Nintendo Direct Conference Reveals Tons of Hyrule Warriors Info

Hey, remember when we first saw Hyrule Warriors?  A bunch of people were excited, a bunch of people were disappointed or anxious, but everyone agreed it needed a better name. Heck, at the time they just had “Hyrule Warriors” as a filler title for something more official, but while it’s not a great name it certainly encapsulates the game neatly: it is Dynasty Warriors, set in Hyrule.  A recent Nintendo Direct conference reveals just how similar the game is with its legacy, and how deep it delves into the Legend of Zelda.

I’ve included the whole conference just below.  It’s nearly half an hour long, but well worth watching if you’re dying for more information.  Otherwise, I’ve got it summarized.



So Hyrule Warriors, from a gameplay standpoint, is more Dynasty Warriors than Legend of Zelda.  You control a hero, you capture keeps across a large battlefield, and try to turn the tide of battle in favor of the forces of good.  Sometimes a boss monster will appear, and you’ll have to take that down before you can claim victory, but otherwise it’s fairly straightforward Dynasty Warrior’s fare.  Mind you, there are still some stark Zelda elements mixed in—finding the location of new items hidden in chests require some looking around, many bosses require using items you just got to exploit their weaknesses, and getting around the battlefield will require blowing up boulders, scaling walls with hookshots, and hitting switches with arrows.

Each of the Twelve characters--Link, Zelda, Impa, Fi, Lana, Agitha, Darunia, Ruto, Midna, Sheik, Zant, Ghirahim, and Ganondorf (spoiler)—have their own unique moves, weapons, and items.  You can either find them in the battlefield or in a new mode called “Adventure Mode”, where you travel the world like a 8-bit Zelda game, entering a 3D battlescape whenever you find monsters to fight.   You can also craft “badges” with items you find in battle, which can be used to buff your character and improve their statistics.   Characters level up as you use them.

Additionally, the game will have co-op, but it won’t be split-screen: one player will take the Wii Pad while the other will use a traditional Wii-Mote and the TV screen.  Nintendo warned the resolution would be slightly worse to accommodate the added action, but promised it would be every bit as fun as single-player.

Oh, and there are preorder bonuses.  In case new costumes based off Ocarina of Time, Twilight Princess or Skyward Sword are a make-or-break feature for you.  No details on how to get them quite yet, however.

So there you have it—a big ol’ information dump on the next Legend of Zelda game, sort of.  Personally I’m all excited for it, but it seems that puts me in the minority.  A minority of people who actually like Dynasty Warriors, I guess.