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Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity |OT| Calamity Dynasty

StormCell

Member
This isn’t really a spoiler, as it’s in the first scene, and obvious at that, but it has massive consequences for the story.

Shocked to see the mini-Guardian has time-travelled back from the Calamity, with knowledge of it, to warn everyone. This knocks the whole story, and BotW, well off it’s trajectory, and it looks like things are already beginning to change.

I have no idea where this is going, but the ramifications could be huge.

In BotW 2 I bet they send a guardian back in time to stop the fall of Hyrule.

And in Botw3, both sides send guardians back in time: one to kill child Link and the other to protect him!
 
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Damn, this game is addictive. I spent 5 hours on it in one sitting yesterday, almost forgot to eat, I can't remember when was the last game that did that to me.

I'll have to take back what I said about Link's spears: so far I think it's one of my favourite movesets.

I also just unlocked Hestu, but I have no idea what I'm doing with him, can someone explain his moveset? Like, his RL seems to summon Koroks, but they don't attacks with you like Impa's clones, at one point they started to throw a bunch of crap at the enemies but I have no idea how I did it...
 
Just unlocked an optional character about 10 main missions into the game, according to the bottom-left of the loading screen. Up until this point I've been completely enamored with Impa's playstyle, but this new character is giving her a run for her money.

The "character" is the Great Fairies, and they're pretty amazing
 

Heimdall_Xtreme

Jim Ryan Fanclub's #1 Member
Im gonna play it in January when i come to Mexico City.

I already pre-order the game and will come to my house in 1 month.
 

Zenaku

Member
Near the end of the game now, I think, at 21 hours.

Loving it. I like musou games anyway, but this really feels like BotW without the weapon degradation and a slightly faster moveset. Hopefully Nintendo take note.

Cutscenes are great, have me wondering who handled them (Koei or Nintendo) and while I wasn't too thrilled about some deviations from BotW (and hope nothing is directly canon) I've still been enjoying it.

Hopefully the ending won't betray the positive feelings I have so far.
 
The framerate is still horrible in the full game. As Impa, it would routinely go into the single digits during flurry attacks while your shadow clones are out. It's insane.
 
Just unlocked an optional character about 10 main missions into the game, according to the bottom-left of the loading screen. Up until this point I've been completely enamored with Impa's playstyle, but this new character is giving her a run for her money.

The "character" is the Great Fairies, and they're pretty amazing
If we're talking about the same (10 main missions in, had to do a quest to unlock a few side missions where you unlock them in the final one), they're a hard pass for me. The first character(s) I don't like playing as.
~edit: didn't see the spoiler'd part before posting, yeah, we were talking about the same. My main issue is they're HUGE and eat everything thrown at them, making Wizzrobes or even groups of octoroks a pain, without having the insane AoE and full invulnerability during combo attacks the Great Fairy had in the first HW. I'll give them more tries once I've unlocked more combos but so far I can't see myself enjoying their gameplay at all, unless I'm missing something super obvious.
 
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If we're talking about the same (10 main missions in, had to do a quest to unlock a few side missions where you unlock them in the final one), they're a hard pass for me. The first character(s) I don't like playing as.
~edit: didn't see the spoiler'd part before posting, yeah, we were talking about the same. My main issue is they're HUGE and eat everything thrown at them, making Wizzrobes or even groups of octoroks a pain, without having the insane AoE and full invulnerability during combo attacks the Great Fairy had in the first HW. I'll give them more tries once I've unlocked more combos but so far I can't see myself enjoying their gameplay at all, unless I'm missing something super obvious.
Yeah, their size takes some getting used to and results in getting hit more, but the sheer amount of AOE damage and CC capabilities make them extremely good in my opinion. The 4 Light to Strong attack is a literal room clearer, and even gobbles up bosses for a few seconds which allows you to follow up with even more.
Having said that, I'm currently on the honeymoon phase with the next character lol, but the Great Fairies are still my backup for now.
 
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-Arcadia-

Banned
Love the game but definitely disappointed with the frame rate.
Switch should do better than this

And the resolution in handheld. I brought down a fireball and was sent to the PS1 days, lol.

It’s kind of surprising, as Fire Emblem Warriors and OG Hyrule Warriors (port) felt like a real step up into solid performance and good looks.

I’m going to guess that duplicating all the interactivity and giant vistas of BotW + the sheer numbers of Warriors, had a cost.

I’m kind of fine with it? I don’t know. I like what this game is doing, and if that was the cost, so be it. One thing’s for sure, any potential Switch Pro is going to dramatically, generationally transform this game, at least in handheld (which is all I’ve played so far).
 

-Arcadia-

Banned
Downloaded this tonight. I expected another Dynasty Warriors with a Zelda coat of paint (as awesome as that was).

I’m kind of shocked that this just slots in so naturally for BotW fans. I mean, it’s still a combat game, but it’s done just about everything possible to make aforementioned fans feel right at home. It really does feel like part of the saga.

Speaking of, it’s also wonderful to be in all these places before they were destroyed. Kind of adds even more of a somber, good-days-gone-by feel to BotW.
 

Zenaku

Member
Finished the game at 22 hours. Loved the ending, and enjoyed it all round, although the fact I beat it in 3-4 days when I have a 2-300 game backlog shows how good a time I had.

Performance wise I stopped caring about the framerate a few stages in, though I don't recall seeing single digit framerates. Moving high-speed with certain attacks was a bit disorientating at first though, till I got used to them.

One thing I dislike about the game is the unlocking restrictions on challenge missions. I was looking for a way to clear skills off weapons throughout the whole game, and it ended up being gated behind a lv14 challenge mission. Likewise there are challenges that increase the healing effect of apples, which would have came in handy in the later stages, as I constantly ran through my healing items with certain enemies and bosses, but they seem to be gated behind random stuff as well.

The only prerequisites should be main missions and the previous challenge in the same category (heal upgrade leads to the next heal upgrade, equipment slot upgrade leads to equipment skill clearing upgrade, etc). If I ever decide to clear save data and start over I'll have to look through a guide just to check how to unlock certain upgrades, which is just really unintuitive.
 

Ceadeus

Member
I bought it Saturday. I really liked their first Hyrule Warriors, this one is no exception. It's a full on BoTW love letter. Other than the framerate, I really appreciate the gameplay as there is tons to do, it's just good fun all around.
 

Zenaku

Member
Waddayamean you "finished the game"? Just the story or what?

I'm 120+ hours into Hyrule Warriors and not even remotely close to finishing it entirely! :lollipop_anxious_sweat:
I mean the main story, with some of the side content. Although my game says I've completed 25.49% of the map, and with all that's left being shorter side stuff and challenges, I'd be surprised if I pass the 50 hour mark for 100% (barring higher difficulties).

Hyrule Warriors had the benefit of a ton of updates and DLC, so we have to wait and see what they do with AoC.
 
Options -> Gallery -> 5th page.

All gameplay stats are there, including total map completion.
Is this the fifth entry on that tab? It's the only one that still shows as ???, I guess it will only appear later, or even after completing the game...
 

StormCell

Member
Y'all are starting to make me feel like I'm missing out. I will be buying the game, as a gift or stocking stuffer, and wasn't really planning on it being opened until close to Christmas. Sigh...
 

Zenaku

Member
Is this the fifth entry on that tab? It's the only one that still shows as ???, I guess it will only appear later, or even after completing the game...
I'm not sure what entry it is, but it was one of the first ones, labeled 'map completion'. It could be gated behind completion, since I only checked it once before beating the game.
 

lachesis

Member
I had it for a couple days, but hadn't got around to play... Just played a bit - while smoother or stable framerate would have been nice (been playing Nier Automata on XSX Game pass, and it's super smooth) - I may be able to get used to it. With so much things going on around, I find I'm getting lost in the middle of the battles though. :D

Wonder if Switch Pro, if it ever come out 2021 along with BOTW2, will stablize the framerate for this game?
 

jshackles

Gentlemen, we can rebuild it. We have the capability to make the world's first enhanced store. Steam will be that store. Better than it was before.
Been playing for a while now, the game is an absolute treasure. But you guys are right, this frame rate is incredibly bad. To the point that it seems like it was made for better hardware, then scaled down to the Switch.
 

-Arcadia-

Banned
Early on, one thing I’m really feeling is the depth.

Adding on BotW’s whole rune system, plus making the bow actually useful, plus adding in what seems to be three different magical elemental wands (not sure if these will be swapped out for other things as the game goes), plus BotW’s flurry rush, plus BotW’s parries, kind of spoils you for battle choices.

If you mastered Hyrule Warriors, or other Warriors games, not only do you have a whole suite of brand-new characters to learn, but there’s genuinely a ton to master in the systems themselves, and I could see it getting to where someone who has it all down, just rips through everything in the most impressive way.
 

-Arcadia-

Banned
If anyone wanted more details on the framerate, well, it’s not DF, but Gaffers have told me this outfit does good work.




Needless to say it’s a little rough. Bouncing all over the twenties, with wacky frame timing on top of it.

They also had this to say about res:

l3LxFOj.jpg


Yeah...

It’s not the most technically apt game, though I would take care to say it looks good enough, and echoes BotW well. Thankfully enough, it’s also a lot of fun to play.
 
Pfft, they only tested the intro stage. The real test is playing as Impa with all of her shadow clones out. Like I said before: literally single digit framerate at times.

Still a fun game though lol, I was shocked when I saw my current play time of 30 hours. Time flies when playing this game!
 

RoadHazard

Gold Member
The demo of this had terrible performance, I couldn't even make myself sit through all of it. Is the release version as bad? A game like this NEEDS to be smooth. Preferably 60fps, but at the very least a solid 30.
 
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I unlocked a second "secret" character, Monk Maz Koshia... and again, I don't really understand how he works. More specifically, what do the seals under his special bar even do?
 

-Arcadia-

Banned
Just finished the first of the four lands you have to travel to, early on.

❤ that we actually, mind-boggingly get to pilot the Divine Beasts. It was so much fun.

I also was kind of disappointed with the difficulty, so I turned it up to hard, and that just really tied the room together. Everything gelled, and became super-fun, and adrenaline pumping. I really recommend doing that for experienced players who feel like they’re breezing through stuff.

And of course, since I visited the Zora land, mirroring my BotW playthrough, I got the wonderful privilege of fighting a Lynel Richie. Who handed me my first loss in the game. Of course. Lol. It wasn’t as terrifying as BotW, but fighting it on one heart had me pretty close.

I really, really enjoyed it tonight. I always keep the jury out until later, but it feels a lot like the original Hyrule Warriors in having a lot of clunk, but just having such a fun experience, that it just overcomes it all.
 
I unlocked a second "secret" character, Monk Maz Koshia... and again, I don't really understand how he works. More specifically, what do the seals under his special bar even do?
I still feel like I'm missing something with Monk, but from what I gathered:
Summon "artifacts" with your strong combos, destroy them to get a seal. With that seal, you can press R2 to use the giant hammer which does a good amount of damage (especially during those moments when you can break their stamina for a weak point attack), BUT it's better to use the hammers to destroy artifacts, which will deal additional damage when destroyed by the hammer. For instance: the 5 Light to Strong combo summons up 6 balls which, when hit by the hammer, bounce several times and then explode.

As for feeling like I'm missing something: it seems to me like R2 SHOULD be used for more than just the hammer. The game describes R2 as "go supersized" (or something to that effect), but it's only for that one hammer strike. Surely, I must be missing something...
 

-Arcadia-

Banned
Link and polearms is not something that should be slept on. The moves are so awesome. It’s a little like being a stabby Darth Maul.

Loving this more and more. It feels a bit like the original HW in that it’s taking me a while to dial into what the game wants from me, and it’s particular flow, but doing so is more and more rewarding.

Really enjoying all the map screen stuff too. It’s a bit like a menu-based facsimile of BotW, yes, but also like a much less complex version of the original HW’s Adventure Mode, rolled right into the story. It’s neat that you can catch your breath inbetween story chapters with a bunch of little satisfying things, even some battles, or going around visiting vendors.
 

Shaqazooloo

Member
Mipha has surpassed Impa as my favorite character. I find her so fun to play, comboing into her geyser for some extra aerial damage takes quite a huge chunk off enemy hp and overall I like how her moveset flows.
 
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Shaqazooloo

Member
So, as disappointed as I was that the story is heading toward a heroes win scenario, I have to admit, Sidon coming back in time to save Mipha was so hype it cancelled out my disappointment.

I'm completely okay with where they take the story at this point.
 

-Arcadia-

Banned
Re: Major, none-much-bigger story spoilers about how they’ve approached the whole thing:

Yeah, I’m disappointed with what seems to be the alt-reality direction chosen here. It’s still really awesome, because you get more worldbuilding, and a sense of what it was like back then, but this looks like more of a what-if story, than the dark, somber prequel everyone was excited through the roof for.

It’s one of the bigger bait and switches in a while, considering that’s what it was sold as. Personally, I think they should have come out and said from the beginning, what this was.

Perhaps fitting a whole Warriors game into that story, particularly the quieter parts, was just too much? Maybe Nintendo prefers, as it has apparently said before, that the tale remain mostly untold, and people use their imaginations to piece it together? Given the type of tropey, anime-like storytelling Tecmo Koei falls into with these games, that may be for the best as well.

But it is what it is. I always thought a Star Wars story where Anakin didn’t fall, would be the coolest thing, so I’m pretty sure I can enjoy this as well, and I have been.
 
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It’s two button mashing, with combos. It’s fun, if a bit simple. Although, maybe it gets more intense at higher difficulty levels.
 
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Camreezie

Member
The demo of this had terrible performance, I couldn't even make myself sit through all of it. Is the release version as bad? A game like this NEEDS to be smooth. Preferably 60fps, but at the very least a solid 30.
I also struggled with the demo but I was playing it docked. Playing the game handheld I've encountered less problems. There have been a few cases of severe framerate dips though
 

Shaqazooloo

Member
How much depth is there to combat? I’ve heard it is essentially one button mashing and gets repetitive
Its 2 buttons, depending on who you play as it can be a bit more complicated with different mechanics thrown in.

The game does a good job of adding fairly new enemies at you throughout the game and the difficulty at later stages ramps up significantly imo.

I suppose the grind would get repetitive but if you're just playing the game I think it's a blast all the way through.
 

-Arcadia-

Banned
How much depth is there to combat? I’ve heard it is essentially one button mashing and gets repetitive

It looks that way, but I’ve found a nice amount of depth to these games.

Granted, most enemies exist only to look cool when you cut through them, so the criticism is definitely true on that front, but challenge and spice is provided by tougher enemies, a strategic bent where you have to capture many parts of the map and defend them if they begin to fall (a multitasking mind will serve you well), and with allies that can go down.

For this one, make sure you’re playing on hard. This time around, normal is a bit too easy to expose the flavor of the game.

In terms of characters, it’s a bit like an easier-to-grasp fighting game, but primarily based around two or three buttons. There’s all kinds of combos, tricks, and individual abilities for each character, who come off incredibly unique. That’s in addition to Sheikah Slate powers, which every character has a different version of, and optional elemental weapons.

Repetitive? Depends on you. It’s definitely one-note. If you’ve seen one mission, you’ve seen all both Hyrule Warriors games have to offer, outside of some special moments. However, that one note is adrenaline soaked, really fun, and accompanied by light RPG elements, so you’re always progressing becoming capable of more.

I’d give the demo a try, and see what you think.
 

Shaqazooloo

Member
Re: Major, none-much-bigger story spoilers about how they’ve approached the whole thing:


It’s one of the bigger bait and switches in a while, considering that’s what it was sold as. Personally, I think they should have come out and said from the beginning, what this was.
This is the part that still kind of pisses me off, I mean the advertising and reveal propped it up as a prequel with no changed events and they even edited out Riju from a scene in the Champions Unite trailer to keep that illusion. Feels like Nintendo lied about what the game was and i'm little surprised their hasn't been any backlash from this.
 
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