4/5 ★ – kariyanine's review of Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition.

I haven’t played a musou game seriously since Dynasty Warriors 2 or 3. Those one’s were fun but I never really got into the larger genre. Having fond memories of those games though did get me to try Hyrule Warriors when it debuted on the WiiU in 2014. I played it for a few levels and then for whatever reason, it got shelved and I never returned to it (I believe it was likely Shadow of Mordor (which funnily enough, also got shelved for something else). Anyway, the hype around Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity got me reinterested in trying Hyrule Warriors again. Not having my WiiU copy anymore though I set out to try it on the Switch. While I’m nearly digital for everything game wise now, I still enjoy my physical copies on the Switch if I can get it. FYI, a physical copy of Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition generally sells above the $60 launch price of two years ago and they aren’t easy to come by. I was nearly at the point of just buying it digitally when I was able to snag a brand new physical copy for $5 above retail. I think I’m going to have to pull the trigger on Age of Calamity sooner rather than later so I don’t run into this issue with that game too. As for the game itself, the Definitive Edition combines all the DLC and the additions to the 3DS version. It features a ton of characters, skins, weapons, and maps all thrown in a blender of the craziest (and best) Zelda story ever. Hyrule Warriors is a musou game through and through. There are tons of enemies on screen, mostly in mobs of the same character model. There are bases to capture and enemy captains to defeat. And there is lots of button mashing. To be fair, it is a little more complex than that, with button combos to utilize for stronger, chained attacks, but let’s be serious, 90% of players are smashing buttons while playing this game. And that’s fine because musou games are actually entry level character action games. There is complexity there for those that want to learn it but the genre can be enjoyed by just about anyone because smashing buttons makes the characters do cool stuff. For me though, what makes Hyrule Warriors stand out is how it incorporates the trappings of The Legend of Zelda. I don’t mean the characters or setting either, I mean the core of The Legend of Zelda’s gameplay, the items and puzzles that come with them. While The Legend of Zelda is ostensibly an action-adventure game where Link goes around killing all the baddies, it also features environmental puzzles and bosses that require certain techniques. This is translated quite well to Hyrule Warriors, a game about killing thousands of enemies in each battle. I’m not saying the game is overrun with puzzles that require the bombs, or the hookshot, or the boomerang, but there is enough there (mostly in boss fights) that make them feel meaningful within the game and capture the true Legend of Zelda feel. Add in a fantastic story that uses the history of the series and its different iterations (Ocarina, Twilight, Skyward, Wind Waker) to be one of, if not, the most engaging story ever in a Zelda game and Hyrule Warriors is a winner all the way through. And even if I likely won’t jump back in and play a bunch of the challenge maps or grind levels for the massive stable of characters, it’s nice to know it is there for me to return to. It’s just a great, fun time. And can we get a Linkle game already? She’s awesome.