A new Hyrule Warriors game is on the way, serving as a prequel of sorts for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Both Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom are getting Nintendo Switch 2 versions, and The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker is one of the first games set for the Nintendo Switch Online GameCube app. But this Zelda spinoff is a brand-new title for Switch 2, fleshing out the story of Tears of the Kingdom.

During the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct, Nintendo confirmed that it was collaborating with Koei Tecmo on Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, a new Hyrule Warriors installment that shows the war against Ganondorf in Hyrule's ancient past. Confirmed playable characters in Age of Imprisonment include Zelda, Rauru, and Mineru. Other ancient sages will likely appear in the game as playable characters as well. Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment will be released for the Nintendo Switch 2 this winter.

What We Know About The New Hyrule Warriors Game

Game Will Show War Against Ganondorf, Set In Ancient Hyrule

The Hyrule Warriors franchise is a 1 vs. 1000 "musou" style game in which players control heroes against hordes of villains. Players usually have to take a number of bases on maps, with bosses appearing on the map once certain conditions are met. The last Hyrule Warriors game, Age of Calamity, was a prequel game that followed the war between Hyrule and Calamity Ganon that served as a precursor to Breath of the Wild. Similarly, Age of Imprisonment will show the war between the Hyrule/Zonai alliance and Ganondorf that was briefly shown in memories during Tears of the Kingdom.

Although Age of Imprisonment appears to be fully set in the past, it's likely that the game's story will adopt a similar plot device bringing characters from the present day and mess with the Zelda timeline in some way. It seems hard to believe that any Hyrule Warriors game would have Link totally absent. However, so far, neither Link nor any other present-day Zelda character (save for Zelda herself) has appeared in the new trailer.

Our Take: A Glorious Return To Hyrule

New Hyrule Warriors Game Looks Stunning And Brings Back Popular Era Of Hyrule For Another Round Of Action

While we still don't know much about the new Hyrule Warriors installment, previous games captured the feel of Hyrule during the Age of Calamity while adding to the Zelda canon. We expect that Age of Imprisonment will have a similar feel, with big epic battles and a few twists and surprises. We're not expecting a game that strictly adheres to Zelda canon, but it would be great if Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment continued to build out the world of Zelda and revealed new secrets and ideas rather than just cash in on the Legend of Zelda franchise.

Source: Nintendo of America/YouTube