As excited as I am at the announcement of Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, there is one important change that I hope it makes from Age of Calamity. The last Hyrule Warriors game included a major twist that reshaped it entirely, but this same approach would not benefit Age of Imprisonment. Instead, the game should avoid including this kind of dramatic plot point, especially as its basic premise has more than enough appeal already.

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment was one of the many new point on the timeline for Age of Imprisonment to explore.

Hyrule Warriors: Age Of Calamity Wasn’t A True BOTW Prequel

A Time Travel Plot Inherently Changed The Events Of The Past

However, it is important to note that despite being clearly marketed as a prequel to BOTW, in truth Age of Calamity was something entirely different. Terrako's time travel, the inciting incident of the entire game's plot, means that the timeline that AoC follows diverges immediately from the original events that would have led to BOTW; a significant twist. Later events, notably including the saving of the four Champions by their future counterparts, only exacerbate this, with AoC ultimately only complicating the Zelda timeline even more.

Of course, this approach has both strong positives and negatives. A game that accurately followed the events leading up to BOTW would have been very depressing, and the survival of the Champions is a powerful moment. But on the other hand, the diverging timeline means that outside of a few broad assumptions about the Hyrule depicted, the game does little to explain the true events of BOTW's Calamity, which was a disappointing realization for many in its own right.

Age Of Imprisonment Should Not Warp Its Premise

The Next Hyrule Warriors Game Can Still Succeed Without Changing The Imprisoning War

As it stands, AoI appears to follow the events outlined in TOTK, as evidenced by its own trailer describing it as "the story leading into" the open-world game. Of course, given the example set by AoC, this in itself is no guarantee that the new title will actually be a true prequel. Nevertheless, I believe that it would be for the best if the game does take this path. Not only would this avert the disappointment that AoC brought with it, but altering the timeline could easily prove to be disastrous for the established canon of TOTK.

Unlike AoC and the Great Calamity, TOTK's own past events are already firmly rooted in time travel. Zelda's journey to the past is a direct result of her encountering Ganondorf sealed below Hyrule Castle, a fate the Demon King arguably only endured as a result of her actions in the past. As a result, Zelda's story in TOTK establishes a time loop that is essential to both that game and Hyrule's very existence. Altering this story instead of merely expanding upon it could, therefore, be disastrous for Hyrule, or even create an entirely unnecessary paradox.

Paralleling AoC, the most obvious change that AoI could make would be Sonia surviving Ganondorf's assassination attempt. However, the loss of her Secret Stone would still need to occur for him to become the Demon King, and there is no immediately obvious way for the events to change without an additional time travel element to the plot. Zelda using time magic could be used to justify this, but again making these changes to the plot would arguably only complicate events on the whole.

A Straightforward Prequel To TOTK Could Still Surprise People

TOTk Left Plenty Of Space For A New Game To Explore Rauru's Hyrule

Furthermore, I am confident that AoI does not need to change the events of the Imprisoning War to have an engaging story. There are already plenty of TOTK mysteries that Age of Imprisonment could resolve, and these solutions would undoubtedly have the potential to surprise people. Between the Zonai and the still largely mysterious world of this ancient Hyrule, the game having an inescapable outcome does not mean that reaching that point would not be a thoroughly enjoyable experience. Ultimately, it does not need to invoke a similar twist to that of AoC.

The death of Sonia aside, the Imprisoning War is already a far more hopeful story than that of the Great Calamity (including Ganondorf being defeated), which I feel greatly lessens the appeal of altering its narrative.

Creating an alternate timeline allowed Age of Calamity to create a triumphant story out of what was originally a tragedy, although this came at the cost of distorting its version of the Great Calamity. However, I feel that similarly altering the events of the Imprisoning War in Hyrule Warrior: Age of Imprisonment would do little to actually improve the experience. Not only would any significant changes move the game away from its presented nature as a prequel, but Zelda's adventure in the distant past already has an incredible amount of potential regardless.