Hyrule Warriors Review: A Different Kind of Game

As I did in my preview, I wanted to start off by making a few notes about me as a reviewer for this game. I have never played a Dynasty Warriors game before. I know of the series and have seen people play it, but I really never got into it myself. I have obviously played all of the Zelda games, so my perspective for this game is from the side of a Zelda fan heading in without any expectations for what this game is supposed to be. I also wanted to warn that yes, there will be some story spoilers time to time.

When you boot up the game the first thing you do is select what your control input would be. I decided to go with the Zelda style, since that is what I am familiar with. I played the entire game with this single input on default settings. When it comes to controls, the game is basic – you use two buttons to do all your attacks, and then another to “Z-Target” enemies (L-Target in this case). While the simplicity can lead to button mashing your way through the game, there is actually a rather complex combo system combining the two buttons that will turn out to be very beneficial to you as a player, especially in the later stages of the game and on the higher difficulties.

Speaking of difficulties, there are four of them. Easy, Normal, and Hard are all available right away. After beating story mode once, you unlock Heroic mode. Let me tell you this: Heroic mode is brutal in all the right ways. Enemies attack more frequently, and they do a ton of damage. A mistake can cost you the entire battle, or possibly lead to your death. I beat the game story mode on Normal, and then replayed about half the stages on Heroic.

There are four total gameplay modes in the game, with the fourth having only recently been added through a downloadable update: Legend Mode (Story Mode), Free Play, Adventure Mode, and Challenge Mode. Each mode (save Free Play) takes about 10 to 12 hours to complete, putting the total 100% completion time around 30 to 40 hours. This assumes you collected everything along the way; else you will need to replay for extra supplies for upgrading or explore more to find secrets and hidden weapons. To 100% this game is no easy task with all the collectibles and upgrades. Plus you have puzzles which unlock more upgrades and options in the Bazaar (where all upgrades and potion making is done). These are completed by collecting Skulltulas. There is a lot here when you start to look more than just the skin deep appeal of romping through hundreds of Zelda enemies.

The Story

The actual story is really basic in terms of the core design. Yes, Zelda is kidnapped again shortly into the game… or so we are led to believe. Really, Zelda for one reason or another has gone into hiding as Sheik. It’s odd because the whole premise of the first quarter of the experience is to find Zelda… while Zelda is actually accompanying you the whole time. It’s a really odd feeling when that discovery is made, making you wonder why the heck you were doing anything at the start until Cia brings the three Zelda worlds crashing in.

Outside of that, the story is told in a way that really drew me in, but looking back it wasn’t too far out of the norm. However, Cia isn’t some puppet like previous Zelda experiences. Rather, she tries to get rid of Ganondorf so she can have the Triforce herself. Its interesting seeing how the two work together before both deciding to be selfish. There are a lot of neat moments and amazing cut scenes throughout – only hindered by the lack of Voice Acting. I won’t get into this too much since I know many don’t want Voice Acting, but these cut scenes feel like they are missing something without them.

I don’t want to spoil the whole story so I will leave it at that – but I was left fairly satisfied, even if it wasn’t nearly as different as I had hoped.

I will note that one part that is different is that you get to play both sides of the conflict. After Cia is defeated, you get to play as Ganondorf and raise him to power… just in time to beat him. It’s an emotional roller coaster that makes you wonder what side you’re truly on.

The Stages

There are eighteen total stages in story mode (Battlefields), but only fourteen stages that are unique. That means in story mode you repeat four stages, which isn’t too bad since the objectives change. These same stages are the basic battlefields for Free Play Mode and Challenge Mode. Adventure Mode uses small chunks that, at least to me, seem like new field type areas to do much of the fighting. Overall the stages leave me really satisfied. A few of them do feel really bland – Hyrule Field as an example. It’s one of the blandest experiences I have had in any game related to Zelda. However, other stages really blew my mind visually and from a design standpoint: Temple of the Souls is a wonder to play in – I literally stopped the game 70+ times to take screenshots. There is so much to see that I feel a new sensation every time I replay it.

Adventure Mode and Challenge Mode

These modes are unique and fun in their own right. Adventure Mode presents you various objectives you have to complete under time constraints. How well you perform is graded, and what grade you get determines which direction you unlock. The entire map is presented from the original The Legend of Zelda for NES as you unlock different areas. Unlocking areas gives you access to unlocking characters, items, Skulltulas, and crafting materials. Sometimes you earn items like candles which you can use on the over world map to burn down bushes to discover even more secrets. It’s like a hybrid of the original Zelda game with Hyrule Warriors’ combat. It’s interesting and does take a long time to complete, especially if you want to get A grades on each stage.

Challenge Mode feels like a fighting game progression mode. In fighting games there is often a mode where you climb a ladder beating different opponents until you reach the final matchup. In Smash Bros., this is often the climb to fight Master Hand. That’s what Challenge Mode feels like, except it’s an entire stage with ever changing objectives. Failing one objective doesn’t end the stage either; you simply move on to the next challenge. Things such as beating 500 enemies in 3 minutes, or killing all Deku Babas – everything is time sensitive. It’s frantic, it’s fun, and it can get really hard – especially in the later stages. I still haven’t beaten the final stage in the mode because of how hard it is. It is, shall we say, a challenge.

Free Play is what you expect – play any of the stages with any characters and have fun. It should be noted that all modes, including Story Mode, are playable in co-op. I never found myself wanting online co-op, but now that I am closer to 100%ing the game, I feel like online co-op could have added even more hours to the experience over time. Playing with friends is a ton of fun.

Overall

I spent a lot of time talking about what Hyrule Warriors does, but what about how well it does it? Hyrule Warriors is literally a Dynasty Warriors game wearing Zelda clothing, but that clothing has never looked so good. Seeing Skyloft and Lake Hylia in HD is a sight to marvel at, and while a bit repetitive at times, the gameplay offers a surprising amount of variety. Each character plays differently, and I personally have yet to settle on one character I prefer over another. They are all fantastic.

This game isn’t going to satisfy those that simply hate Dynasty Warriors games. There is no pretending this game is anything other than what they have always said it is. For Zelda gamers that haven’t played the other series before, it offers an interesting new look at how Zelda can play out on massive battlefields with hordes of enemies. Since these occasions likely won’t happen (or rarely do) in an actual Zelda game, it’s a nice respite and certain a satisfactory experience. How they blend the various elements of Zelda into this world is amazing.

The game isn’t perfect. Despite getting the recent update from Japan, there are still frame rate drops here and there when battles get really intense, and some major issues with clipping haven’t been fixed. On a personal note, the L-Targeting can be a bit annoying at first too. In a Zelda game, you only L-Target as long as the button is held down. In this game, that isn’t the case. You press it and it stays locked on until you press it again. This seems like such a minor thing, but when you are trying to run away to pop a potion or find a pot for health, it gets annoying as it screws with your camera angle. It’s not a huge deal, but it was a rather big adjustment for me to overcome based on what I am use to.

As I said, some of the maps are also really bland, with textures that almost remind me of the N64 era. Yet, other areas look incredible, which always makes me wonder why that sort of detail couldn’t exist in every world. The weapons all feel just right. I could go on and on about the little things I find good or bad, but reality is that Hyrule Warriors is a good, but not great, game. For Zelda players, let me just say that nostalgia and the ability to see some of your favorite worlds in HD combined with playing your favorite characters makes this a worthwhile experience on its own.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask them in the comment section. I will try to answer them all; as there is literally only one part of the game (the end of the story) I am not allowed to talk about (for mobile users, the score is 3.5 Reggies out of 5).