'Hyrule Warriors': 'Dynasty Warriors' and 'The Legend of Zelda Fans' United
Ryan Smythe ‘15 / Emertainment Monthly Staff Writer
Set outside of the official Zelda timeline, Hyrule Warriors mostly uses Zelda music and aesthetics, while keeping the large-scale beat ‘em up style of the Dynasty Warriors franchise. This is where fan opinions will split, with hardcore traditionalists scoffing at the deceptively simple gameplay mechanics, while those willing to try a potentially new gameplay experience will immerse themselves in what possibly will be the most polished Dynasty Warriors game to ever find its way onto a console.
Gone are the cramped dungeons iconic to the Zelda series, replaced with expansive open fields teeming with woefully underpowered enemies. To take full advantage of this layout, each of the main characters have an upgradeable series of attack combinations perfectly suited to destroying hundreds of enemies with each successful string of combos. Memorizing the button combinations to fully execute godlike destruction takes some practice, but once that skill is learned, there are few experiences more cathartic than watching the kill counter skyrocket as bodies fly off the screen in T-rated fashion.
Periodically, boss characters will spawn in battle, causing the victory conditions to update. The bosses that appear change on each map, and depend on which side of the battle the player’s character fights. Some battles unsurprisingly feature Ganondorf, but for the first time outside of Super Smash players have a chance to use him and play for the side of evil. Being able to play for multiple sides in a battle makes up a major part of why Dynasty Warriors games are so enjoyable, but being able to play these roles as classic Zelda characters adds something special to what is already a great game.
The most important thing to note about Hyrule Warriors is that it’s not for everyone. Gamers looking for the next great Zelda adventure should really wait to get this game on sale to avoid disappointment. But for those without a 3DS to experience the Super Smash Bros. craze, this is a perfect stopgap game to compliment Mario Kart and Super Mario 3D World and ensure there’s always something exciting to play. It can work as a casual experience, but the skill cap to beat this game on the highest difficulty is high enough that hardcore gamers should be able to have their fill, especially with a co-op mode that utilizes the gamepad to do away with split screen. With four DLC packs coming out over the next few months, there is more than enough to do and unlock to justify sinking hundreds of hours into Nintendo’s newest offering.
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