Having reviewed the last two Dynasty Warriors that Koei Tecmo released in the last year (Gundam, Dynasty Warriors 8 (PS4)), I have somewhat of a strong knowledge on what to expect when it comes to a DW established gameplay type. While all the DW games are driven by non-stop action, there has always been somewhat of a storyline for each battle that you encounter in the DW games. Are these stories ever memorable or identifiable when I go back and think about them? No, but I give Koei Tecmo/Omega Force credit for trying to establish some bit of storyline substance to make the gameplay a little more exciting.
Well, Koei Tecmo and Nintendo have taken everything good about the Legend of Zelda stories and fit them within a Dynasty Warriors type gameplay. That in itself makes this type of game more fun to play because of the familiarity of the Legend of Zelda world. We have our hero Link intact, Zelda, Ganondorf, Sheik, Impa and more than few others leading the charge on the story side of things. We also have the game spanning into lands from past Zelda titles, which keeps everything a bit more interesting and nostaligic, even if the action is repetitive over and over again.
In other words, these two games (Dynasty Warriors and the Legend of Zelda) actually oddly fit together quite nicely, especially DW, which is enhanced by a strong Zelda theme. Kudos to the folks at Omega Force and Team Ninja for doing a fantastic job on the blending. I was very worried about this game when it was shown off at E3 2014, as I feared that maybe Nintendo had lent its IP out to the wrong type of game. I imagined a square block getting shoved into a round hole, but again, both fit quite nicely. The insane fighting that you’ll find within the DW universe makes the Zelda world a little bit more fun. Heck, it makes me hope that is what we’re going to get with the open world Zelda title next year. I want me some of this action in the next Zelda game. Anyway, it works really well in terms of gameplay style.
What’s also very nice about the game is that it has some different modes of play to choose from. Here’s what you’re getting with Hyrule Warriors:
Legend Mode — This is where you’ll spend the majority of your time. The Legend Mode puts you in a nice story driven campaign to reclaim the Triforce, rescue Princess Zelda and save Hyrule at the same time. You have multiple characters to choose from, an intense upgrade/crafting system to work with for weapons and characters (including a cool leveling tree system), and a heckuva lot of familiar lands to visit. Each land in this mode has its own set of familiar bosses and enemies, but nothing too terribly difficult to get through.
Free Mode — It’s pretty self-explanatory, isn’t it? Free Mode allows you to go back through any level you have completed with any character you have unlocked. It’s a fun and rewarding mode to go through after you’ve gone through Legend Mode, but can become repetitive, regardless of what you came away with in the initial game. It’s a mode that extends the longevity of the title, but not in a terrible bad way.
Adventure Mode — You remember that gigantic map of Hyrule you had as a kid from the first Zelda game? No? Well, I’m old and probably should take that down from my wall. Anyway, you get a gigantic 8-bit map to slowly unlock in the Adventure mode. Each piece of the map represents a certain battle that Link (or whoever) must go through to accomplish a certain goal. It’s neat because you get to see an old stage from the first game in HD, then you get to battle in it. Along the way, you can pick up items and use them to uncover new portions of the map. It feels like an entirely different game included, even though you’re still battling it out the same way you would in the Legend Mode. It’s a creative add-on that makes the game a bit more special.
Challenge Mode — You’re given a set of challenges to complete. These challenges can range from stopping multiple enemies on a single map or killing a certain amount of enemies in a short amount of time. For me, and I know I’m not alone, this is the end of the road for this type of game. When you’re done with the Legend Mode and need a break from the Free Mode and Adventure Mode, this is where you go to find challenges to fill the time. It’s not something that I would want to keep going back to, but it’s a break. Oh, and it’s very challenging at times.
There is more along the way and hopes for expansion sometime down the road, but these initial modes keep the game interesting and make it more than just a Legend of Zelda theme wrapped around a Dynasty Warriors game. There’s plenty to do in these modes (and more), so the hack ’n’ slash won’t get boring — well, at least not quickly.The scenery and characters will certainly help to keep it all fresh and interesting.
Now, as much as this game has to offer, it’s not without its issues.
The one main gripe that I’ve had about DW over the years is the controls. Fighting with the controls while you’re fighting in the game is never a good thing. Having a camera angle that tends to lose focus, even after locking it, can be downright frustrating at times. There’s so much going on in the game that having the ability to keep that camera going and adjusting as need be is vital. With Hyrule Warriors, along with almost every DW title, the camera tends to stray a bit. You can lock onto major targets in the game (mini-bosses, bosses, etc.) by pressing the ZL button. This locks you onto the closest major (or mid-major) enemy, but should you evade the enemy’s attack, you’ll be forced to lock onto them again. Every time you jump out of the way, you’re constantly having to re-establish the lock. It seems like a small complaint, but it can get tiring during battles, if not downright disruptive — especially when you’re in the middle of an intense boss fight. For example, the first boss you meet up with in the game is King Dodongo. KD has the ability to roll through you in the game, which causes that locking mechanism to disconnect. So, you have to quickly turn around, re-lock and keep fighting. Towards the end of the battle with Dodongo, things will become intense and his offensive aggression will turn up to 11. He moves more sporadic and you’re constantly having to turn, re-lock, engage and repeat. It’s not terrible in the long run, but it’s not something you will get immediately used to having to do — and it will get worse with tougher, quicker bosses.
It’s never fun to fight with the controls, especially if it’s unnecessary. Granted, this has been an issue with past DW games, but that certainly doesn’t make it okay.
The actual fighting element of the game is a bit more positive. You’re still going to run into the ga-zillion enemies in the game. You’re still going to be the man/woman/beast that is going to take everyone important out. Much like Dynasty Warriors, you will have no help from your army of fellow knights in this game — not one bit of help. That is a typical element of a DW game, but again it doesn’t mean that it’s okay to keep the tradition going. I would have preferred that the army pitches in at some point in the game. For example, When Impa starts her Death Mountain battle out, she has to conquer a base sending boulders down to the Allied stronghold, while helping to fend off enemies from the Allied stronghold, while having to stop a bomb from making it to the stronghold; three simultaneous things at once. You won’t find this feat too uncommon in DW or Hyrule Warriors, but it’s visually irritating seeing one’s army standing around while all this stuff is going down.
C’mon, Omega! Give us some back up soldiers to depend on. I like that the game makes you the hero and badarse, but a little help might be in order on some stages of Hyrule Warriors. Just a little.
Anyway, when it comes down to the brass tacks of fighting, the fighting system is thankfully simplistic. You’ve got standard attacks by pressing Y, special attacks with X+Y, charged attacks with A and defense with B (jumping and rolling out of the way). There are really complicated attacks (not really) by pressing multiple button combinations that can do some heavy damage to your enemies. Each special/charged attack comes with some pretty dramatic animation attached to it to make you feel tough. I like the fighting system in Hyrule Warriors, as it’s as fun and simple/devastating as what you would find in Dynasty Warriors. That does make up for some of the flaws, as the game is fast and furious with the swords and whatnot.
On the presentation side of things, Hyrule Warriors looks much better than anything produced in the Dynasty Warriors series to date — that does include the PS4 version of DW8. Omega Force and Team Ninja did a bang up job of bringing the colorful, sometimes frightful world of the Legend of Zelda to life. The lands of the game flourish with details, textures and life. There is gorgeous scenery to behold as you take out enemy after enemy in the game. Unlike DW, which can get visually bland quick when it comes to environments, all of the structures have that Legend of Zelda ambiance about them. In short, it feels like a Legend of Zelda game.
In case you stray from that train of thought, the music and audio will reinforce the Zelda you know and love. Hyrule Warriors has an orchestrated soundtrack that will make even managing editor Steve Schardein cry little tears of musical joy. The music will also put you in the Legend of Zelda mood to accomplish the mission at hand, while simultaneously force you to crave the next Zelda game. Lots of familiar themes and atmosphere comes with the sounds and music of Hyrule Warriors. It will create that nostalgic Zelda feeling you want to have when playing this game.
In the end, you’re going to get about 20+ hours of gameplay out of Hyrule Warriors, depending on your level of dedication and tolerance for repetition. I will say that this game certainly feels a bit more complete and compelling when compared to Dynasty Warriors. It feels a bit more than just a reason to kill hundreds/thousands of enemies at once. The Legend of Zelda theme is so embedded that it actually provides a bit more motivation and life to the Dynasty Warriors wrap, which is great when you’re trying to find replay value in it. The many levels, ways to upgrade and level up, and characters/lands to unlock will keep you coming back. The multiple modes help, but there is already more substance to this title before you go beyond the Legend Mode of the game — and when compared to DW games like this.
