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Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallHyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is worth playing if you want to fight through Breath of the Wild’s Hyrule with a large, varied cast and enjoy battles against crowds of enemies. Its satisfying Warriors combat, familiar characters, music, and story presentation are its strengths; repetition and limited exploration are the tradeoffs. It is a combat-first spin-off, not a substitute for a mainline Zelda adventure.
What kind of Zelda game is Age of Calamity?
Released for Nintendo Switch on November 20, 2020, Age of Calamity places Link, Zelda, the four Champions, a young Impa, and other characters in large-scale battles against the forces threatening Hyrule. It uses Breath of the Wild’s characters, setting, visual language, and some familiar systems, but its central activity is Warriors-style hack-and-slash combat: taking on large groups of enemies with each character’s distinct abilities.
That difference matters more than the shared setting. Expect missions and combat encounters, not the open-ended exploration, puzzle-solving, and discovery that define Breath of the Wild. Nintendo describes the game as a story about Zelda, the Champions, the King of Hyrule, and others; its presentation gives fans more time with familiar characters, but the experience is structured around battles rather than an open-world journey.
What do reviews praise—and what do they criticize?
The reviews represented here are broadly positive about the game’s translation of Breath of the Wild’s world into a Warriors format. Critics praise the character variety, combat, soundtrack, story presentation, and the pleasure of revisiting a recognizable Hyrule. Shacknews and IGN are among the outlets whose assessments highlighted those strengths, though those examples should not be mistaken for a current aggregate score.
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- See Hyrule 100 years before the Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild game and experience the events of the Great Calamity.
- Join the struggle that brought Hyrule to its knees. Learn more about Zelda, the King of Hyrule, the four champions; Urbosa, Revali, Mipha, Daruk and more through dramatic cutscenes as they try to save the kingdom from Calamity. Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is the only way to see first-hand what happened 100 years ago.
- Battle hordes of Hyrule’s most formidable foes - From barbaric Bokoblins to towering Lynels, Ganon’s troops have emerged in droves. Revisit iconic locations such as Zoras Domain, Death Mountain and Hyrule Field and use your playable heroes’ distinct abilities to carve through hundreds of enemies to save Hyrule from the impending Calamity.
- Team up and take on Ganon - Pass a Joy-Con to a friend and take on Calamity Ganon as a team in local co-op multiplayer. Fight side-by-side or divide your efforts to cover more ground, complete objectives and defeat the forces of darkness!
Nintendo Life’s Gavin Lane scored the European Nintendo Switch version 8.1 in a review published November 18, 2020. Lane praised its satisfying combat, variety, presentation, and adaptation of Breath of the Wild, while pointing to the repetitive loop as a limitation. The review also singled out Divine Beast missions as among the less interesting sections.
The combat is the main attraction
Different playable characters bring distinct abilities to the same broad premise: cutting through large enemy groups and handling battle objectives. That variety helps the action stay engaging, and the spectacle of familiar characters fighting across Hyrule is a major part of the appeal. The soundtrack and story scenes add to the sense that this is a Zelda-themed adventure, even though its structure comes from the Warriors series.
Rank #2
![Hyrule Warriors Age of Calamity - Nintendo Switch [Digital Code]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51K7v7DId8L._SL160_.jpg)
- Experience the events of the Great Calamity 100 years before the Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild game
- Dozens of gripping cutscenes shed new light on characters like Zelda, the four Champions, the King of Hyrule, and more
- Play as characters like Link, Zelda and more and learn their distinct attacks and combat styles
- The four Champions are playable for the first time
- See a lively Hyrule before it was ravaged by Calamity Ganon
Repetition is the cost of the format
The core loop can begin to feel repetitive, especially if you are looking for the steady surprises and freedom of a mainline Zelda game. Video Chums, in a review excerpt surfaced by GameFAQs, similarly describes the gameplay as predictably repetitive while still finding fun and variety in the characters’ combat abilities. If you enjoy the loop of fighting groups of enemies with different movesets, the repetition may be a reasonable tradeoff; if you want exploration to lead the experience, it is a more significant drawback.
How does it perform, especially in co-op?
Nintendo lists one-to-two players on a single system. The practical caveat is performance during busy action: Nintendo Life’s 2020 review of the Nintendo Switch version reported frame-rate and image-quality problems when two players generated heavy on-screen action. That is a dated reviewer observation, not a new performance test, but it is useful context if local co-op is your main reason to play.
Rank #3
- Battle hordes of enemies in the untold story of the Imprisoning War
The co-op option may be appealing if you want to share the battles, but the reported slowdown suggests a tradeoff when the screen fills with action. Nintendo’s listing confirms local player count; it does not specify a particular controller setup in the information cited here.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Which version should you buy?
Nintendo’s current US listing identifies the original game as Nintendo Switch software and says that version behaves consistently on Nintendo Switch 2. The same listing distinguishes a separate Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition, also called the Definitive Edition, which includes the DLC and is not compatible with Nintendo Switch. Check the platform and edition on the listing for your region before buying; the two versions are not interchangeable.
Rank #4
![Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity Expansion Pass - Nintendo Switch [Digital Code]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51+LlDoqq7L._SL160_.jpg)
- Hit the green with up to four players locally* or online** and golf with familiar Mushroom Kingdom characters. Modes range from Standard Golf to the energetic Speed Golf and an RPG-like golf adventure in story mode. Intuitive motion or button controls, a shot gauge that adapts to the curve of the course, and other new features make it easy for both new players and seasoned pros to drive and putt with power
- Tee off at the same time with up to three other players* and race through the course to get your ball in first. Outpace and interrupt your opponents with dashes and special shots. Luigi, for example, can freeze the green and King Bob-omb can pelt the course with bombs
Is the DLC worth adding?
Nintendo lists the Expansion Pass and its two content releases, Pulse of the Ancients and Guardian of Remembrance. The official DLC listing says the full game is required. Reviews surfaced here describe additions including weapons, a playable character, and challenge content, but opinions on Pulse of the Ancients are mixed: some criticism focuses on grinding and a lack of substantial new story or missions, while other comments value its challenge content. Treat the add-ons as optional follow-on material rather than necessary parts of the base game. Current regional price and availability are not established here.
Quick Recap
Who is Age of Calamity for?
- Play it if you want more time with Breath of the Wild’s characters and setting, enjoy flashy crowd combat, or like having a varied roster of fighters.
- Set expectations if your favorite parts of Zelda are open exploration, puzzles, and discovering a world at your own pace. Those are not the center of this game.
- Think carefully about co-op if performance in crowded local battles is a priority, given Nintendo Life’s reported slowdown on Switch hardware in 2020.
- Check the edition before purchase, particularly if you own a Nintendo Switch rather than a Switch 2.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
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