtrack but the original game included songs throughout the entire franchise. When characters or locations from other games were introduced into the epic crossover of the first title, songs from that game would play. Hardcore fans would be familiar with nearly every track in the game, providing them a lot of nostalgia even if they never played the title before.
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