Today is the day Nerd Lighters! Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is releasing today. I am too ready to pick up my copy tonight. But before I actually download and play the game I want to put down what I’m expecting with this prequel.

To start off, I don’t think anyone was expecting Nintendo to drop a Legend of Zelda game in this year. I mean with all of the really crazy things that have happened in 2020, none of us were expecting this announcement. A lot of us were on the edge of our seats during the Video Game Awards trying to see if there would be any kind of clue about Breath of the Wild 2. But what does Fujibayashi and Aonuma do? They sneak in a prequel and have us Zelda fans losing our minds. The announcement was back in September and we have been trying to gain as much information on this game as possible.

Like the first Hyrule Warriors this is going to be a hack and slash kind of game. So if you’re looking for a typical LoZ game this is not it. However, I am excited for the kind of story they are planning to tell. I mean it’s the prequel of Breath of the Wild. Meaning we’re picking up 100 years before Link is waking up in the Resurrection Shrine. Which means we’re going to see everyone fighting. And I mean everyone: Link, Zelda, the Champions, Hyrule soldiers and the Sheikah warriors.

Second, we’re going to get to see the devastation of the Calamity. In Breath of the Wild, you are dealing with the aftermath of the destruction. You start at 100 years post-Calamity even though Calamity Ganon is still there as Zelda is keeping him at bay, the rest of Hyrule is pretty peaceful depsite having most of their land destroyed. I can’t wait to see how Hyrule was supposed to look. I want to see Castle Town and the Akkala region. I want to see what the stables looked like pre-Calamity. There are so many places I really want to see. I know not every location that was in Botw will be in Hyrule Warriors, but I’m sure the sections of Hyrule we will get to see will be all that we were wanting.

This next point makes me excited and low-key anxious. This game is allowing us the opportunity to fight as the Champions. Which means Urbosa is going to definitely be my main. No doubts about it and I can’t wait to write an article completely dedicated to her. So you see there’s definitely excitement, because we are given a chance to really see how the Champions fight. I am also looking forward to seeing how Mipha is in combat. She strikes me as someone who would play more of a supportive role especially with her gift to Link being Mipha’s Grace, an ability to heal you after you’ve taken a fatal hit. And not going to lie, I want to fight as Revaili. Yes okay I know we’re not supposed to like him, but I am a bow and arrow character at heart. Any RPG I’ve played, I’ve always picked the person who can have a bow and arrow. I love having the ability to pick your opponents off before they see you. That probably won’t be an option in this kind of game, but after watching the trailer which revealed some of the Champion’s in action, I am thoroughly intrigued by Revaili’s fighting style. AND WE GET TO FIGHT WITH THE DIVINE BEASTS! I am too geeked at the type of gameplay I’ll get to experience with the Divinie Beasts. If you haven’t seen the trailer when Nabooris is literally charging through a Yiga clan hideout, you are clearly not paying attention.

I mentioned fighting as a Champion is going to be amazing, but there is a downfall to this. We know what happens at the end. Major spoiler for those who haven’t played Breath of the Wild yet. We know that once everything is said and done, once Calamity Ganon breaks free, we are going to see our beloved Champions fall. They are going to fall and the Divine beast will be taken over by the Blights. It’s going to be such a fierce battle I know that it will be so hard to watch them not get back up. This is also going to be tough watching Link do all he can and still fall. But the shining light both literally and figuratively is Zelda. In this game we will be getting a version of Zelda that appears fearless and in control. I believe this game will allow us to watch how Zelda went from being so depressed about not being able to communicate and harness her powers, to her turning into the queen she had always been.

Here are some other random thoughts I wondered about seeing in the new game. Are we going to see Robbie pining over Zelda? Are we going to see Mipha try to profess her feelings more to Link? Are we going to see Link’s family?????!!! And the Yiga clan, who is the new super ninja?? Is this masked stranger really the fortune-teller? Will we get to see how they betrayed the king? So many questions that will all be answered soon!

Let me know what part of the story you’re most interested in learning about! There will definitely be a follow-up review once I have finished the game. Until then, peace!