When Nintendo first unveiled Hyrule Warriors, people didn’t exactly know what to expect. The company had seldom handed over the keys to one of its cornerstone franchises before, and the proposed concept was odd, to say the least. The final product was an enjoyable (if flawed) experience, and over the years since release, it’s accrued quite a collection of post-launch DLC. Now, Nintendo and Koei Tecmo have decided to give it a final release on Nintendo Switch, tying together all of the previous content while adding in some extra improvements with Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition. Though this re-release still doesn’t completely fix the issues present in its past versions, it certainly does prove to be worthy of its title of 'definitive'.
Gameplay in Hyrule Warriors is much closer to the Dynasty Warriors series than it is to Zelda. That’s not to say that gameplay elements from Zelda aren’t present, but the name of the game here is hacking and slashing your way through literally thousands of mook enemies that put up about as much resistance as a wet leaf, and occasionally spending more time hacking and slashing away at slightly stronger enemies that require a little more thought. There’s no grand adventure to be embarked on, no dungeons and puzzles to figure out, but there’s a heck of a lot of evil that needs a firm talking to from the business end of your blade. It’s fun, frantic, and rather shallow, but there’s something endlessly addictive about the sense of empowerment that the game so expertly instills in its players.
The typical stage will see you dropped in a battlefield strewn with keeps and outposts, from which pour a constant stream of enemies. Your primary job is to run to each of these keeps and outposts and kill whatever captain is in charge of them, while also slicing through whatever’s in your way. Once the location is secured, it flips from churning out enemies to churning out allies instead, thus strengthening your side’s hold on the map. As you hop between keeps, new objectives will occasionally arise that grab your attention. Perhaps a captain at one of your keeps requires immediate aid to fend off a fresh onslaught of Stalfos. Or, maybe one of your allies needs you to escort a massive Bombchu to a wall so it can be blown down and create a new pathway. There’s no shortage of objectives over the course of a single battle, although they can all ultimately be boiled down to cutting through things here instead of there.
Alas, this leads to one of the biggest issues that plagues Hyrule Warriors constantly: the repetition. Levels are hardly differentiated by their unique ideas and fascinating new mechanics, because this is ultimately a game of doing the same thing over again in slightly different ways. Every battle is about fending off hordes of virtually useless enemies and taking their keeps, and while there is a rather impressive amount of replayability that can be found in this admittedly simple core concept, it still feels like a game that spins its tires a lot. It’s a little disappointing in this sense, given that this game pulls from the entirety of Zelda’s rich and diverse history, although the repetition is offset largely by tight moment-to-moment gameplay and several interlocking upgrade systems that constantly encourage players to dive back in for another round.
Hyrule Warriors lets you play as dozens of characters from across the series’ history ranging from expected roster participants such as Link and Impa to more obscure characters including Marin and Zant. Regardless of who you pick, every character has a strong attack and heavy attack which can be strung together in myriad ways to produce some bombastic and devastating combos that dole out punishment by the truckloads. Every felled enemy slowly contributes to filling a special attack gauge, which can eventually be triggered for an incredible screen nuke-like attack that destroys just about every enemy surrounding your character. Though most enemies don’t put up much of a fight, it feels endlessly satisfying to carve vast swaths of destruction through enemy lines; the developers do a remarkable job of making you feel like a god among men.
The Zelda elements are few and far between in this moment to moment gameplay, but they sufficiently infuse it with some interesting wrinkles to keep combat from getting too reliant on button mashing. Progressing through the main story will gradually lead to you expanding your existing arsenal of sub-weapons and items, which can act as nice supplements to your main battle strategy. Bombs, for example, can be used for effective crowd control, while the bow and arrow can be used to stun crowds and line them up for a big follow-up attack.
Also, these items are pivotal in your fights against boss characters, which each have a weakness. Whether it be using your Hookshot to pull a dragon out of the sky or tossing a few bombs into the gaping maw of King Dodongo, that same ‘lock and key’ gameplay of Zelda boss fights is present, but adjusted for a faster-paced kind combat. Now, few of these special items have a significant impact on usual combat encounters, but their inclusion is both a clever nod to Zelda’s classic combat while also helping to break up the monotony of pressing two buttons over and over for the same general results.
Character upgrades are handled in several different ways, and while there’s a lot to manage in terms of how to power up your heroes, it feels like things could’ve been streamlined quite a bit. Each character will level up naturally through racking up kills - boosting their damage and sometimes health - but they also each have three skill trees that do things like unlock new combos and increase resistances to certain attack types. Rupees and crafting materials gained from fallen enemies are used to buff these trees, but the problem lies in how many trees there are to upgrade. The roster has over 20 different characters to choose from, each with virtually identical skill trees. It can be tedious, then, when playing a new character, and having to go into their trees to activate the same benefits that you’ve done a dozen times before for other characters.
What’s more is that each character also has several weapons to choose from, differing in elemental output, combos, and attached skills. It’s a lot to decipher - and things are only further complicated when you gain the ability to merge weapons to transfer skills between them - and the end results sometimes feel like they don’t justify the effort that goes into optimising gear. All of this combines to make for characters that feel like they’re a little more customisable than they should be; there’s a lot of bloat that could be cut away without losing much of that sense of control over character growth. Still, there are occasional concessions (like an option to spend rupees to buy levels for weaker characters) which make things more manageable, and the game somehow manages to hand out upgrades at just the right pace to keep you wanting more.
Hyrule Warriors is the kind of game that prides itself on its replayability, and the inclusion of all content from previous versions in this definitive edition makes it a game that is full to bursting with things to do. The core ‘Legend’ mode acts as the central campaign, featuring a shallow plot that somehow manages to explain how so many distinct Zelda characters from different dimensions and timelines are able to exist in one place at one time, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Adventure mode puts a clever spin on things by presenting you with an overworld grid that’s traversed Zelda-style, with each grid space containing a battle that requires special rules for a victory.
Winning these battles rewards you with item cards, which can be used to unlock secrets and rewards on the main map, while also granting you access to more grid spaces. These maps span the full Zelda franchise, each pulling a different gimmick or mechanic from the game that it’s based on. For example, the map based on The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker has you traversing a map fashioned after The Great Sea, fighting pirates and getting blown about by winds. It’s a clever riff on the gameplay found in the campaign, and finds an interesting equilibrium between the cerebral elements of Zelda exploration and the mindless button mashing of Dynasty Warriors.
In addition to this, there’s also a challenge mode, which puts certain constraints on players and challenges them to go for a high score. Achieving higher ranks in challenges unlocks other, harder challenges which tend to ramp up the difficulty more than you’ll find in other game modes. Also, roaming throughout all the modes mentioned are Golden Skulltulas, which can either be obtained as rewards for beating levels or found hiding in obscure parts of battlefields. Killing a Skulltula yields a piece of an Illustration, which can then be viewed in a gallery along with character and enemy models. It’s a nice way of tying together all the game modes, while giving you a cool visual representation of your overall progress through the game.
From a presentation perspective, Hyrule Warriors manages to wow. This game is very much a love letter to fans of the Zelda series, featuring detailed and faithful representations of characters, concepts, locations, and more. It’s the little things, like the ability to play on an invisible ocarina on loading screens with the same controls as the one from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, that shows the developer really did its homework on the Zelda themes and wanted to make a game that would be worthy of crossing over with the Zelda series. The depth, variety, and detail of all the Zelda references are astounding, and you’ll be hard-pressed to come away from this one saying that Koei Tecmo didn’t understand the source of this game’s themes.
The graphics are surprisingly top-notch, running at 60fps with occasional dips, but the gameplay remains smooth throughout, even when indulging in some split-screen co-op. Colors are bright, textures are detailed, animations are smooth, and there’s a much greater sense of polish to things that seemed to be absent from the previous releases. In handheld mode, the visuals take a more noticeable hit, dropping to 30(ish)fps that only continues to decline if you toss another player into the mix. It’s really not too noticeable a visual decline if you wish to play in single-player, but we’d advise you wait till you get home if you want some co-op action; the screen is too small for two players to reasonably participate in the chaos of battle, and the framerate leaves a lot to be desired.
Of course, we’d be remiss to not mention the soundtrack, featuring a collection of medleys and remixes of classic Zelda songs from many games in the series. Indeed, while we can see the effort that went into this soundtrack, the extreme heavy metal and hard rock elements don’t marry very well with the generally more symphonic pieces of Zelda music, leaving us with a strange list of tracks that suffer something of an identity crisis. It’s not that the music is terrible - the rock music fits rather well with the intensity of the action on screen - but it feels like a bit of a reach to hear Saria’s Song interpreted as a rock ballad.
Conclusion
All told, Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition is a great time-sink game, featuring mindless but fun action gameplay that offers up the potential for dozens - if not hundreds - of hours of content. Though it certainly feels like a game that’s too bloated in places, it manages to balance the Zelda and Dynasty Warriors elements well. Group all of that with stellar presentation and impressive portable gameplay, and you’ve got a game that does a great job of doing something new (and weird) with a classic Nintendo property. We’d give this one a recommendation, especially to fans of the Zelda series who have always wanted there to be some sort of 'anniversary' game. Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition may not have a ton of depth, but it’s way more fun than it has any right to be, and you’d be missing out by not picking up this complete edition.
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Comments 153
Really not a fan of this genre
I'll get it on the cheap years from now. The Wii U version is enough for me. Too many other games I haven't played yet to revisit this again so soon.
I'm not really into the whole Dynasty Warriors thing but Hyrule Warriors is the only one that I can have a bit of fun with due to the whole Zelda factor. I've actually never owned the game despite owning a Wii U and 3DS but I have played a fair bit of the Wii U version co-op. Might be time to actually buy my own copy as the Switch is a system I can actually see myself playing it on.
I want to get this game but I'll probably get it once it's on sale. For now I've got both the Wii U and 3DS versions and I can hold out on this variant 'til it's knocked down in price.
60fps? Now that's an incentive for considering the game! (I skipped it on the Wii U because the uncapped framerate felt awful)
Oh man, got this downloaded and ready to go for Friday. So looking forward to it!
Got so many other games I haven't played yet. As i already own Wii U and 3DS versions, will wait until I have a slow period and it is a bit cheaper.
@Yosher Ha! Snap!
Started playing Fire Emblem Warriors about a month back and have sunk 50 hours into it. I will be getting this after I complete history mode.
Strangely, I own Hyrule Warriors on Wii U and simply haven't found time to play it. The Switch changes everything.
Nice game and decent package to have on the switch. Probably not particularly interested but it’s one of the strongest versions of this type of games.
I may pick this up, just for the co-op experience, didn't really like the co-op on the wii u with one person on the tablet..
I sold my Wii U version to get it on switch. I am looking forward to playing it again.
I still feel like this was the zelda game I never knew I wanted.
As long as we keep getting traditional zelda games(like botw) of course.
My young son loves battling enemies in BotW so this might be a buy for me. I do have both the Wii U and 3ds versions but all the content in one package (and the fact that my Wii U is boxed up in storage at the moment) might justify the purchase.
Ah well. Not sure now, with handheld being locked to 30FPS. I'm not sure about the genre (I have no experience with it) and I don't have a monitor to plug my Switch to, but it seems like it'd be vastly less enjoyable in 30FPS as opposed to 60. My enthusiasm is certainly tempered.
Never did get around to buying it for Wii U so I'd like to give it a try. I've never played a Warriors game before so no idea if the gameplay will appeal to me but as a fan of the old beat 'em ups which are also pretty mindless and repetitive ,I think it might.
Might be the only Wii U re-release that i'll pick up.
Would you recommend this or FE Warriors? Im seriously thinking of picking this up for the first time and Im a bigger Zelda fan, but I've heard that FE Warriors is better in certain aspects.
Meh I got it on WiiU and bought season pass, waste of money as I got so bored really quick, just hammering one button for hours and hours is meh, no real story ... Not my thing but if you like the warriors game go for it!
Half way through one piece and my copy of this has been dispatched !
Which is better, this or Fire Emblem Warriors?
I honestly don't understand why Nintendo feels the need to release this 3 times. Don't get me wrong, the game was fine and enjoyable for what it was, and I don't mind when things get ported, but they are really hammering this game. It wasn't that great to begin with.
One thing the review doesn't mention (as far I noticed at least) is that the conditions for getting A rank are MUCH more forgiving this time around, as the damage formula has changed. Instead of being based simply on how much damage you take, it's now based on whatever your max hearts are, so the more hearts you have, the easier it is to A rank. This in combination with the fact that the difficulty has been balanced out since Legends, and you have a much less stressful Adventure mode compared to the Wii U version. So if you're like me and the idea of "slogging" through Adventure mode sounds horrible, don't worry. It's not a slog anymore and you don't need to be level 150 to stand a chance on the Twilight Princess Adventure Map anymore. They've improved the game a lot since the Wii U version, so Wii U veterans DEFINITELY should get this. The DLC from Legends alone is worth it, but factor in the overall balance changes and the Switch visual upgrades and you have a much better game overall.
I was debating between HW or Harvest Moon (at the end of the month). After enjoying more time in Stardew and reading this review, I think I’ll preload HW tonight!
Last played a dynasty warriors on ps2 about 14 years ago.
Is the combat fast-paced in this?
@SmaggTheSmug has to be better than the 5 FPS this ran at on old 3DS whenever there were more than a few characters onscreen together and the framedrops even New 3DS suffered.
If I ever get a Warriors game it will be the Fire Emblem version since, from what I've read here on NL, has more depth than the Hyrule version. But only if I run out of Switch games to play and that isn't happening anytime soon.
@FarkyValentine
Really a matter of preference, but I like the Fire Emblem one better. The weapon class system made it more enjoyable for me, where Zelda just felt more like a skin on the Dynasty Warriors games. Really that's what they both are, but I'm just saying I felt the Fire Emblem one was a little more thought-out and added some extra strategy to the experience.
i'll grab this on sale eventually.
my 'on sale' backlog is getting quite large.
I have a feeling that the fourth paragraph answers my question, but I’d like to ask those familiar with the game: is there enough nuance here for a massive “Zelda” fan to enjoy this title if he admits up front that “Fire Emblem Warriors” (which I bought upon release) did not impress enough to avoid becoming high-value trade fodder when a more desirable release came along?
Honestly, the aspect of “Fire a Emblem Warriors” that grated on me most was the dialogue. I have watched a fair share of more widely known anime series (“Death Note,” “Attack on Titan,” etc.), but tend to prefer English dubs, and the shrill, repetitive voice work in “Fire Emblem Warriors” kinda made me dread playing it (I feel really bad for saying that, but it’s true!).
Is “Hyrule Warriors” different? This review makes the boss fights sound intriguing by comparison to the more standard rock-paper-scissors approach that “Fire Emblem Warriors” took, but I just don’t think I can handle another barrage of repetitive, cringeworthy dialogue on top of the elements of repetition that are otherwise inherent to the “Warriors” series (to which I am admittedly a relative outsider). I do wish to like this game and want to feel like the experience will be different enough with a “Zelda” coat of paint since that series is not especially dialogue-heavy (at least in terms of voice acting)... I’m just not sure.
Didn't get a chance to play HW on the 3DS or Wii U, so I'm itching to get my hands on this.
@Alikan Oh, absolutely. Still, playing a fast action game below 60 is less than ideal. The input lag is very noticeable.
I think I played a bit of FE Warriors in 30FPS mode at a con and I didn't like it at all. It's possible that the genre would not be my thing.
My pre-order shipped already from Nintendo, ready for Friday, can't wait. Enjoy the dynasty warrior series and sunk so many hours into Fire Emblem Warriors, so will definitely be enjoying this.
I skipped the 3DS version so a lot of this will be pretty new for me. Fire Emblem Warriors gave me a new appreciation for the complexities of the series so I’m excited to give this another go.
I already have the 3DS version, so I think I will skip on this.
@rharalson I played the 3DS version, and there was pretty much no in-combat voiced dialogue (sometimes a text-box pops up but it is not voiced).
Personally, I played Hyrule Warriors first and I liked it way more than Fire Emblem Warriors. In FEW, there are a lot of "clone characters" like Chrom and Lucina, that have identical movesets. In HW, each character has a largely unique moveset, and a good portion of the characters have more than one weapon type, which leads to further options. I also found the missions generally more varied and interesting.
All that said, if the core gameplay of FEW was a turn-off, HW has a lot of similar aspects, and it is very repetitive. The Bosses offer an experience similar to Velezark, with a Zelda twist (usually you need to hit them with an item like a Bow or Bomb at the right time to reveal their weak point bar), and while a fun twist, they too can get quite repetitive.
I personally loved HW, and cleared through most of the game and its DLC. It's worth a try, imo, if you're on the fence. But again, if you're not a fan of the Warriors gameplay, it might not be the game for you.
Meh, even if interested - better just waiting. this will drop to $40 like FE warriors in no time.
There is just no reason right now to pay $60 for a remastered game.
I want to buy this. Never played a Warriors game before. Whether I'll have money for it is up for debate.
I kind of wish they had just locked the framerate at 30fps for both modes. I hate it when there's a massive performance gap between handheld and docked modes.
Already bought the Jap. Version day 1. Enjoys it very much. I has it on N3DSXL and WiiU as well.
Preorder shipped. Had it on WiiU before. Looking forward to co-oping through everything again with a friend. Great game and I'm one of those weirdos who has never played Dynasty Warriors.
I’ll be grabbing this again. Bought it on the Wii U but didn’t play it much before selling the console off. Looking forward to jumping back into it and getting a little co-op action with my kids. Feel like that’s where these types of games shine most. Probably wouldn’t get it just for single player.
Best Musou game so far! I’m really hoping for a Hyrule Warriors 2
Will only buy this if save transfer from the 3DS becomes available. I spent too much time and effort on that one, including money for the DLC, and it's just a shame to let it all go to waste. Will gladly resume my game on the Switch if possible
Was really into this one on Wii U but due to the incomprehensible setting that if you have an external hd plugged in then all save files are stored, I lost it when the hard drive went bust.
Hope to pick this up and start again.
@JaxxDuffer Hyrule Warriors definitely has more depth than Fire Emblem Warriors. Fire Emblem Warriors is also full of clone characters, while every character and weapon has a unique move set in Hyrule Warriors.
Excited for Friday. Only ever had the 3ds one, and this will be a nice companion to Battle Chasers. Plus I barely played the 3ds one, so its fresh to me!
Can’t wait for Friday.
Hard to believe this has released 3 times and never got its own amiibo range, with so many iconic characters all together.
I would get this one over FE but I can wait for a sale. Got like 250h off the original but the grind is undeniable.
I had Hyrule Warriors on Wii U and I'm sticking with Fire Emblem Warriors on Switch. I don't feel the need to own both.
@JoakimZ I agree about the characters and move sets, that's absolutely the case. Other than that though, I feel like FEW has definitely more depth to it. There actual tactical decisions to be made other than "where to I run to first", and in the actual heat of combat, the stone-paper-scissor-combat system lifted from FE adds at the very least some depth to it, where you have to plan beforehand which unit to employ in a given situation and then execute that "plan". I freely admit that this ain't much, and it's certainly not a "tactical" game as such by any stretch of the imagination, but compared to HW it's still a significant step up.
I did like the Zelda inspired mini-bosses in HW though, something that FEW lacks, but unfortunately, after a while these became REALLY repetitive to fight, since they always broke the flow of the otherwise high octane combat/slaughtering. PLus, once some maps started to postively being roamed by those mini-bosses, it also broke the immersion for me to be honest.
Anyways, it's great to have the two best warriors game on the Switch!
Now ... if only Nintendo would deign to give us a way to use our WiiU savegames on the Switch. That would be amazing, and I would be totally willing to pick HEW up once again.
Recently bought FE Warriors (for a very reasonable 29.99 euros) so I already have my fair share of musou action to plunge into... i'll try this one later on
I've got over 180 hours clocked into Fire Emblem Warriors. Let's see if I can beat that record!!
@Phin68 60fps, 1080p 😎
Hell I love this game!
FE and this game were like KT read my mind.
Might have to double dip on this one again... when it's on sale. Green garb and hooded Link beats the Botw look anyday.
@Pip_Pipston 230 FEW, NOT HALFWAY YET!
The only real dialogue in HW is that which is voice acted by the narrator or text meant to propel the story. @rharalson
I'm still salty that the Wii U version never got the Wind Waker campaign (specifically enemies, bosses, and maps) or even ONE of the Legends Adventure maps. I don't really care about the tier 4 weapons, My Fairy, or bringing multiple warriors to a map (The last one is covered by the ingenious dual-screen multiplayer). Sure, it is nice to have the Legends characters, but almost every Adventure mode map has a prize that is meant for some warrior, meaning Linkle, Daphnes, etc. get benched in favor of the character that actually unlocks something.
I'm not double-dipping here, I see no reason to crank another hundred hours just to get to the point where I'm at. That said, I can strongly recommend Hyrule Warriors to anyone who hasn't tried it before.
Had it on the Wii U and the 3DS, can’t wait to play it again. Awesome game.
Got legends, but I still got so much to do in that, will get this for the performance upgrade and challenge mode i suppose.
@cfgk24 I know! I'm not nearly done of the game! I haven't even completed a history map yet. My goal is to get all S rank all missions, even void missions. Gotta get those weapon parts!!!
Three releases seems a bit excessive for this game but I've never played it so perhaps I'm wrong!
Done own the Wii U version, so I am in no hurry to pickup the Switch version will get it later on when it is on sale for cheap.
Not on my wish list.
The Zelda coat of paint doesn’t hide the fact that the Warriors games are mindless and dull button mashers. I love action games but find the Warriors series extremely boring.
Felt a bit boring to me, but can understand the addictive gameplay.
P.S. Don't let Dagmar read this review.
Eh, having paid for all the DLC on both Wii U and 3DS I’m struggling to find a reason to justify buying this a third time. I would happily trade in those versions for the upgrade, if it weren’t for the untransferable DLC.
This, Mega Man Legacy Collections, Fairune Collection...Switch is hitting my wallet like a brick this month, as well as June and July...
will pick up on Friday.
I have Fate Extella, no need for this microwaved crap.
Cya
Raziel-chan
@Pip_Pipston Yep! I've 100% S rank only 2 History maps! 13 more to go? (Inc dlc)
The later battles are utterly brutal! I break into a sweat trying to complete them!
@maruse Fire Emblem Warriors is a strategy, army management, and crafting masterpiece!
I'll probably jump on this with a sale since I dropped 30 hours into the WiiU version. Looks like a great port though with it being able to be played in handheld and they added all the DLC.
Day one pick up I never played the 3DS title so it will be fantastic to have all the content in one game with the Switch's better framrate and graphics capabilities and portability.
Finally Nintendo actually release the full game...
@EternalDragonX ok ?
Hate Dynasty games, love Zelda games, don't know what to do
@laceks
Then you should probably skip that game since it is mostly a warrior s game regarding the game play.
"Review copy provided by Nintendo"
Oh NoE.....
Really looking forward to this, I haven't played a Dynasty Warriors game for a long time but used to enjoy them along with arcade beat em ups that these kind of descended from. Also after BOTW both thrilled and disappointed me in equal measure I'm after some Zelda nostalgia, hopefully with this flood of Wii U games we can get Windwaker and Twilight Princess HD at some point too but for now I'll get stuck into this
If you could transfer save data from Wii U or 3DS to the Switch version somehow, I'd probably consider it. But I've already sunk hundreds of hours into the Wii U version, and if I want to do that on Switch, I have Fire Emblem Warriors (though I do think Hyrule Warriors is better in many ways).
I'm still wondering why this game and FE Warriors don't have online co-op though. You' think that since the main Dynasty Warriors games have it and Nintendo wants to promote their online service it'd be a no brainer, but you know...
Poor poor Jirard The Completionist, having to do this all over again....
It’s a great game but after nearly 100 hours played on the WiiU, I will pass on this one. But if you’re a Zelda fan and haven’t played it yet...what are you waiting for?! Go get it!!
And I'll have to pass for the third time. Quality beats quantity.
If anyone could answer this question, that would be great: what does the enemy count look like for multiplayer? For the Wii U version of this game, a moderate amount of enemies spawned around player one, but few spawned around player two. In Fire Emblem Warriors, the spawn count in multiplayer was atrocious for both players. I’m interested in double-dipping, but only if the spawn count was improved, if only a little.
I've wanted to try this...but the Wii U version can be had for $15 in some places...
I definitely won't buy this again, it's just a boring, repetitive Hack 'n Slay game (I know what I'm talking about, I've played the whole campaign in co-op mode on the Wii U).
Literally the only reason why I bought it back then was the LoZ connection. But even that couldn't elevate it beyond a personal score of 6/10.
All enemies are a pushover on the lower difficulty settings, but even the mass foot soldiers can do some damage on the higher settings. There is some challenge to be had on the more difficult settings.
@OorWullie - The KT Musou games have always reminded me of older beat em ups, and they actually helped fill the beat em up void of the last 20 or so years (so glad they seem to be making a comeback). This isn’t mind blowing, but it’s good fun, and there’s pretty much endless content. I didn’t even buy all the DLC for my WiiU copy, and I’ll never come close to completing it.
Skipped this on Wii U, couldn't bear firing the thing up and chugging through the molasses slow interface and dealing with the clunky gamepad. Will be picking this up for some short burst, mindless LoZ hack n slash fun
Still a bit sore from the favouritism the 3DS version got.
I'll hold out for a heavy discount.
This game has no new enemies or new areas, does it?
As for new things, it only contains the fairies and the 2 additional adventure maps from the 3DS version?
Reading the part about the music being too 'extreme' made me cringe. Do you even Warriors, bro?
Over-the-top renditions of the source music is one of the main defining aspects of these games.
Do people not realize that True Heavy Metal is the modern-day equivalent to classical music? All of the elements are there, now with electricity!
You pulled the same crap on the FEW review. "The music is too much!!" Dude, no it's not. Listen to Iron Maiden. Listen to Judas Priest. Know what the hell you're talking about before bashing it, then go back to your Ed Sheeran records.
@SKTTR The Wii U exclusive content is:
Challenge mode
Ganon's Fury
The 3DS exclusive content is:
2 Legend mode stories (Linkle and Wind Waker which have new stages)
5 Adventure maps (Wind Waker, Master Wind Waker, Koholint, Grand Travels, Lorule)
My Fairy
The Switch version contains all exclusive content, all content in both versions and BotW outfits for Link and Zelda.
No Save transfer from Wii U, no deal. Plus FE: Warriors is better anyhoo.
Ages since I didn't powered up my Switch
But Friday, the nap will be over
Save file transfer would be nice indeed for the few extras. I'm certainly not interested to start this massive game from scratch again.
This game is way more fun than I expected, and this version crams all the content from both releases plus all season pass DLC plus new BotW outfits, adds HD portability in addition to 60fps console mode, and local co-op anywhere that doesn't drop frames and scale the image back to GameCube era textures in the process...
I'll take it
This review fails to mention that they added the ability - I assume from Fire Emblem Warriors - to switch between 4 different characters during battle. I feel this changes things up a good bit from the Wii U version, plus there are now NINE (maybe 10?) Adventure Mode maps instead of four. Will definitely be picking this up Friday for some good ol' co-op with the gf.
No thanks, pass. There is no way I am going to buy the same game 3 times.
@JamesR I honestly think Fire Emblem fits the whole Warriors style of gaming far better than Zelda. Zelda just feels kinda out of place in this while Fire Emblem just seems like it totally works. It is probably because of how the FE universe is setup for turn based strategy with a team, while Zelda has always been about a single player adventure.
@Alikan I wouldn't want to think of how a game with "thousands" of enemies to beat would run on my Old 3DS when even Totem Pokemon apparently are enough to make it lag.
If you don't like the genre or think you may not, try to think of this game in a different light. I used to not like or care about it but one time I read that essentially warriors games are cleaning games, you clean areas by fighting and you don't have to kill/clean everything, you just have to do it enough to complete objectives so you can rush passed mobs. This made it way more enjoyable than thinking that it was a game where I had to kill everything and yet barely any enemy was a challenge but I also failed missions because I focused on killing enemies than finishing objectives. The game only starts when you complete story mode (aka tutorial).
@shani these games usually only start after the story mode (tutorial) is complete so I don't think you know what you're talking about. The story mode is cake.
@EternalDragonX ok...
I got the 3DS version, and it didn't hold my attention for more than about an hour. I've never gotten bored with a game that quickly before...so I'll skip this again. Plenty of other stuff to play at the moment (looking forward to Runner 3 and lots of Mega Man as well).
@FarkyValentine I like Fire Emblem Warriors more but the popular opinion is that Hyrule Warriors is superior.
@KingMike yeah, the Switch is a game changer. Hyrule Warriors 720p 30fpsish portable is nothing to sneer at.
@JayJ I think it depends on the game. Like my Legend of Zelda obsession. I own the original on NES, Advance, 3DS, Wii U, NES classic, roms on Xbox, a desktop, a laptop, and soon part of the Switch NES bundle. Gotta catch em all 😂
I skipped the 3DS version, so I don't mind paying for this one again.
Just hope this is the last update for a while unless the next one is a proper sequel.
@NintendoFan4Lyf
Yeah I think the devs realized they royally messed up the difficulty because from Legends and onwards, they've been scaling things back and making various changes. The Switch version inherits all of the quality of life changes from Legends. The DLC maps were brutal on Wii U because the enemies were scaled up to the 150 level because they figured most people have had the game long enough before the DLC came out that they would just roflstomp it. When Legends came out, they rebalanced it out to level 99 because that was the current level cap. They also gave the entire Adventure mode a massive overhaul.
As for A ranking, yeah it's much easier now. The Wii U version made having a lot of hearts almost completely pointless and on top of that, enemies were scaled up to the point that they would often deal enough damage in one blow to ruin your rank. (Again, DLC maps come to mind here). Now it's based on your max health percentage. To put it another way, if you have 30 hearts, you can now take 3 times the amount of damage before losing A rank.
That's nothing to sneeze at.
You can also switch to another playable character on the field, which means if you're trying to unlock a weapon for a character you aren't as good with, maybe you can switch to someone on the field you'll be better with. (This is especially helpful when you're playing as Agitha, who tends to get the hardest maps and has the worst moveset). I'm not sure however if ALL adventure mode maps will allow this, so don't buy it on the assumption you can avoid using Agitha on her stages because that is something I don't yet know.
Overall, you would have a much easier time A ranking in this game. I doubt you'd get stuck again. I didn't even mention the new My Fairy system which also drastically impacts difficulty. At this point, I'm almost worried you'd find it TOO easy! Heh.
@rharalson In Hyrule Warriors the characters have just as much voiced dialog as in a classic Zelda game prior to BotW: Basically none, besides gibberish (like Midna).
The only part that is really voiced in this game is narration between battles, apart from that it's just text boxes.
Unless they changed something after the original Wii U version, but I very much doubt that.
This game has so much content, it makes me dizzy 😂
@Ralizah Makes me wonder if Doom could actually run at 60fps docked. I do know what you mean however, pinball FX3 was horrible going from one to the other till the last update. Now it's perfect!
Bit disappointed there's not a performance mode option when playing in portable mode.... 30fps with dips dies
@brutalpandaYou must be joking, the story mode (or more accurately: Legend mode) is obviously the main mode and not a tutorial. The other three modes are just a bonus.
And yes, the whole game is a piece of cake since it's 98% button mashing.
So I don't see the point in playing the bonus modes since they don't change anything about the core gameplay.
I have double dipped enough. Pass.
@cfgk24 I haven’t played that game (or this one) so I can’t say for sure, but all the other Warriors games I’ve ever played before, lost their appeal within the first hour of playing them. I just don’t see how a Zelda or Fire Emblem re-skin could change that, so I’m very apprehensive about expending my money on them. They’re just not my cup of tea I guess.
But it is awesome that you do enjoy them though!
I'm just glad there's a complete edition so I don't have to feel like I'm missing out on content.
@maruse Sorry to hear you haven't got so far. I tried Warriors orochi hyper, didn't like that, samurai Warriors 4 on PS4, it was awful!
Game mechanics between FEW and HW are quite different.
The story modes, play on hard difficulty, I treat as tutorials. The main game is in the adventure/history modes - truly - but you do have to persevere past the early stages.. 😊
I preordered it back in January, can't wait to play with my brother
So stoked I waited to play this!!! Can't wait for tonight!!
60fps?! nice! and with the content and features of the 3DS version it may be worthy to buy again
@Spoony_Tech Definitely not. At most, DOOM would maybe run at a locked 30fps. Keep in mind that DOOM struggles to stay around 60fps even on more powerful consoles. But, personally, I'm glad the devs targeted handheld specs when optimizing the game for the Switch. So we don't end up with situations like this, where handheld mode feels gimped in comparison.
it gives some people a chance to play this since not everyone got a wii u.
Loved it on Wii U, time to love it all over again on Switch.
Great review. Amazon Prime members still have time to nab it for 47.99.
BUT.... Bayonetta 2 is heaps better!
Like most/all first party Nintendo games, this won't get a potential price drop unless it was part of a Selects line. Best to buy it now if you're interested. I know I am.
Nah, i’ll Wait for another real Zelda game on switch instead of this
This is a 3/10 game for me. Very very boring and shallow. And I really disliked this game, which a did not expect. No way it's 8/10
Got it on pre order. Much more fun than FEW, which I sold. Hope there will be an update that brings wagging the joy con to attack, like wiimote-nunchuck on wii u.
Never really got into this when I played it before but it was on 3DS. Hopefully playing the all-singing, all-dancing version will be good. Looking forward to it more than expected TBH.
I wish they would have changed so that the A.I is actually helpful and can level up on their own like in Fire Emblem Warriors.
In Hyrule Warriors only the controlled character can actually attack and gain levels. Yes, you can give the A.I orders but it's more of a "move here" command unlike Fire Emblem where you can actully give commands to attack, defend heal, pair-up or follow.
Fire Emblem feels more strategic while Hyrule Warriors feels more chaotic and imo stressful.
They should Make an Avengers warriors
I've never been attracted to this kind of game, never tried the genre, and the repetitiveness that this same review points out doesn't help.
Being set in Zelda universe does, and that's why I'm relatively interested in this deluxe version with all the DLC and the smoothness.
Anyway I decided some time ago that I wouldn't go day one with this game, maybe one day it gets discounted or someone sells it second-hand for 30€ or less. Then I'll think about it. Definitely wouldn't double or even triple dip -if I had it on previous systems- like some of you guys will. You are true fans.
Like Kirby I'll pick this one up used at Gamestop. It'll be traded in fairly quickly.
I always try to get into these 'Musou' games (is that how it's spelled?) because they scream huge amounts of content with many characters and all, but the gameplay is just too shallow. Some advanced combat techniques like a beat-em-up or a Devil May Cry/NieR Automata/Bayonetta being necessary wouldn't hurt.
It would be great if the goons didn't just sit there and wait to be hit 99% of the time...defeating 10 actual threats at a time would feel a lot better than destroying hundreds of mindless drones.
That being said, I want to give it one more try and rent this game. Maybe I'll feel differently when playing it on handheld since that's suited to shorter gameplay sessions.
@Onion That's fantastic news. Lord knows getting a lot of those A Ranks was a pain and I'll probably have a lot more incentive to try for them now.
Either way, I already have this preloaded and ready to go for tomorrow!
@RadoGoji
Yeah I myself wasn't going to buy the Switch version at all because with no cross-saving or save-sharing of any kind, I would have to redo EVERYTHING from scratch from the Wii U version. However, upon researching Legends and Definitive Edition for hours, I found that, for Wii U owners at least, the Switch version is very different from the Wii U version and most people are reporting getting through Adventure Mode much faster now with less slogging and grinding.
Going from 3DS to Switch is a bit less ideal for the price, but the A ranks are even easier to get on Switch so most HW vets (Wii U or 3DS) should be A ranking most levels on their first try. It's not the same as being able to upload your old data and continue, but it's the next best thing. Having gotten 100% on the Wii U version, I would NOT want to do it again had it not been for all these changes.
EDIT: I haven't mentioned this until now because it's seldom mentioned on forums or anywhere else and I can't be too sure if it's true or not, but I've also heard that Legends improved the drop rates of rare materials, so you shouldn't have to grind so much for upgrades anymore.
This review was pretty terrible. I came in here to read about what changed from the 3DS version, not to get a re-telling the f the 3DS in a slightly more cynical review...I guess I should have learned by now that this site can suck in a LOT of their reviews...
I played the first one, thoroughly enjoyed it, but lost all my progress after my WiiU got stolen. I missed out on the 3DS one, so this kinda seems like a good one to start back up on.
@shani how can you say 98% of the rest of the game is cake when you only played the story mode? Those “bonus” modes are the ones where players get 100+ hours of gameplay and where the game starts getting more demanding. When I finished fire emblem warriors I was lvl 35 maybe and not even close to maxing out a single character in their skills. It becomes more than button mashing on the harder difficulties. This is why you probably don’t like these games. You haven’t faced any difficulty yet because you think story mode is all there is to the game when everybody who enjoys these games knows that’s just a tutorial with cinematics and a story.
@brutalpanda So what, you're telling me there are new button assignments and new gameplay elements in the other modes? Come on, the core gameplay doesn't really change.
I've already seen the other modes back then on the Wii U of a friend (before I bought it myself) and I never got the excitement about it.
The fact that you move through an 8bit map or that the battles are getting harder doesn't mask the fact that this game is dull in its core. Not only because of the button mashing but also because of the dull gameplay and objective of the game.
Everything about this game sounds unappealing to me. Zelda is about childlike wonder, not just killing billions of dudes.
@EmmatheBest They would have talked about the changes from the 3DS version if there was actually a change significant to report.
I haven't played the 3DS version, but from my understanding is that the biggest difference is the like of Bomb Flowers and Cuccos.
@shani Legends mode is, by all means, the tutorial. The only way someone would think otherwise is if they haven't played Adventure mode. It piece-by-piece introduces the elements that become focuses on Adventure mode objectives.
More characters than Legend mode, nearly every weapon, every weapon upgrade, and 90% of all Heart Containers and Heart Pieces are obtained through Adventure mode.
Not to mention all the above can take over 200 hours to unlock in Adventure mode... that was before any of the DLC or these re-releases.
That does not sound like 'Bonus Content'.
Wow. Just...wow. I had this with DLC for both new 3ds and Wii U but for some reason never got into it. Took the chance and bought this version and have not stopped playing it. It's a ton of fun and I'm glad I took the chance on buying it for a 3rd time. The Switch is the perfect console for this game.
@Seacliff I know all that. I've watched my buddy play it. But all those weapons, weapon upgrades and heart containers don't change the fact that the gameplay is dull and uninspired.
And why would I waste an additional 200 hours just for some weapons and upgrades (especially when I could instead be playing some actually inspiring games like BotW etc)?
@AJ81 Similar situation for me. I bought the Wii U version and its DLC, played enough to beat the story mode and some of the first adventure map but that was it. I grabbed Legends as I had a New 3DS but the lower resolution and sparse enemies compared to the Wii U version made it not as appealing. I decided to grab the Switch version and have not been disappointed. Compared with Fire Emblem Warriors, Hyrule Warriors Definitive edition seems to run at both 1080p 60fps and have higher resolution textures, so it noticeably looks and plays better than on Wii U. I picked up some free Netflix game rentals this weekend including God of War and Monster Hunter but never got around to playing them I was too busy with Hyrule Warriors.
@brutalpanda True, beating the story mode is the easiest part of the game (especially if on easy or normal). And beating the story just unlocks some core weapons and characters, there is so much more after the story mode to unlock with higher level characters. Sure it can be a little repetitive, but the challenge of beating some of the harder levels after a few times is pretty fun.
@rharalson As I recall from the Wii U version there's little to no voice work in Hyrule, mostly just text boxes. It's not bad acting, not really stand out though. It's similar gameplay but with a lot more character variety, which is why fans tend to hold Hyrule so highly.
If the gameplay style of FEW didn't stimulate you I don't think this will change your mind too much, but if you want to give the series a second chance Hyrule is a really good place to start.
@shani the point is you don't know what the good part of the gameplay is. you misunderstand the game and only got through the tutorial but think you already know the depths of the game. you say there is no challenge and yet have not tried any challenging content even though it's in the game. so to say the game is not challenging and the gameplay is uninspired, dull or a waste of time while also saying "I know what I'm talking about" is ignorant. if you never said "I know what I'm talking about" I wouldn't even have replied because you don't.
Is it OK to play Legends mode on Easy just to plow through it? This is my first time with the game and failing a mission near the end feels frustrating. I'd rather keep pushing forward, but as is so often with games, playing on Easy makes me concerned that I'm missing out on something/not getting the full experience. I'm more than open to jumping the difficulty in Adventure mode, etc., down the line.
@mister_magnus just make sure to prioritize the objectives. don't worry about killing every enemy.
@brutalpanda Thanks for the reply. I've still failed an early mission a couple of times near the end and it's really killing the game for me. The sameness is ok as long as I'm not literally doing the SAME mission over and over. *sigh.
@Fake-E-Lee I def appreciate the hitback on the old post! Thanks for the thought and for taking the time to put your experiences out there. Glad to hear you're enjoying the game — a poke is just what I need to dust it off this winter.
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