Wasn’t expecting to have this much fun
While Nintendo’s Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is set to release towards the end of November 2020, they released a free demo currently available to download from the Switch eShop. Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is a prequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, set during the Great Calamity, which occurred 100 years prior.
I have to say that I was surprised by just how big the demo for Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is. When Nintendo dropped the news that they had released a demo today, I was expecting maybe 20-30 minutes of gameplay. Instead, from start to finish, the demo clocks in closer to an hour and some change.
Two hefty areas playable in the demo are the Battle of Hyrule Fields and Breach of Demise. In both, you’re tasked with clearing out the enemies, serving as a primer for the game. The overworld map features three areas on the map that aren’t accessible in the demo; Rito village, Gerudo Town, Zora’s Domain, and Death Mountain. While those are the only ones I could see, I’m sure there will be more made available in the full game.
There’s also a bit of story, but nothing that will spoil the main game. Yet, I’m surprised Nintendo allowed this. It seems they really want to hook as many people as possible with this demo.
There are three playable characters in the demo; Link, Zelda, and Impa. Link uses his swordplay to wreak havoc on the battlefield. He’s a fun character to use, with his charged attacks and the ability to knock opponents into the air while continuing to press the attack. He can also launch himself and glide distances, which I used to close distances or traveling around the map.
Zelda, on the other hand, uses powers from the Sheikah Slate as her method of attack. She’s an interesting character, as she’s able to perform simple yet powerful attacks while using the power of runes in a physical form not tied to the Sheikah Slate system (more on that later). She can also launch those runes at the enemies and set them to explode, which is a sight to see.
Then there’s Impa from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, but a much younger version. She’s playable, and I have to admit I love her playstyle. She’s reminiscent of a Ninja with kunai usage that can strike opponents from a distance, damaging elemental seals, and vanishing strikes. She’s complicated, but once you understand her attacks, she’s a blast. After playing with her, I can tell she’s going to be a fan favorite.
All three characters present in the demo utilize combos thanks to a combat mechanic similar to Devil May Cry and Bayonetta. They also have access to the Rune abilities, thanks to the Sheikah Slate, Remote Bomb, Magnesis, Stasis, and Cryonis Runes. All of which can be used at any time to supplement combat. I found myself using them in the middle of combos or opening with them. They work so well and flow with all of the characters with no effort what so ever.
All of the characters also have access to a dodge mechanic that allows them to avoid damage. This expands with stronger named enemies, and should you perform a dodge at the last second, you’ll be rewarded with two damaging attacks. The first is called “Flurry Rush”, where you tap the attack button as fast as possible, and a damaging attack called “Weak-Point Smash”, which unleashes a massively damaging attack and can kill if the enemy is low on health.
It was pretty awesome to see the Switch handling so many enemies on-screen at once. Yes, most of those enemies were low resolution until they were up and in your face, but there were still massive numbers of them. And yes, that did cause some frame rate drops here and there (and everywhere) but for the most part I was so captivated by the combat that I didn’t care. We are talking about the Switch, which isn’t the most powerful console out there and this is to be expected. Here’s to hoping those rumors about a Switch Pro are legit this time.
Your characters will level up based on the experience earned in battle, as will your weapons. The more you use a certain weapon, the more powerful it becomes. There’s not much combat to do outside of the two stages. So I couldn’t tell you how far that extends.
There’s also a hilarious scene with Robbie and Purah, the Sheikah Slate’s creators. There will be other characters from Zelda: Breath of the Wild that will also make appearances or playable. This includes the other champions, Revali, Daruk, Urbosa, and Mipha.
Outside of the combat, there are the mini-quests that are performed on the map screen. You highlight the objective and agree to provide materials to get them completed. I observed several that provided access to a blacksmith who’ll then provide the ability to fuse your weapons, creating better versions. A cooking objective that will allow you to make better foods that you can use before each battle. There were a few more, such as one that increased your characters available combos and health.
As I mentioned previously, this demo is quite large and provides just enough tease to get you interested in the full game. For me, this was already on my radar, but now I’m fully ready for this to be released. The cherry on top is any progress from the demo will carry over to the full game when it releases on November 20th, 2020.
I suppose in the meanwhile, I’ll finally finish Zelda: Breath of the Wild. I haven’t played that game since my Son, bless his soul, deleted my game save. Or I can keep playing this demo, which is what I’ll likely end up doing.
