Link’s Complicated Role in Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment Explained

For years, The Legend of Zelda series has nearly always centered on Link. Though Zelda’s name was in the title, she didn’t get to shine as a main playable character until The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom. Before that, she shared the spotlight with Link in games like Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity. But with the newest Hyrule Warriors game, Link is nowhere to be seen in trailers and promos. Zelda is our main character here once again, but with Hyrule Warriors having so many playable options, fans might wonder whether we’ll see Link again.

The short answer to whether Link is playable in Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment is no. But the actual, in-depth answer is a bit more complicated than that. Link does appear very briefly in the opening cutscene, before Zelda finds herself transported across time. And that brief scene turns out to be the key to a character that isn’t Link, but certainly feels a lot like him. Be warned, there will be some mild spoilers below if you’re not very far into Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, so proceed with caution.

Link Isn’t Playable In Hyrule Warriors, But He Also Kind of Is

In the opening of Age of Imprisonment, we watch a Korok stumble upon and accidentally activate a construct. Soon enough, we learn that Korok is a traveller known as Calamo. And he has decided to join up with the Mysterious Construct (labeled as ??? in early appearances). The Construct, like someone else we know, doesn’t speak. But it does use a sword and shield, with a fighting style that will feel a little familiar to anyone who’s picked up the Master Sword.

So, while Link himself didn’t make the journey to the past with Zelda, Hyrule Warriors did give us a similar character in the Mysterious Construct. This sword-wielding entity isn’t quite a Link clone, as it also has technological abilities from its construct status. But even so, its role in the story and on the battlefield certainly feel like a reminder of Link.

But why, exactly, is this construct so much like the quiet and steadfast Link? There is a story reason for it, but you’ll have to play through far enough to see Zelda and the Mysterious Construct finally meet face to face to find out.

Why The Mysterious Construct Seems Like Link, But Isn’t Mentioned in Later Games

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If you think having Calamo and the Mysterious Construct in this game feels like a plot hole, don’t worry. Though these two don’t appear in Tears of the Kingdom flashbacks, there’s a reason for that. We learn that their records have been erased from history quite intentionally, to make sure no one learns of the powerful Zonai constructs that can so easily wreak havoc when in the wrong hands. This is largely due to the Mysterious Construct’s in-game alter-ego, an evil Construct imbued with darkness by Ganondorf himself.

So if one Construct is imbued with darkness, what makes the Mysterious Construct act so much like Link? Zelda spots this as soon as she meets the machine. The glowing thing that Calamo found, which activated the construct, is a piece of the Master Sword. One that chipped off when Link and Zelda fell during that initial cutscene. Given that the Master Sword is bound to Link’s spirit, it makes sense that a construct with such a shard at its core would act like the hero.

In this way, the game gives us a nod to the typical hero of The Legend of Zelda, even if he wasn’t truly present during the Imprisoning War. It’s a fun bit of storytelling that comes together nicely at the end of the main story in Age of Imprisonment, and it’s well worth playing through to experience it.

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