The Age of Imprisonment Faces a Major Challenge

I’m diving right in here. So, late 2025, what’s dropping? The next Zelda game, “Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment.” Weird, right? No idea why it takes me back to those lazy afternoons playing on my old Switch, but here we are. Anyway, it’s meant to be a prequel to “Tears of the Kingdom,” and I think—I mean, I hope—it’s hitting the Nintendo Switch 2. Man, the nostalgia is wild with this one. Something about exploring the time right after the founding of Breath of the Wild’s Hyrule in this game feels like finding an old diary in your attic.

Speaking of, there are more questions than answers on this one. Nintendo casually mentioning it’ll be canon? Sketchy, especially after “Age of Calamity” kind of jumbled things with their twist on timelines. Link’s role? Totally up in the air. Was he supposed to be in Tears of the Kingdom’s past? Who knows. And characters—we’re talking a mix or just a mashup from “Age of Calamity”? Could go either way, honestly.

Alright, backtrack with me for a sec. The focus on making the characters feel fresh, yeah? Like, it can’t be a rehash of Age of Calamity. Otherwise, what are we doing here? Getting the same vibe but with different costumes? They need to walk that line between familiar and fresh, which… sounds like a lot of pressure.

Okay, so Zelda—Princess Zelda, I mean—she’s gotta be a big deal. Like the anchor that keeps the ship from floating away into the chaotic sea of prequels. If she’s just wielding the same moves as before? Missed opportunity! Let her flex those Sage powers instead. Make us feel like we’re stepping back in time, not just re-spinning the wheel. I don’t know. Maybe it’s just me, but when a game tries to feel distinct and then it mirrors another? You notice, and it sticks.

Now, let’s circle back to these Sages. Could be risky business. Expectations are sky-high and “Tears of the Kingdom” didn’t dig deep into their stories, so there’s room to fill these narrative gaps with some fresh juice. But if they fall into the shadows of those legendary Champions—Mipha, Daruk, I’m looking at you—it’s gonna be a tight squeeze for them. They really need to shine like their own constellation in the Zelda universe.

And there’s that double whammy from “Age of Calamity”—past and present Champions jostling for the spotlight. The Sages here? They need to create their own legacies. If they pull in new Sages from Tears of the Kingdom as surprise unlockables, well, buckle up. This could either crash or soar. Fingers crossed they’ve packed it with all the right stuff to make hearts beat and players thrilled.

Yeah, that’s my two cents. Or was it rambling? Either way, let’s see where these games take us. Feels like it’s gonna be a journey.