Metacritic (78)
OpenCritic (80)
Eurogamer (recommended):
Zelda gets the Dynasty Warriors treatment once more, folding in inspiration from Breath of the Wild for the best musou spin-off yet.
Console Creatures (recommended)
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity may not be the sequel Nintendo fans are looking for but it's certainly worth checking out. It has a good roster of characters, great combat, and some interesting ideas that stick the landing.
Kotaku (no score):
Not even my ardent love for these characters was enough to sustain my interest over the entire, artificially padded game.
The Verge (no score):
For such a conflicted experience, it's remarkable how well Age of Calamity works. No, it's not a new Breath of the Wild, and fans coming to it from that perspective will likely be disappointed. (Luckily, a real sequel is in the works.) Despite some largely superficial similarities, the two games play completely differently. But some of those elements that made Breath of the Wild so beloved — a beautiful world, memorable characters, varied combat — help make an otherwise straightforward experience feel fresh and interesting. It's not subtle, but that doesn't mean it isn't Zelda.
VICE (no score):
For a player who's interested in seeing a Zelda take on the Musou approach and is willing to meet the game on the genre's own terms, Age of Calamity offers plenty to meet their needs.
Digitally Downloaded (5/5):
I do think that Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity will mean more to people who have played Breath of the Wild, and that's fine. For Zelda fans, there's no way they haven't played it anyway. For Musou fans coming to Age of Calamity from that angle, the sell's a little harder. The narrative that it weaves are great. The presentation is impeccable, and each and every one of the characters are fun to play with. It's just that where the original Hyrule Warriors felt like a love letter to the history and heritage of Zelda, Age of Calamity is more immediate, and that's just a little less of a celebration, though with the tradeoff being it actually contributes to the lore. For me, that's a worthwhile tradeoff, and I didn't even have the assumed knowledge going in.
Nintendo Blast (10/10, review in Portuguese):
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is not exactly the kind of Zelda we're used to, but it is the game that all fans of the series needed, especially for filling gaps left by Breath of the Wild. In addition, it is easily one of the best titles available on the Nintendo Switch. The punctual performance problems that the game has do not overshadow its brilliance and, certainly, its success will leave a legacy for the main franchise.
Enternity.gr (9.5/10, review in Greek):
Once again Nintendo prefers to give its own gun battle with quality software. And succeeds again.
Nintenderos (9.5/10, review in Spanish):
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, even with its technical issues, offers an extraordinary experience. The game takes us to this prequel full of twists, surprises, hope and sadness thanks to a plot and gameplay hardly surpassed by any other Zelda title.
Age of Calamity boasts compelling combat, a stack of content and a clever remix of Breath of the Wild's Hyrule.
Vooks (4.5/5):
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is a joy to see out 2020 while we wait for the next Zelda.
Shacknews (9/10):
Take a cornucopia of familiar Hyrule lands, add an absolutely fantastic soundtrack to each of them, and let a collection of amazing characters loose to tell a great story on the battlefield and off, and Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is a game no Zelda or Musou fan should pass up.
GameSpew (9/10):
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is a treat for both Warriors fans and those who adore The Legend of Zelda series. It may not have the puzzles of a traditional Zelda game, but it packs in an obscene amount of action to make up for it. Throw in a story that will have you gripped as well as the usual Zelda charm, and you have a game that will keep you glued to the screen for tens of hours.
Areajugones (9/10, review in Spanish):
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is a masterpiece that you have to experience: a powerful adventure if you enjoyed The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild... Although you'll have to put up with its poor graphics.
Atomix (90/100, review in Spanish):
The gameplay is addictive and offers us enough space to experiment. It may be the simplest and simplest Warriors of the entire genre, but it is accessible and will be liked by many people. Nintendo and Koei Tecmo have managed to create a great game to say goodbye to 2020.
TheGamer (4.5/5):
It teems with little story beats I'm not allowed to talk about that will make long-time Zelda fans reel with excitement, and its fast-paced, punchy combat is brilliantly belligerent. I haven't gotten into the art much, because you probably know from the trailer that it looks like Breath of the Wild, but for what it's worth: it's gorgeous. It gives voice and agency to a variety of excellent characters who deserved them, and I think its narrative is shaped with a sense of finesse that, on close consideration, is quite endemic to Zelda as a series. It's just a shame that it's held back by the only hardware it's playable on, both in terms of input controllers and screen resolution.
See AlsoHyrule Warriors : Age of Calamity will not have online multiplayer. It’s 2020. How is this acceptable.Better final boss: Breath of the Wild vs Age of Calamity (MASSIVE SPOILERS) SpoilerAge of Calamity: How the story changes allowed for a massive step forward in the Zelda series, and a tough realization about Link (OPEN SPOILERS)
Nintendo Insider (9/10):
Where Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition had once offered a healthy dose of fan service, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity delivers meaningful storytelling and a worthy prequel expansion to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild that is an absolute triumph which masterfully integrates its characters, world and gameplay systems.
Switch Player (4.5/5):
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity has overcome the seemingly insurmountable task of respecting the IPs that it was based upon whilst also carving its own identity. It's original, it's inspired, and it's a Game Of The Year contender.
TheSixthAxis (9/10):
Age of Calamity is, for all intents and purposes, a prequel to Breath of the Wild. It might be a spin-off in a separate genre, but it's clearly a labour of love, and the result is a thoroughly enjoyable romp through one of the most interesting periods of Hyrule. If the first game was a love letter to the Zelda series, this not only improves on this concept in every way, but stands as one of the best Zelda games, period.
SECTOR.sk (9/10, review in Slovak):
Prequel of Breath of the Life mixed with gameplay of Hyrule Warriors works very well.
Cerealkillerz (8.9/10):
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity fixes a lot of the problems from the first game and delivers an extremely well done story and world for fans of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and everyone that still wants to become one in the future. Musou-Fans will miss the tactical component of the genre, but if you can live with some small gameplay missteps, you'll get the best Hyrule Warriors experience so far.
Multiplayer.it (8.5/10, review in Italian):
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity isn't just a step forward in the musou genre, but also a respectful, thrilling hack'n'slash hybrid which builds on the Breath of the Wild lore and delivers some truly epic moments.
COGconnected (85/100):
For me, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity succeeds on two separate fronts. This is a prequel with the narrative heft required for a game in the Zelda franchise. But, this is also a Musou/Warriors game that twists that formula into something unique and engaging. What emerges from this strange union is an experience unlike either set of source material. This is a final product content to carve a small slice out of a massive pie. Even if your interest is strictly in Zelda games or Warriors titles, you owe it to yourself to give this game a shot. You're certain to be quite pleasantly surprised by what Age of Calamity has to offer.
Nintendo World Report (8.5/10):
The Divine Beasts are solidly the weakest part of the campaign and the inventory is a little clumsy to manage. That all being said, the totality of this Musou game is soundly enjoyable. The confidence on display in Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity echoes the earned success Nintendo has found after Breath of the Wild and the Switch. This is a refined and tight action-packed experience that delivers an excellent mix of Zelda lore and creatively ridiculous brawler gameplay.
Destructoid (8.5/10, video):
The story was genuinely enthralling throughout and it serves as a great companion piece for Breath of the Wild, while forging its own identity in many respects.
God is a Geek (8.5/10):
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is a fantastic Musou game that stays true to it's Breath of the Wild roots. With some of the best gameplay in the genre, it's easy to recommend.
Press Start (8.5/10):
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, is a defining example of what you can do with musou games in the right situation. Not only does it shine Breath of the Wild's enjoyable characters in a new light, but it also provides a new lens to experience Hyrule through. It's an experience that is as much musou as it is Breath of the Wild, but integrates ideas from both, and melds them in interesting ways that's guaranteed to please fans of either game type. If you're a fan of Breath of the Wild, or musou games in general, Age of Calamity is well worth your time and attention, even if the Switch sometimes struggles under its ambitions.
Gamer.nl (8.5/10, review in Dutch):
Atmospheric environments, blissful combat and a compelling story: Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity actually does everything right, except for a number of technical drawbacks. Random frame drops and clumsy camerawork keep the spin-off from perfection.ar
The Games Machine (8.4/10, review in Italian):
Hyrule Warriors: The Age of Calamity is a well-made Musou, which tries to break the preconceptions with which the saga often tends to clash in the West, taking its cue from one of the best games ever. The result is ambitious and effective, albeit with some reservations mainly due to the Switch's technical limitations.
MGG Spain (82/100, review in Spanish):
A great musou game that also comes with an excellent story that completes what we knew from Zelda: Breath of the Wild. The only comebacks of this game are some technical issues and the things that come with this game's genre, and even with that is a great game.
GamesRadar (4/5, video):
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is an ace accomplice to Breath of the Wild, providing charming backstories to its colorful cast of characters while carrying forward the spirit of experimental gameplay with impressive results.
Gamereactor ES (8/10, review in Spanish):
Never been this hooked to a musou, great integration of BotW lore and especially mechanics.
USgamer (4/5):
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity isn't The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2, but it's a great musou game with a lot of content for starved fans of Breath of the Wild. Even if you're a Zelda fan who can take or leave musou games, Age of Calamity is worth taking. However, occasional slowdown and frame drops, especially in handheld mode on the Switch Lite, make it clear the Switch is aging quickly.
VG247 (4/5):
Successful at what it sets out to do, however – providing a fun, interesting and exciting new adventure that fans of that game will surely enjoy. It won't stay your appetite for Breath of the Wild 2 – but it'll keep you occupied happily enough all the same.
Twinfinite (4/5):
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is a lot to take in. There are so many systems in play here, but somehow they all come together to form a solid, cohesive experience that makes this game so damn hard to put down. Throw in a cast of extremely likeable characters, and set it in the rich world of Breath of the Wild, and you get one of the best musou-style games that Koei Tecmo and Omega Force have ever put out.
TrustedReviews (4/5):
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is an enjoyable action romp and a worthwhile expansion of the Breath of the Wild universe. Those hoping for a deep narrative expansion of the universe will be underwhelmed, but being able to spend more time with these wonderful characters is more than enough to leave you satisfied.
Nintendo Life (8/10, video):
Approached with the knowledge that this is a full-featured side-dish, you'll have a very good time hacking and slashing your way through Calamity Ganon's minions in Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity; just remember that despite its sparkling presentation, it is still not a Zelda game. What it is is a brilliant Zelda-infused Musou experience filled with varied and satisfying combat and Breath of the Wild additions that work beautifully within the boundaries of the Warriors template.
Spaziogames (8/10):
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity it's a bit of a surprise, finally a good musou with an outstanding resonance of Breath of the Wild in terms of story and worldbuilding.
Screen Rant (4/5):
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity offers a fascinating look at the world of Breath of the Wild. Whether it's sleek combat, character development, or a scattershot but intriguing plot, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is packed full of exciting content. It's exactly the type of thing that can hold over fans until the Breath of the Wild sequel is finally released, and deserves a look even if its genre is a little more niche to some.
Cubed3 (8/10):
Forget what you think you know about the history of Breath of the Wild, this takes that story and makes it its own. The result is a hugely satisfying and wondrous adventure. Outside of the main story, it's worth coming back to this again and again. Omega Force has mastered the Musou style and is fully exhibiting that in Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity. The missions offer up plenty of replayability thanks to their diverse range of 'win' conditions. There is an impressive roster to keep coming back to, and it's filled with some fantastic characters that are a true surprise to discover. Every little element of this game works, and it all comes together so perfectly. While gamers are understandably excited to get their hands on the next-gen, Nintendo is ensuring the Switch isn't gathering dust. This will tear attention away from those shiny new boxes, and rightly so. There is so very much to love here. Frankly, a must-buy.
Hobby Consolas (80/100, review in Spanish):
Breath of the Wild elements enrich the musou formula to make Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity a better video game, although there's still some of the usual problems in the genre. It's not perfect, that much is obvious, but it's so much fun that, in the end, you forget about the not so good stuff.
3DJuegos (8/10, review in Spanish):
A must-have for Zelda fans that wanted a more in deep explanation about the events of Zelda Breath of the Wild. It's still a musou game, not a Zelda game, and it has some technical issues. However, it's also a great collaboration between Nintendo and Koei Tecmo, so it deserves a try.
PLAY! Zine (8/10, review in Bosnian):
Age of Calamity serves as a prequel to Breath of the Wild, which easily justifies dozens of over the top battles against hordes of enemies. It is fun to play and to watch, but as a prequel, it fails to properly deliver. Expectation: a cool and interesting story. Reality: a boring and uncreative one. The game is great fun, but where we all expected it to shine the most - it somehow managed to fail with zero excuses.
My Nintendo News (8/10):
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is not without fault. Between the technical issues in single-player and co-operative modes, coupled with enforced sluggish gameplay during the Divine Beast segments, it's clear that improvements could be made, though perhaps this is a limitation of the Switch hardware itself. Yet if you look past these flaws, there is an inner beauty. An utterly captivating and emotional storyline, beautifully strategic combat mechanics and missions that offer edge-of-your-seat action are all present. Encased within a Breath of the Wild setting, Age of Calamity is the perfect way to escape our reality this winter. Let's just hope the darkness doesn't spread any further.
EGM (4/5):
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity ingeniously translates The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild's world, style, and gameplay into the Warriors formula, and fans of both series will be extremely satisfied with how both are reimagined here. But if you were expecting a more straightforward prequel that truly mined the tragedy of the war against Calamity Ganon, instead of relying on tired tropes like time travel, you might be left a little shell-shocked.
Eurogamer Italy (8/10, review in Italian):
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is a Breath of the Wild prequel presented as a mosou game. A spectacular narration, an entertaining and compelling gameplay with tons of monster on screen that push hard Switch's hardware limits, though some frame-rate slowdowns, will keep you busy until the arrival of Breath of the Wild's sequel.
IGN Italia (8/10, review in Italian):
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is undoubtedly a tangible step forward from the classic musou. Not only in terms of quality, but also for the commitment of the developers in the creation of a powerful story and the inclusion of solid and funny mechanics. The management of the elements and powers linked to the Sheikah technology are a breath of fresh air and a considerable whiplash to a gameplay notoriously linked to rhythms mostly noisy and carefree. While not renouncing its disruptive roots, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is inscribed in a very refined construct, endowed with a dragging narrative and endowed with an overwhelming number of secondary activities. To pay the price is the fluidity of the action, mixed with a very low resolution and full of pop-ups in portability and drops in frame-rate rather annoying in dock mode. Although the technical sector is not in line with the ambitions of the project, the game can be said to be substantially successful.
Video Chums (7.9/10):
As one of the better Musou spin-off games out there, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is a welcome treat for Breath of the Wild fans. Its gameplay remains expectedly repetitive but there's still a ton of fun to be had with its variety of combat abilities.
Wccftech (7.8/10):
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is a perfect game to use to revisit the land of Hyrule. Combat additions make this one of the most exciting and interesting Warriors games to play, but the performance can hold it back. It's a great romp that'll keep you engaged for hours, but don't come in expecting great things from the next chapter of a canon Zelda story.
GamePro (78/100, review in German):
Great Musou in terms of gameplay, that tells the story before Breath of the Wild, but also has to struggle with technical problems.
Everyeye.it (7.7/10, review in Italian):
With an adventure that reaches the longevity of over fifty hours if you decide to unlock every single secret, the Age of Calamity succeeds in the intent it seems to have set itself, while suffering some noteworthy technical stumbling: clearing a gaming experience. remained overshadowed today and add a piece to the narrative world of Breath of the Wild that could enrich the story of the expected sequel from Nintendo.
Game Informer (7.5/10):
The action is tedious, but cutting through swaths of Bokoblins and single-handedly clearing a battlefield is still rewarding
XGN (7.5/10, review in Dutch):
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is a Breath of the Wild prequel that offers some of the best Warriors gameplay we have seen so far. However, the game is not flawless as it suffers from some frustrating controls and framerate issues. However, if you are willing to look past that, enormous fun and adrenaline-driven experience remain.
Critical Hit (7/10):
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity falters greatly in its narrative. The time-traveling aspect felt like a cheap and easy way to rewrite history without actually adding much to the established lore. That said, this did allow Princess Zelda to shine which ended up being a pleasant surprise. The gameplay is the main hook and it's a bloody fun one at that. There is lots to love here if you can ignore the story.
PCMag (3.5/5):
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is a fine action game with plenty to do, and a satisfyingly robust combat system. It's denser and more focused than Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition, but that focus removes some of the charm. Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition was a love letter to the entire Legend of Zelda series, a game filled with familiar characters and places from several of titles. Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is very much a Breath of the Wild-specific game, which is certainly fine (Breath of the Wild was excellent), but not nearly as much of a fan-pleasing barrage of elements from the entire series. It's a game that expects you to specifically love Breath of the Wild, and be invested in what happened before its events. If you dig that idea, you'll dig Age of Calamity.
Jeuxvideo.com (14/20, review in French):
It's hard not to come out a little frustrated with this Hyrule Warriors, which excels in some areas and disappoints in others. The combat system works very well, but struggles to shine, the fault of a framerate sometimes acceptable sometimes unpleasant as possible, especially in docked. The storytelling is fine and the cut-scenes are fantastic, but the script strays from the original material and loses in narrative power. Still, if you're insensitive to yo-yoing frame rates or playing exclusively in handheld mode (which doesn't completely solve the problem either), Era of the Scourge turns out to be a pretty good one.
GAMINGbible (7/10):
While it isn't perfect, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity proves its value by serving up one of the most epic tales Princess Zelda has ever starred in. There's a magic within this game's story, reminiscent of Ocarina of Time, and that's something to cherish. The relatively simplistic gameplay may detract from the overall impression, but that won't stop me playing it again.
Stevivor (6.5/10):
The Zelda devout have already decided to to buy this game and I hope they love it. Everyone else might want to spend some time with the demo first.
Millenium (65/100, review in French):
The only big new game for the Nintendo Switch this end of year 2020, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is a little disappointing. As enjoyable as any self-respecting musou, Omega Force's title is technically flawed, limited in content and largely under-exploited story-wise. We may have expected too much, but this new title in the universe of Zelda Breath of the Wild was meant to cover an important part of the story, and it seems botched on many points.
Metro GameCentral (6/10):
The best Dynasty Warriors style game ever made, which means it's slightly north of mediocre, with simplistic combat, weak storytelling, and a whole lot of repetition.
Age of Calamity improves on the combat and structure of Hyrule Warriors, but saps much of the weight from Breath of the Wild's backstory as it fills in its gaps.
Gameblog (6/10):
Hyrule Warriors : Age of Calamity delivers yet another Musou X Zelda experience, but fails to offers a great experience beyond the hardcore fans of Breath of the Wild. Pretty rough, the game lacks precision and variety, despite very good direction and musical score. For a few colorful cinematic moments, players with have to brawl they way through way too many similar fights, even with such iconic characters.
VGC (3/5):
This is an entertaining ode to Breath of the Wild that will comfortably fill the gap as we wait for a proper sequel. But it overachieves while it underperforms and that's a tricky thing to judge. It makes you want to whip out your ocarina and play the Song of Time, teleporting to a point where there's an updated Switch capable of doing the game justice. There's greatness here, just out of reach.
Metro GameCentral (6/10):
It's great to see all the old enemies and landscapes again but this is not a story that needed to be told in this much detail. It does make the prospect of a proper Breath Of The Wild 2 all the more enticing though and while that is most definitely not what this is, we appreciated it all the same.
