New Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment Video Teases Zelda Lore Connections

Back in April, several games were announced for Nintendo Switch 2, including titles from Nintendo itself, as well as third-party studios. In the weeks since, Nintendo’s official YouTube channel has hosted a number of “Creator’s Voice” videos, allowing the developers behind these games to unveil new details and background information. The latest of these videos focuses on Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, the third entry in the Zelda spin-off series. In the new Creator’s Voice, Koei Tecmo’s Ryota Matsushita and Yosuke Hayashi talked about the Switch 2 game, and how it will connect to The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.

A previously established, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment will help to fill in the gaps regarding Princess Zelda’s time stuck in the past. While Tears of the Kingdom offered some hints about the character’s journey, as well as her conflicts with Ganondorf, Age of Imprisonment should give Nintendo and Koei Tecmo a chance to flesh out the narrative. The game will allow players to actually participate in the Imprisoning War, and today’s video hints that players will “get to know the four masked Sages.” Readers can check out the video below.

It will be interesting to see just how much Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment actually connects to the Zelda lore and offers new details. It’s worth noting that Nintendo previously built up Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity as a prequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, only for players to discover that the game existed in an alternate timeline. It’s possible we could see a similar bait and switch with the Nintendo Switch 2 game, but there’s no way of knowing for certain.

Regardless of the game’s connection to Zelda canon, it does look like Age of Imprisonment will feature some big improvements over the previous Hyrule Warriors games. Matsushita notes that “Nintendo Switch 2 has made it possible to include lots of enemies in our Warriors games,” which adds “to the realism and excitement of the battlefield.” One of the most common complaints about Age of Calamity is that the game’s performance left a bit to be desired. It seems that the more powerful Switch 2 hardware will allow companies like Koei Tecmo to offer smoother experiences than we’ve seen on the current Switch.

RELATED: Nintendo Switch 2 Hands-On: The Successor I’ve Spent Years Waiting For

Unfortunately, those hoping for a release date in today’s video are out of luck. Nintendo has not confirmed when we can expect to see Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, outside of a vague “winter” release window. That’s been the case though for all first-party Switch 2 games outside of Mario Kart World, Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour, and Donkey Kong Bananza. Hopefully we’ll start to get some firm release dates for all of the first-party games confirmed so far, including Drag x Drive, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, Pokemon Legends: Z-A, and Kirby Air Riders.

How do you feel about this new video for Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment? Are you looking forward to the game’s release on Nintendo Switch 2? Share your thoughts with me directly on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!