Read our full Hyrule Warriors review.
Longtime Zelda fans should be unsurprised to see that the franchise’s biggest bad, Ganondorf, will be playable in the upcoming Nintendo/Tecmo Koei collaboration for Wii U, Hyrule Warriors. Wielding two huge swords, Ganondorf will likely be a heavy-hitting bruiser with powerful magic, if his Smash Bros. performances are any indication.
Club Nintendo members who buy and register the game within four weeks of launch will be treated to a set of downloadable alternate costumes for Ganondorf. Nintendo will share more information in the future about other bonus costume packs that will be available as pre-order bonuses from various retailers.
Hyrule Warriors will take the massive battles of Tecmo Koei’s long-running Dynasty Warriors franchise and infuse them with the beloved characters and settings of The Legend of Zelda. In addition to Ganondorf, players will be able to enter battle as a wide range of Zelda characters, including Impa, Princess Ruto, Sheik, Darunia, Fi, Princess Zelda, and of course Link. Battles will rage across a variety of familiar locations, from Skyward Sword‘s Skyloft to Ocarina of Time‘s Lake Hylia. Franchise stable weapons like the hookshot and bombchus will be available, as well as a guest appearance from another Nintendo favorite, the Chain Chomp. More weapons with accompanying special abilities will unlock for each character as the story mode progresses.
Local co-op matches will be possible with one player on the TV and a second using the Wii U’s gamepad screen. In addition to the story, Nintendo has also announced Adventure Mode, in which players can conquer a grid of challenges that look like the original NES Legend of Zelda map for more unlockable characters and weapons.
You can learn more details and see the game in action in a recent Nintendo Direct video. Hyrule Warriors comes out on September 26 exclusively for Wii U.
