Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment Is More Brain-Off Fun, and That's Okay

Man, I adore the Musou games. I've got a long history with them, as you may expect after 30 years of playing them, and they fill me with joy. They're like onion rings. Not the proper food, those cheap orange crisps that taste nothing like onions but everything like happiness. They remind me that not everything needs to be world-class to be enjoyable, and that it's okay to just have fun.

I can understand why people want more from games as they gett older and the medium matures, but that doesn't always need to be true. There are an unending number of games released every week at this point, and I don't think it's necessary for every single one to be a mind-altering piece of art. I'll happily take Hyrule Warriors as another excuse to mow down thousands of enemies with fancy-looking abilities, and leave the emotional challenges for something else.

I mean, Age of Imprisonment does have some lovely moments. It shows Zelda in the past, after the fall she had with Link at the beginning of Tears of the Kingdom, and has her meeting and getting to know the people of the past, including Rauru, the ancient king and founder of Hyrule. It's really interesting watching these characters interact and seeing Zelda navigate a land when she knows what's going to happen.

Gameplay is actually more in-depth than in the last couple of Hyrule Warriors games, too. When fighting off bosses, you now have to pay attention to the kinds of attacks they're using in order to counter them with specific kinds of specials, opening them up to brutal counterattacks. You can even switch characters to do so occasionally, and have them utilise amazing duo-attacks to obliterate bosses of all kinds.

In between missions, you get to upgrade characters using materials you've collected during missions, level up your weapons, and take on side quests, too. It's a little bit of a break in between the messy art of destruction that Hyrule Warriors does so well, but honestly, who cares? I like the meta-progression, sure, but I know what I'm here for, and it's flashy combos.

I don't think these games are for everyone, and I don't think they need to push the envelope or advance the art form of video games. Sometimes you want junk food, and to me, that's what these games are. Are they healthy? No. Do they need to be? Also no. I don't always want moderation and good choices; sometimes I want to blow off some steam and just send a bunch of dudes flying with weapons that are made of light. Sometimes I want bombast and spectacle. Hyrule Warriors gives me those things in a Zelda skin, and while I do think we could get more features and a little more depth, I don't really need it to enjoy these games for what they are: fun.