Crossovers have worked well in Omega Force’s favor. Not only have they allowed them to market to a different demographic, they also allow them to innovate/change their formula to match the franchise. Fist of the North Star: Ken’s Rage allowed them to get more into one-on-one battles and more brutality, where as One Piece Warriors attempted to utilize each character unique attributes on and off the battlefield. In the case of Hyrule Warriors Legends, it’s a massive unexpected departure from what we’ve come to expect from a Legend of Zelda game, but that’s not a bad thing either. With fun costumes, a plethora character across a number of titles and some Zelda mechanics, is Hyrule Warriors Legends a must or does it sound better on paper than practice?
Hyrule Warriors Legends tells the story of a new evil attacking Hyrule and you need to stop them across different time periods and lines. Even though its not the deepest adventure or even that original of a concept, it still offers enough to keep most fans interested. In addition to the base story included in the original, Legends adds an epilogue that covers the new characters. These add new enemies, stages, characters and more, so even if you played the original, there is still something new to see.
As for the gameplay, well, it’s a Dynasty Warriors game. The core gameplay is the same as its always been. There is a normal attack button, heavy attack button and every character has a variety of combos you can perform by alternating between the two. There is also a special attack, something of a super mode, block, dodge, etc. The enemies, while vast in numbers, remain pretty stupid. Most of them will die without putting up a fight, with bosses requiring more effort.
Not only do they have shielding, unique attacks and possibly special attacks, some of them have mechanics that you need to solve to take them down. Like you need to make the first giant enemy eat your bombs to do damage to him. While its not much, these small touches are a nice way of incorporating the iconic puzzle mechanics to a straightforward game like this. It’s also nice to see common gameplay items, such as bombs, being used in a similar way, such as destroying rocks.
As you progress through the story you’ll receive materials used to upgrade your character, along with new weapons. These weapons will have different stats, making them useful for progressing through the game. You can also explore adventure mode to unlock additional items.
Now adventure mode is welcome change of pace for the basic game. While the gameplay remains relatively the same, you’re given various challenges you need to complete. These could be defeating a number of enemies within a time frame, doing something and things of the like. The nice thing about this is, even though you’re doing the same thing, you’re going about it a different way. Plus all the menus are a nice homage to the original game.
Even though Hyrule Warriors Legends removed some things, such as challenge mode and two characters, it features a new mode called My Fairy. Here you can interact with your fairy companion by feeding, dressing or just interact with her. By doing this she will gain various perks, powers and what have you to aid you on the battlefield. Sadly its not that deep of a mode, though it still offers a nice change of pace from the basic gameplay.
Verdict
Hyrule Warriors Legends is exactly what you’d expect it to be. For better or worse, it’s a Dynasty Warriors game with some Zelda flare. Even though some things were removed in the port, it still has enough content to make it worthwhile. Plus the new content is sure to please fans and newcomers alike. Combine this with the included code that adds some of the new content to the old game and you have a pretty good value.
[Editor’s Note: Hyrule Warriors Legends was reviewed on New 3DS platform. The game was provided to us by the publisher for review purposes.]