New Hyrule Warriors Game Announced for Switch 2

A new Hyrule Warriors game, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, was one of many Switch 2 titles announced during this week’s Nintendo Direct livestream. The original Hyrule Warriors was released for the Nintendo Wii U in 2014 as a collaboration between Nintendo, Team Ninja, and Omega Force, the developer behind the Dynasty Warriors series. As the title suggests, Hyrule Warriors combines the characters and setting of The Legend of Zelda with the frantic hack-and-slash gameplay of Dynasty Warriors as Link and his friends battle massive waves of enemies to save Hyrule.

The original Hyrule Warriors was one of the best-selling games on the Nintendo Wii U, and updated versions were later released on the Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo Switch. A sequel was eventually released for the Switch as well in 2020, with Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity serving as a spin-off set before The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. It was also a financial success, even as the story’s use of time travel drew criticism.

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A third Hyrule Warriors game is on the way for the Nintendo Switch 2, as confirmed during the April 2 Nintendo Direct livestream. Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment is being developed by Koei Tecmo and will serve as a prequel to The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Age of Imprisonment’s trailer opens with a narration describing how the Zonai and Hylians once joined together to build a great and prosperous kingdom, only to have their peace threatened by the evil Ganondorf and his forces. This would lead to the Imprisoning War, a conflict that shaped the world players would explore in Tears of the Kingdom.

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment Is Coming This Winter

Princess Zelda has traveled back in time to this ancient period, where she must join forces with the last remaining Zonai to save their world from Ganondorf. The Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment trailer then cuts to gameplay footage featuring the characters of Tears of the Kingdom‘s backstory fighting off massive waves of enemy forces. King Raru is seen cutting down foes with his staff, Mineru can summon an ancient Zonai mech to attack enemies on her behalf, and Zelda is shown unleashing a volley of strikes with a magic sword-like weapon.

An exact release date for Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment wasn’t given during this week’s Nintendo Switch 2 Direct, but the trailer ended by promising that the game will launch sometime this winter. It wasn’t the only Zelda-related news at the livestream either, as it was announced that both Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom will be getting updated versions for the Nintendo Switch 2.