A new Hyrule Warriors is coming this winter that ties into Tears of the Kingdom

By George Yang Published April 2, 2025

During the April 2025 Nintendo Direct, Nintendo announced Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment for Nintendo Switch 2, coming Winter 2025. It’s a prequel to Tears of the Kingdom and is a follow up to 2020’s Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity.

Nintendo only teased at the story, but it looks to reflect the darker tones of Tears of the Kingdom in the same way that Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity mirrored Breath of the Wild. Zelda will take a central role, and the trailer shows not only the princess but also King Rauru carving through swaths of enemies. As stated in the trailer, the events of Age of Imprisonment lead directly into Tears of the Kingdom.

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisionment — Image used with permission by copyright holder

This project is another collaboration with developer Koei Tecmo, who worked with Nintendo for Age of Calamity. As for the gameplay, players should expect musou style combat, which means that characters will be taking on hundreds of enemies at a time in a power-trip fantasy. It’s the kind of sub-genre that Koei Tecmo has been known for in the industry. The most recent example is this year’s Dynasty Warriors: Origins.

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The Switch 2 Direct has also announced some new games for the system, such as Mario Kart World, Drag x Drive, The Duskbloods, and Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour. Some other features include the inclusion of “Nintendo Switch 2 versions” of original Switch games, such as Kirby and the Forgotten Land, both Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, and Pokemon Legends: Z-A. Switch 2 is also getting Nintendo GameCube games through its online subscription.

George Yang is a freelance games writer for Digital Trends. He has written for places such as IGN, GameSpot, The Washington…

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