How the other half lives: Play as the villains in free Hyrule Warriors DLC

By Will Fulton September 18, 2014

Hyrule Warriors screenshot 7 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Read our full Hyrule Warriors review.

Nintendo has announced that a free DLC pack for Hyrule Warriors will add the game’s three main villains as playable characters. Starting on October 16 in Europe (no date has yet been confirmed for North America), you will be able to assume the roles of the dark witch Cia, the dragon knight Volga, and the ring-turned-sorcerer (yes, a ring that turned into a sorcerer) Wizzro, each featuring their own abilities, weapons, and skills.

A post on NeoGAF has provided additional information about the game’s DLC plan, which hits Japan on September 30, from the Tecmo Koei Tokyo Game Show presentation. As an added perk, pre-ordering all of the scheduled DLC packs (Master Quest, Twilight Princess, Majora’s Mask, and Ganon Pack) will net you a bonus Dark Link costume.

Hyrule Warriors takes the massive infantry battles of Tecmo Koei’s Dynasty Warriors series and fills it with the beloved characters of Nintendo’s long-running Zelda franchise. We think it’s a lot of fun, and the planned additions of more characters, maps, and modes will only improve what is already a delightful game.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Will Fulton is a New York-based writer and theater-maker. In 2011 he co-founded mythic theater company AntiMatter Collective…

Gaming

Cadence of Hyrule is the first truly amazing Zelda spinoff

cadence of hyrule review impressions 1

Cadence of Hyrule is truly a remarkable accomplishment. Third-party developers, namely Capcom, have made wondrous mainline Zelda games -- but Cadence of Hyrule isn't that. Brace Yourself Games, an indie studio best known for Crypt of the NecroDancer, has created a top-down Zelda game that plays markedly different than the mainline games while retaining the almost otherworldly magic of the franchise. Cadence of Hyrule combines the brilliant rhythm gameplay from Crypt of NecroDancer, complete with remixed Zelda tunes and a rogue-lite infused spin on classic The Legend of Zelda adventuring. A fresh, outstanding take on one of the most iconic video game franchises around, Cadence of Hyrule is one of the best games of 2019.

Officially titled Cadence of Hyrule: Crypt of the NecroDancer featuring The Legend of Zelda, it's no surprise Brace Yourself Games' latest game borrows plenty from its breakout hit. Crypt of the NecroDancer's protagonist, Cadence, is at the center of the story. Over in Hyrule, the villainous Octavo uses the Golden Lute to put the king, Zelda, and Link in a deep sleep. The Triforce then lures Cadence to Hyrule. From there, you get to choose whether to awaken Link or Zelda as a playable character (both are eventually playable). Your chosen hero has to slay four champions located in dungeons scattered across Hyrule to gain entrance into Hyrule Castle for a battle against Octavo.
A Hyrule musical
The moment-to-moment journey across Hyrule is what makes Cadence of Hyrule so satisfying to play. Borrowing from NecroDancer, Link's (or Zelda's) movements are linked to the rhythm of the soundtrack, represented by a Triforce in the bottom-center of the screen. If your timing is off, Link will remain in place rather than hop forward. The same goes for certain items such as bombs and arrows, which require you to keep in time with the song. If you played Crypt of the NecroDancer, you'll feel right at home. If not, it'll probably take a little while to get used to.

Computing

Weekend deal: Save $350 on this Alienware gaming PC with RTX 4070

Alienware Aurora R16 sitting on a desk.

The Alienware brand is Dell’s dive into the gaming world, and Dell is coming up big today when it comes to gaming PC deals. The super popular Alienware Aurora R16 gaming desktop with some serious specs is currently discounted at Dell. It’s marked down from $2,050 to $1,700 and amounts to $350 in savings. This is one of the better Alienware deals you’ll find today and we don’t know how long it will last, so click over to Dell to claim the savings while yo can.

Why you should buy the Alienware Aurora R16 gaming desktop
There are a lot of great options when trying to ensure you’re getting one of the best gaming PCs, and with Alienware you know you’ll be getting something you can take seriously. The Alienware Aurora R16 is a gaming desktop that offers ultimate expansion and customization options, and it’s where a lot of gamers turn when they’re looking to take on the best PC games. As built for this deal the Aurora R16 has 32GB of RAM and an Intel i9 processor with 24 cores. This is a lot of power even by gaming standards, and the powerful NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 graphics card with 12GB of its own RAM is part of the package as well.

Gaming

TopSpin 2K25 serves up a fun, but safe tennis simulation revival

Serena Williams plays Tennis in TopSpin 2K25.

The first video game console I ever owned was an original Xbox that came bundled with two games: NCAA Football 2005 and Top Spin. My appreciation for both Madden and tennis games can be traced back to those being two of my first-ever console gaming experiences.

That’s why I was very excited to hear that Mafia 3 developer Hanger 13 and publisher 2K were bringing the Top Spin tennis series back with TopSpin 2K25 after a 13-year dormancy. Unfortunately, I'm disappointed with how underwhelming the overall product is. Even though it’s the series’ grand return after over a decade, it feels like an extremely iterative sequel to Top Spin 4. It’s certainly approachable, thanks to great tutorials and new meter systems to help players learn proper timing, but TopSpin 2K25's light content offering doesn't make for the strongest opening serve.
Top Spin returns
Developer Hanger 13 hasn’t been coy about the fact that it used 2011's Top Spin 4 as the base to build TopSpin 2K25. Top Spin 4 is a fantastic tennis game that people still play to this day, as it perfected the series’ timing-based gameplay. This isn’t like Mario Tennis Aces, where a special ability can shoot you across the court and hit timing doesn’t matter. TopSpin 2K25 is a true simulation, so learning proper positioning on the court, when to release a button to swing your racket, and how to aim your shot properly are all critical to success.