I Played This For One Hour: Hyrule Warriors

If you’re like me, you are despairing and wailing to the heavens at the injustice of having to wait who knows how long for the next installment of the Legend of Zelda. In an attempt to console us and keep us distracted, Nintendo recently released Hyrule Warriors, which isn’t so much a Zelda game as it is Dynasty Warriors filled with Zelda characters and settings.

I have never played Dynasty Warriors, a game all about planning careful, tactical battles while simultaneously wiping out huge swaths of enemies. And normally, I am not one to go for pure fighting games. But filled with desperation and nostalgia for my beloved Zelda series, I was more than willing to delve into this one because…come on, you can play as Midna. What ISN’T inviting about that?

MWAH!

Unfortunately my combination of “no time” and “no money for Triple A titles” meant that I showed up at my friend’s doorstep, puppy dog eyes in full swing, hoping to get a few scraps of the shiny new game he had just purchased. In the end, I only got to play about an hour of it (see: “No time” above) and while that might not be long enough to do a full review, it is long enough to at least briefly talk about some of the stuff I’ve noticed so far.

So here are my first impressions so far of Hyrule Warriors! Disclaimer: Remember, this is based on an hour’s worth of gameplay. There are some details I may get wrong :D.

5. Button Mashing is still alive and well

Yes, there is a lot of strategy to this game. And it’s awesome. You can select from various weapons and customize your characters for your optimal fighting style. You can carefully plan out your battle, pushing back the enemy bit by bit, perfecting your perfect combo attacks.

But for those of us confused by the mad chaos of battle, there is still the Button Mash to get us through the day. And it is equally as fun especially when much of your gameplay involves cutting your way through massive armies with powerful attacks.

This is of course much to the frustration of my friends. But it’s not about their fun, now is it?!

4. Fi is just as useless here as she is in Skyward Sword

Personal space much?

You remember Fi, right? That odd combination of HAL and a ballerina that was your constant companion during Skyward Sword? If she wasn’t telling you plot developments five minutes after you had already figured it out, she was letting you know your hearts were running low even though it was already apparent by the loudly blinking health meter. She began to take over Navi’s spot as most annoying sidekick, which is a HIGH bar to leap over.

It’s just the same here in Hyrule Warriors. Perhaps it was that the other characters had been leveled up a little more, but even without those level ups, Fi’s powers often involved doing a dance around enemies with no real objective in mind.

Also…this girl…I don’t know who she is…but she’s also kind of silly

Thankfully, the other characters more than make up for it. Sheik was probably my favourite go to with his ninja like moves. Surprisingly, the character I thought I would stick with, Midna, turned out to be one of the more difficult to control. Still, it was worth it just to be able to see her use some of those insane Twilight powers.

3. Link still has nothing to say but this time it’s kind of weird…

Yes, in great Zelda tradition, Link is still as silent as ever. If there is any talking, it is done by…ugh…Navi.

KILL IT!

But unlike previous Zelda games, this time around Link’s mute reactions stuck out like a sore thumb to me. Perhaps it is because there are other playable characters. It made sense in the full Zelda games: Link is the only playable character and he can’t talk because…well, because. But when there are other playable characters who are happy to blab on and on about destiny and swords, well…it just makes Link’s vacant slightly concerned expression all the more noticeable.

In fact, in the hour I played there was barely even a peep from trusty old Link. No grunts, no shouts, no screams of terror as I flung him from far too high heights. It was almost a little sad.

2. It’s more fun with a friend to play with

Don’t get me wrong. This game is extremely enjoyable whether playing alone or with a friend. But for myself, there was just something about shouting orders to my couch buddy while we took down an entire legion of enemies together that was far more satisfying.

That…and frankly, it was a bit easier. If Hyrule Warriors is anything to go by, I really should never be a general of any army. Managing and multitasking an entire battlefield is just as difficult as you think it is and combined with the fact that lots of colours and movement seems to render my brain inept (lookin’ at you, Smash Bros), it was a huge relief to have a second player to take on some of the tasks.

1. Yup, this is Zelda fan fiction, and it’s pretty hilariously awesome

You may not have played Dynasty Warriors before. You might not go for the “tactical action” type of game. But let’s face it, there’s one reason and one reason alone Zelda fans will play this: you get to see all of your favourite characters mashed together in one crazy storyline that is normally relegated to the darkest corner of the internet.

Basically, this is a high budget Zelda fan fiction. And it’s pretty great. Sure, it has some great gameplay and challenging battles, but a lot of the joy for me was seeing all of the detail that went into bringing the previous settings and characters back to life.

There is Skyloft in all of its former glory (albeit with more forts), there are enemies specific to each setting, there is a high definition Great Fairy who is even more terrifying than her polygon-filled past self.

GAH!

And then there are just the mash-ups. I had Midna fighting King Dodongo. I ran through Skyloft as Sheik. I had Impa crazily throwing bombs left, right and centre. It was…crazy fun.

And that’s what this game is. Crazy fun mixed with challenging battles. I really hope to get some more time in with this one. In the meantime, check it out for yourself! Just…don’t play as Fi…stupid Fi.

 Edit: Since the posting of this review my friend has pointed out a couple of things. The fairy speaking for Link is actually named Proxy. She’s still annoying to me. Fi also apparently gets better in that her twirls make it difficult for enemies to get close, but I still hate her. And there are cuccoos…hit them at your own risk…