Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity

 is the latest game in. Story wise, it takes place in a parallel timeline to, taking place 100 years prior to the events of that game, during the second HWAoC:.

Chapter 1
At about the same time Zelda's powers manifested in the events of, a small Guardian emerges from a box in Hyrule Castle. As it sees the destruction caused by Calamity Ganon, it opens a portal that will take it back in time, narrowly avoiding a laser from a Guardian Stalker as it passes through. Unknown to it, a part of Calamity Ganon's Malice has also made its way through the portal in pursuit of it. Its action ultimately creates a split in the timeline, and from this point the events of the story form an alternate history.

The Diminutive Guardian emerges in Hyrule Field before the Second Great Calamity began, where King Rhoam is rallying a group of Hylian soldiers (including Link) to drive off an incoming horde of monsters. Link comes across the seemingly inert Guardian in the ensuing battle, but before he can inspect it Impa arrives being pursued by Bokoblins. She stumbles and drops her Sheikah Slate, which causes the Guardian to awaken and raise a Sheikah Tower from underground.

When the battle ends, the Guardian rushes off until it finds Zelda. Zelda notices that the Slate has reacted to the Diminutive Guardian, and discovers that it came from a future in which Ganon reawakened to save her from the Calamity. Link is appointed as Zelda's bodyguard, and the three of them head to the Hateno Ancient Tech Lab at Impa's suggestion to bring the mysterious Guardian to Purah and Robbie. On their way there, part of Ganon's essence possesses a ruined Guardian and attacks Zelda's party. Though initially outmatched, the Diminutive Guardian manages to reactivate other ruined Guardians in the area, breaking the armor of the corrupted Guardian and allowing Link and his allies to destroy it. They eventually reach the Ancient Tech Lab, unaware that they are being watched by another corrupted Guardian- one that eerily resembles the Diminutive Guardian.

Robbie and Purah confirm that the Diminutive Guardian is a previously unknown form of Guardian able to amplify the effects of other ancient technology. They are also able to decode part of its memory, revealing to Zelda the devastation that will occur if the Calamity is not stopped.

Chapter 2
As Korok Forest is cut off by monsters and Zelda's sealing magic has not awakened, King Rhoam sends Link and Zelda to meet with the four candidates selected to pilot the Divine Beasts. With some reluctance, he allows the Diminutive Guardian to accompany them as well.

(The following four segments up until "The Champions Assembled" can occur in any order, as decided by the player.)

Mipha
King Dorephan is reluctant to allow Mipha to pilot the Divine Beast, as he believes it will not be safe for her to go without the knight who seals the darkness. Zelda's protest is cut short by an envoy. Meanwhile, Mipha and Link share a moment together which is similarly interrupted by a warning of a monster attack from Ploymus Mountain that Dorephan is leading an army to intercept. They realize that Prince Sidon is missing and hurry off to look for him. Soon afterwards, Zelda's party finds Sidon trying to fight a Lynel. The Lynel is driven off, allowing Sidon the chance to escape.

Mipha is upset by her brother's recklessness, but cannot help but be proud of his courage. They are interrupted again by the sight of a monster horde approaching Zora's Domain, and in response the Diminutive Guardian summons Vah Ruta for Mipha to pilot. She drives off the invading army, saving Dorephan in the process. After the battle, Dorephan acknowledges that the Zora are not able to hold off the Calamity on their own and gives his permission for Mipha to pilot the Divine Beast.

Revali
Zelda and her party are attacked by Rito warriors under Revali's command, who believe them to be raiders sent to attack Rito Village. Link and Revali prove to be equally matched, but Zelda intervenes in the fight before it can get out of hand.

Zelda's party learns that the village had recently been attacked by an army of monsters led by a Guardian very similar to the Diminutive Guardian, and had thought it had returned to launch a second attack. While Zelda is grateful that neither Link nor Revali was hurt, Impa points out that the presence of a Guardian like the Diminutive Guardian linked to the Calamity is worrisome in its own right. Revali butts in to volunteer his service piloting Vah Medoh and questions Link's competence as a knight. When the Diminutive Guardian chimes in, apparently to insist that it is also a knight serving Zelda, Revali can only grumble.

Daruk
Daruk agrees to pilot Vah Rudania, but warns Zelda and her allies that the path to the Divine Beast is overrun by monsters. He persuades the party to accompany him and wipe out the monster infestation. After an intense series of battles, they reach Vah Rudania, which Daruk pilots to eliminate the monsters on Death Mountain.

Following their victory, Daruk confirms his willingness to pilot Vah Rudania, offering Link a celebratory rock roast.

Urbosa
As the party arrives at Gerudo Town, they are attacked by Gerudo forces seemingly commanded by Urbosa to kill them. Zelda is confused by their unexplainable aggression, but is sure that the Gerudo chief can clear it up.

When they reach Urbosa's palace, she attacks, claiming that she wishes to "thwart their destiny". Before she can strike, however, the real Urbosa appears and exposes the one they had seen as a disguised Master Kohga. Kohga flees after summoning the Yiga Clan to surround the town, and Link's allies fight them off. With Urbosa assisting them, they summon a Molduga to distract the Yiga forces long enough to launch an assault on the Yiga Clan hideout. Kohga is defeated, but his lieutenant Sooga helps him escape.

Urbosa thanks Zelda and her allies for helping her deal with the Yiga Clan, and agrees to pilot Vah Naboris. Meanwhile, Kohga and Sooga are reprimanded for their failure by the dark prophet Astor. He calls upon the corrupted small Guardian seen earlier, which he calls "the harbinger", to show them a vision of the future in which the Great Calamity goes unchecked, and warns that he will not allow the future to be changed.

The Champions Assembled
With her magic still dormant, Zelda dedicates herself to calibrating the Divine Beasts for their pilots' use. However, she is increasingly disheartened by Rhoam's frustration with her lack of progress. On their way through Hyrule Castle Town, they are ambushed by Sooga and the Yiga Clan, who are supported by monsters. The Champions fend off the attack and make their way to the enemy stronghold, only to find that it was a diversion. This leaves Link on his own to battle Sooga, and he ultimately prevents the Yiga second-in-command from assassinating Zelda. Sooga calls for the Yiga to retreat, saying only that the future is fickle.

Chapter 3
King Rhoam commands the Divine Beasts' pilots to find a knight able to wield the sword that seals the darkness, which will first require them to fight off the monsters in Korok Forest. Zelda accompanies them to gather more data to calibrate the Divine Beasts, and Link follows as well. After delivering a few more petty insults towards Link, Revali summons Vah Medoh to eliminate the outposts surrounding the Great Hyrule Forest.

The party enters the forest, where they meet Hestu. The Korok musician agrees to escort them through the woods in exchange for protection against the monsters. After fighting their way past a Stalnox, the party's progress is stymied by a pool of Malice conjured by Astor. They trace the source of the Malice to four Hollows- dark replicas of the Divine Beast pilots composed of Malice. When they are destroyed, the Malice dissipates.

Hestu volunteers to hold off the monsters long enough for Link and Zelda to reach the Master Sword's resting place. They find Astor waiting for them, and he summons the Hollows to attack. The Hollows' combined assault overwhelms Link, but before they can kill Zelda he draws the Master Sword from its pedestal and is able to defeat the Hollows once more. Astor takes matters into his own hands and battles Link himself, but the Master Sword's power forces him to withdraw.

The Great Deku Tree awakens to speak with Zelda, telling her that the Master Sword has chosen Link to wield it and that her own power will awaken in time. With his message delivered, he returns to his slumber.

Even with the Deku Tree's message, Zelda still fears that she may not be able to awaken her power in time. The Diminutive Guardian soothes her by playing Zelda's Lullaby, and she recalls that she has met it once before. However, the realization is cut short by the appearance of monsters blocking the road to Hyrule Castle, which the party fights through.

Zelda reflects on how much stronger Link has become, and Urbosa correctly guesses that she finds herself to be lacking in comparison. The Gerudo champion reassures the princess that Link is no different from who he was before he claimed the Master Sword, and in that respect is just like Zelda herself.

The ceremony is held in which Link, Mipha, Daruk, Revali, and Urbosa are named Champions. The Diminutive Guardian and Impa get into a fight, distracting the princess from her worries for a time.

Chapter 4
Purah's research into the Sheikah Tower reveals the presence of other towers hidden underground, all linked to a control system within Hyrule Castle. The Champions set out to bond the Sheikah Slate with the tower, which will activate the control device.

King Rhoam continues to express his irritation with Zelda's failure to manifest her powers and focus on the relics, but accepts a relic from Zelda that she and her mother believed to have unknown potential and gives her permission to continue studying the ancient technology.

Back at the Yiga hideout, Kohga and Sooga realize that if the Sheikah Towers are activated the Yiga will be exposed. Astor quiets their dissent, reminding them that they will have their parts to play. The corrupted Guardian is revealed to be possessed by Calamity Ganon itself, and Astor declares that he will use it to seize power over all of Hyrule. Sooga warns the prophet that Ganon cannot be controlled by mortals, but his words go unheard.

Link activates the first tower with the Sheikah Slate, triggering the appearance of the other towers across Hyrule. Link and his allies continue to activate the towers until they reach the last one in Akkala. There, they are informed that the Yiga Clan has captured Akkala Citadel. They break through the Yiga's defenses, defeating Sooga again and forcing the Yiga to retreat. With the last tower activated, Purah explains how the towers can provide maps for a region. Urbosa uses the maps to lead a preemptive strike on the Yiga Clan hideout, clearing a path for a follow-up assault. The party confronts Master Kohga and Sooga once more, and the Yiga leaders flee to save themselves after being defeated.

Kohga confronts Astor, demanding to know why he allowed the Yiga to be defeated. Astor merely comments that all is going according to plan, reminding the Yiga that they are bound to serve Calamity Ganon and that Ganon will punish them if they try to harm his chosen seer.

Purah continues to lead research on the Towers, demonstrating their ability to be used for teleportation. Zelda gives her support to further study, but she is troubled by her own lack of progress.

The Guardian's records indicate that Calamity Ganon will return on Zelda's 17th birthday. In the hopes of awakening Zelda's power in time, King Rhoam sends her to train at the Spring of Courage. Zelda's ruminations over her perceived failure are interrupted by a horde of monsters that besieges the spring. They are able to make it out of the spring thanks to Zelda's knowledge of the relics in the area, and Impa chides Zelda for thinking so little of her efforts.

Chapter 5
As nobody younger than 17 is permitted to set foot on Mount Lanayru, Zelda plans to train at the Spring of Wisdom as soon as she comes of age. As the Guardian's memory indicates that this would be the day that Calamity Ganon would awaken, Rhoam makes arrangements for evacuations and deploys the Divine Beasts to prepare for the Calamity's coming.

Robbie and Purah finish analyzing the Diminutive Guardian's memory, only for them to be captured by Yiga spies. Purah manages to slip the Sheikah Slate with the decoded data to the Guardian, which delivers the slate to Zelda just as she leaves for the Spring of Wisdom. It is at that exact moment that the Calamity arrives.

Link, Zelda, and Impa retreat from the castle as the Guardians are possessed one by one by Calamity Ganon. As they reach the exit, King Rhoam saves them from a Guardian attack. He entrusts Link with protecting Zelda at all costs, and stays behind to give them a chance to escape. Zelda is dragged away by Link as three Guardian Stalkers surround the king and his men, and he is seemingly killed by their lasers.

As Calamity Ganon emerges from the castle, Impa shows Zelda the Sheikah Slate, revealing that Ganon has attacked the Divine Beasts. She breaks down in despair, lamenting her inability to awaken the sealing magic. However, the Diminutive Guardian opens a new set of time portals and the party realizes that there is still a chance to stop the Great Calamity.

(The following two sections can be completed in any order, as decided by the player.)

Water and Fire
Daruk fends off Firebight Ganon's fireballs as Mipha struggles against Waterblight Ganon. As the blow that would have killed Mipha in the original timeline is about to land, an adult Sidon bursts out of one of the time portals summoned by the Diminutive Guardian, declaring that he will not lose his sister a second time. At the same time, Yunobo emerges from a second portal just in time to block the attack that would have slain Daruk.

As Vah Rudania is surrounded by lava, Link's party chooses to make their way to Vah Ruta first. Sidon's aid is able to keep Mipha alive long enough for Link and his allies to join them in fighting Waterblight Ganon. Vah Ruta is not at its full strength and so cannot summon enough rain to clear the lava, so Sidon moves ahead to slay the Igneo Talus producing the lava flows. With the Talus dead, Vah Ruta is able to cool down the lava.

Yunobo begins to panic as Fireblight Ganon continues to pressure the two Gorons, but Daruk rallies his spirits with a reminder that Yunobo was supposed to save him. Link and his party arrive, and Fireblight Ganon is destroyed. Daruk thanks both Link and Yunobo for their help, as Sidon explains to Mipha that he is indeed her brother from the future. Zelda then explains what had happened at Hyrule Castle.

Daruk and Yunobo move out to support the Hylian forces at Akkala Citadel, wiping out an army of monsters and Guardians.

Air and Lightning
Despite her best efforts, Urbosa is losing her battle against Thunderblight Ganon. Revali is faring little better against Windblight Ganon, notwithstanding his insistence otherwise. But at the fateful moments in which they would have died, Riju and Teba appear out of the time portals to support their respective Champions.

With Vah Medoh too high in the air to reach, the heroes set their sights on Vah Naboris. Riju and Urbosa are nearly overwhelmed by Thunderblight Ganon, but Link and his allies arrive in time to help defeat it. Riju helps the party clear the path to Vah Medoh, and they arrive to help Revali. Windblight Ganon is bested, but teleports away before it can be killed.

Urbosa thanks Riju for saving her, though the younger Gerudo is sure to ascribe credit to the whole party. Revali on the other hand insists that he would have been just fine on his own, to Teba's surprise. After Zelda tells the Champions about the events at Hyrule Castle, Revali and Teba move out with Vah Medoh to clear the skies around Hyrule Castle. During the onslaught, they confront Windblight Ganon again, ultimately slaying it.

Heroes from the Future
Zelda recalls how Sidon told her that he had a vision of Mipha being attacked by Waterblight Ganon, only to find himself within Vah Ruta with her. She realizes that the Diminutive Guardian was responsible for summoning him and the other future heroes and thanks it for its help. Their next destination is Akkala Citadel, where Robbie has escaped to.

Elsewhere, Astor is harvesting the souls of slain Yiga Clan members to resurrect the Blight Ganons. Kohga and Sooga are outraged by his treachery, and demand that the prophet explain himself. Astor informs them that their enemy has grown strong enough to warrant a change of tactics. Summoning a Hollow of Link to attack them, he declares that they can be useful "for once in their lives" as blood sacrifices for Calamity Ganon. Sooga requests that Kohga escape, but he cannot bring himself to abandon "his favorite lackey". Seeing his master's resolve, Sooga vows to protect Kohga even if it means he must die to do so.

Chapter 6
The defenders of Akkala Citadel are besieged by monsters and Guardians, and it seems as if the stronghold will fall to their assault. Robbie has a feeling that their luck will change, and he is proven right when Vah Ruta arrives. Mipha and Sidon clear the way for Link, Impa, and Zelda to reach the citadel. Mipha leaves the Divine Beast to provide aid to the defenders, and the rest of the party makes their way to Robbie. When they reach him, they fight off a Malice-infused Guardian and destroy the citadel bridge to keep any further monsters from reaching it.

Robbie directs the party to Fort Hateno, where Purah is located. However, it too is under siege. Urbosa and Riju fight off the army of Guardians and monsters occupying Hyrule Field as Link and the others depart. As the seemingly endless swarm draws closer, the other three Divine Beasts appear to reinforce them.

The party rushes to the fort, only to find Astor commanding the invaders. Taunting Zelda over her imminent death, he summons the four Blight Ganons to attack. Link is nearly defeated by their combined power, but Zelda unleashes her sealing magic to save him and destroys Fireblight Ganon and Waterblight Ganon. Purah attempts to shut down the Guardians using devices based on the Diminutive Guardian, but only succeeds after Thunderblight Ganon and Windblight Ganon are also defeated.

After the battle, Zelda gives a speech to motivate the soldiers, urging them not to let despair get the better of them and assuming command of the armies of the Hyrule. Some time later, Zelda and Impa meet with a soldier who turns out to be Master Kohga, who has come to join her forces in order to avenge the Yiga Clan members that Astor has betrayed.

Chapter 7
The party responds to news of Hylian forces in battle in the Great Plateau by rushing to their aid. While it is too far to reach by foot, Purah is able to reactivate the Sheikah Towers and enhance their teleportation abilities. The Yiga report that rubble is blocking the way to the Temple of Time where most of the soldiers are, and Purah comes up with the idea of using the Shrine of Resurrection as a travel gate. They break through into the temple and discover that King Rhoam is alive. He explains that the relic Zelda gave him turned out to be an ancient shield that saved his life, and father and daughter reconcile.

The unified Hylian forces march to Hyrule Field. They find that the castle is blocked off by a wall of Malice, generated by a group of Malice-infused monsters. Zelda is able to dispel the wall after they are slain, only for the Blood Moon to revive all the monsters in the field. However, the combined strength of the heroes is enough to make one final push towards the castle.

Astor confronts the heroes as they enter the castle. He is accompanied by the possessed Guardian, which is now clearly visible as the Diminutive Guardian's then-present self. The latter, now the being known as Harbinger Ganon, shapeshifts into a monstrous humanoid form as the mad prophet rants about how his destiny is to destroy Zelda and her allies.

Fighting their way through the castle, the party battles the Blight Ganons once more to reach the gatehouses. They battle Astor and Harbinger Ganon there, forcing them to withdraw. Enraged by his defeat, Astor commands Ganon to destroy the heroes; instead, Astor is consumed and Harbinger Ganon uses his power to manifest itself as Calamity Ganon. To make matters worse, it lets out a surge of power that possesses the Diminutive Guardian, forcing it to attack Link and Zelda. They have no choice but to battle it.

Zelda is grief-stricken by having to fight their friend, who is now critically damaged. As she weeps over it, it begins to play Zelda's Lullaby for her, as if trying to comfort her. A flashback reveals the origins of the Guardian, now revealed to be called Terrako: as a young girl, Zelda had activated it as a playmate. It had helped console her after her mother's death, and had been confiscated by King Rhoam when he assumed it was nothing more than a simple toy. Her resolve strengthened, Zelda swears to stop Calamity Ganon at all costs.

Despite their best efforts, the heroes cannot even harm Calamity Ganon. As the abomination prepares a devastating attack that Zelda struggles to hold back, Terrako reactivates. The Guardian uses the last of its energy to launch itself at Ganon and self-destructs, breaking through Ganon's shield but leaving behind only a single screw. Terrako's sacrifice renews the fighting spirit of the party, and after a long and grueling battle Link and Zelda seal away Calamity Ganon.

As the sun rises, the people of Hyrule rejoice to see that the Great Calamity is ended. Terrako's screw begins to shine, and Riju realizes that she, Teba, Yunobo, and Sidon must return to their own future. The Champions say their farewells to their descendants, and Zelda vows to treasure their friendship for all time.

Epilogue
An unknown amount of time after Calamity Ganon's sealing, Robbie, Purah, and Zelda have finished repairing Terrako. While they initially fear that they were unsuccessful, the sight of Zelda's face causes Terrako to fully reactivate. Link, Impa, and the Champions happily look on as Zelda tearfully welcomes back the Guardian whose aid and sacrifice ultimately changed the course of history.

Gameplay
The gameplay is similar to 's which is itself a based on Koei Tecmo's  series of video games, in which characters fight large armies of enemies and generals on a battlefield, with the the setting and characters originating from, specifically from. As such, it is set to be much more combat-intensive that most Zelda games, with hordes of enemies on the screen at once.

The player controls multiple characters throughout the game including HWAoC:, HWAoC:, HWAoC:, HWAoC:, HWAoC:, HWAoC:, and HWAoC: through the story, with the player being able to switch characters on the fly depending on the scenario. Most of the hordes of enemies are based on weaker enemies, like NaN Bokoblins and HWAoC: clansmen, with stronger enemies like NaN Guardians, NaN Lynels and NaN Yiga Blademasters appear as stronger single units. Larger versions of Bokoblins acting as captains have also been seen. Characters also fight alongside regular NaN Soldiers and other playable characters, and the game will alert if an ally requires assistance. The game also features multiple locations throughout 's BotW: that function as battlefields, including the HWAoC:, HWAoC: and the HWAoC: region.

The player will also be able to use many abilities seen in such as BotW:, BotW:, BotW: and BotW:. The player will also be able to use multiple elemental rods, such as the BotW:, BotW:, and BotW:.

This game takes place over 100 years before HWAoC: awoke in the HWAoC:, so locations that were shown in ruins in such as BotW: and other towns and cities will be shown as they were before the calamity.

The game features local simultaneous multiplayer co-op, allowing players to split up to complete objectives and cover more ground more effectively.

Footage of Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity gameplay from the Nintendo Treehouse live event.

Development
By mid-2012, following the reception to SS -, producer Eiji Aonuma had determined that the franchise was in urgent need of reinvention, in order for it to remain relevant. Aonuma decided that the development team would focus on rethinking the conventions of Zelda, and that this would largely center around two misconceptions:


 * 1) That Zelda games needed to be linear
 * 2) That Zelda games were strictly meant to be single player experiences

The development team tackled the notion of non-linear Zelda games with and. While both games were in development, Nintendo was approached by Dynasty Warriors publisher Koei Tecmo, whose studios had previously worked with the company on titles like Metroid: Other M and Fatal Frame, with a proposal to develop a new kind of Zelda game. The original pitch by Koei Tecmo producer Yosuke Hayashi involved elements that were staples of Zelda, such as dungeon exploration, but Nintendo fellow Shigeru Miyamoto asked that Hayashi graft the world of Zelda onto Dynasty Warriors gameplay instead.

At the time, Aonuma had been playing One Piece: Pirate Warriors, another Warriors-style game developed by Koei Tecmo, and saw the potential in a similar crossover with Zelda. Development of this game, dubbed (Zelda Musou in Japan), was completed in 2014, making it the first multiplayer Zelda game since Four Swords Adventures. In parallel, a small portion of the Zelda team also worked with Grezzo, the studio responsible for and, to develop , a three-player Zelda game for the Nintendo 3DS.

While work progressed on, Aonuma had already begun thinking of ways to explore another multiplayer Zelda title, this time using lessons the team had learnt from the development of that game. After development wrapped, director Hidemaro Fujibayashi and art director Satoru Takizawa pitched Aonuma the idea of a second Warriors title, this time set in 's past, against the backdrop of that game's "Great Calamity" event. Fujibayashi and Takizawa already had some sense of the kind of game they wanted to see, and the extent to which they'd thought through their plans spurred Aonuma to discuss the matter with Koei Tecmo's Yosuke Hayashi.

Hayashi would serve as producer on the new project alongside Masaki Furusawa, the director of the first. Ryota Matsushita, who had served as a game designer on Samurai Warriors 4, Warriors Orochi 4, and Dynasty Warriors 9, was tapped to direct. Once development began, Hayashi and Koei Tecmo's Omega Force team were asked to collaborate more closely with the Zelda development team at Nintendo, on elements such as gameplay, graphics, the depiction of Hyrule, and all character dialogue. 's characters had fragments of lore scattered throughout that game, and Omega Force used these as a starting point. They held discussions with the Zelda team to gain an understanding of the team's impression of each character, which helped flesh out their personalities in. In the case of characters that were now going to require younger variants, such as Impah, Purah, and Robbie, Omega Force proposed new designs for each.

During development, the team used its learnings from having worked on the first, but encountered challenges while deciding how to integrate the open-world design of into the stage-based style of a Warriors game. The development team ultimately chose to design each stage to be more three-dimensional, with height or interconnected terrain, to create the feel of a more expansive world. Omega Force found that working on required less trial-an-error than its predecessor, as it had already understood how to incorporate Zelda-like concepts into a Warriors game, and was instead able to allocate resources towards creating a game that was of higher quality. All throughout development, the Zelda team reviewed each aspect of to ensure that the game inherited the look and tone of.

Limited Edition
A limited treasure box edition of the game will be released in Japan. It will include a copy of the game, an acrylic art plate, a parasail blanket, and a metal charm.