Hyrule Warriors Wii U Video Game Review

Hyrule Warriors surprised me. I was not expecting a mash up of this sort to excite me but that's exactly what Hyrule Warriors, for Nintendo's Wii U, has done. In the past, if you had asked me if I thought putting The Legend of Zelda characters into a large scale action game like Dynasty Warriors was a good idea, I'd probably balk at the idea.

Hyrule Warriors on Nintendo Wii U.Courtesy of Nintendo

But thankfully, I'm not the one making those decisions and now Wii U has got an addictive, entertaining action game with a decent amount of content to dive into.

Time For A Hero

There is a pretty fleshed out story in Hyrule Warriors, although it's not associated with the official Zelda timeline. The jist is, Ganondorf is once again seeking the power of the TriForce, this time manipulating a sorceress named Cia into opening the Gates of Souls and bringing forth an army of monsters to take down Zelda and the Hyrulian army.

Link, our Hero of Time, luckily always happens to be around to put an end to the chaos and fight back the evil horde about to encompass them. While interesting at times, a lot of the story's cut-scenes and exposition slowed down the pacing and just got in the way of the good stuff, which is the action. But for anyone needing a short breather between the epic battles, the story will keep you invested during your down time.

Hundreds of enemies? No problem for Link.Courtesy of Nintendo

The Ultimate Power Trip

Speaking of epic battles. This is where Hyrule Warriors gets its hooks into you. Link and his allies have never had to face so many enemies at once. Slicing through literally hundreds of enemies in the course of a few minutes. Blasting foes with the Fire Rod while throwing 6 bombs at a time. Taking down bosses 20 times your size. Hitting multiple enemies into the air at once, jumping up to meet them mid-air, then Hulk Smashing you way back down to the ground inflicting big splash damage. Hyrule Warriors is the ultimate Power Trip, whether your playing as Link, Sheik or Lana. Yes, you're not only playing as Link. And each character has their own moves and abilities.

Watch Kidzworld play Hyrule Warriors

Hyrule Warriors splits it's content into various modes. Legend Mode, Free Mode, Adventure Mode and Challenge Mode.

Legend Mode is classic campaign where you play through the story levels one at a time as pre-determined characters. Free Mode gives you the ability to replay story missions with any character and weapon you choose. Adventure Mode is where you go to earn new weapons and items which can be then taken to the Smithy - more on that in a second - and finally there is Challenge Mode. Challenge Mode puts you up against various challenges such as defeating a set amount of enemies in a short amount of time, or defeating multiple big bosses.

Fight multiple large bosses at once in Challenge Mode.Courtesy of Nintendo

While the core gameplay doesn't change much across all these modes. The pure feeling of glee never left me as I laid waste to all those that opposed me. And if Hyrule Warriors scratches that mindless action itch for you as it has for me, you'll find hour and hours of fun.

On top of the button mashing, finger blistering action modes. There is also a very light crafting system. Take weapons and items collected to the Bazaar, and here you'll be able to craft badges which grant characters extra combos or various attack and defense properties. A Smithy can also be found, where you'll forge together weapons found in Adventure Mode. Take two good swords and create one great sword is the general idea here.

Hitting The Right Notes

There are great nods to The Legend of Zelda series all over this game. Found and earned treasure chests open up with a melody that will be instantly recognized by fans, as will the musical cues when weapons are picked up or bosses are defeated. 8-bit sprites of Link and enemies are splashed on various loading screens as well. You can even go into a in-game music player and listen to all the unlocked music tracks which features classic tunes and themes as well as original. Hyrule Warriors is a mash up that really pays attention to the details.

Hyrule Warriors Launch Trailer

While Hyrule Warriors isn't going to wow you in the graphics department, the character models of our lead heroes and enemies are actually quite well done. Link in particular has a fantastic look, reminiscent of his Twilight Princess styling. The sheer amount of enemies on screen at times is also impressive.

Hyrule Warriors has a local 2-player co-op mode, taking advantage of the Wii U Gamepad's second screen. Allowing one player to game on the TV while the other uses the Gamepad, no split-screen. Unfortunately the game takes a bit of a hit in the frame-rate department when playing in this mode. One of my only real complaints with Hyrule Warriors, is its lack of a great multiplayer/co-op mode.

Final Thoughts

If you're a fan of Dynasty Warriors you're going to be right at home with Hyrule Warriors. And if you're more of a Legend Of Zelda fan, there's plenty of fan-service to appease while waiting for Wii U's proper Zelda adventure. Hyrule Warriors is a power trip in the best way. After hours of gameplay, my sore thumbs are still ready for more.

Hyrule Warriors is available now!Courtesy of Nintendo

Hyrule Warriors Game Rating:

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