The Legend of Zelda spinoff Hyrule Warriors series takes the puzzle-solving, item-scavenging, dungeon-crawling formula, tosses it out and boils it down to pure action. Now Hyrule Warriors Legends shrinks the concept down to pocket-size while retaining the sprawling vistas and screen-filling armies of baddies on the Wii U version. More than a simple handheld port of a bigger game, the new version captures everything great about the original and piles on more characters, levels and attacks to make it even better.
Game: Hyrule Warriors Legends
Consoles: 3DS (reviewed)
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Koei Tecmo Games
Release Date: March 25
Developer Koei Tecmo works from its Dynasty Warriors template to capture the colossal, frenetic battles of that series and fuse it with memorable Zelda tropes such as bomb-throwing, giant, weak spot-toting bosses and trademark musical cues. You take to the fields of Hyrule as Link, Zelda or Midna, riding to victory on Epona as you obliterate enemies and unleash the holy hell of special attacks you build up and enhance as your experience level rises.
The several expansion packs that followed up the Wii U release make appearances here, and are followed up with several new faces, including Toon Link of Wind Waker fame, as well as other semi-obscure characters including King Daphnes and Tetra, as well as a new, female version of Link dubbed Linkle. The roster is expected to expand throughout the coming months with more expansions. You can swap between any character on the fly by quickly toggling an on-screen face prompt, and juggle your items and attacks with touch screen menu taps. Tight and efficient, the interface makes it easy to keep your wits about you as you face swarms of bad guys.
Even though the emphasis is on action, there are plenty of RPG elements to make this feel like a Zelda game. You still round up rupees to bolster your wallet, spending your cash on upgrades, items and craft badges, and find hearts to refill your health. There is also a semi-annoying fairy who follows you around, talking your ear off while giving you pointers on how to win battles more efficiently or where to go and what to do to advance the story.
Hyrule Warriors Legends is a thoroughly solid 3DS action-RPG hybrid, but unless you own a New 3DS XL, you may want to hold off. The game was made with the newer, faster version of Nintendo’s handheld in mind, rendering the game sluggish on the basic system. As good a reason as any to upgrade to a newer 3DS, Hyrule Warriors Legends is an impressive accomplishment on the pocket-sized system.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGDEUPZNlh8
ORDER: Hyrule Warriors Legends here
Hyrule Warriors Legends Reviews Around The Web:
“There’s plenty of depth to be found in every characters’ movesets especially with their range-shifting mechanics, but it still feels like a bare-bones experience.” –GameLuster
“I’m extremely impressed with the volume of content, and new elements like My Fairy makes things even better.” –Famitsu
“It runs like garbage on the old 3DS.” –The Outer Haven
Hyrule Warriors Legends Screenshots
The publisher provided a review copy.
