Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition - Nintendo Switch

This is the third time I've bought this game... I'm going to talk about some improvements I've noticed when playing this version. Loading times feel a bit faster than the Wii U version. Graphics are more colorful, closer to the 3DS version than the Wii U version. It feels like the Switch is able to handle more enemies on screen than the Wii U version and with a higher frame rate to boot, heck even the menus have a higher frame rate. All the content from the 3DS version is now back and in HD. When playing the Adventure mode, missions feel more balanced in difficulty to start off. On top of that, previous DLC such as characters and costumes and more, are now added rewards for completing certain missions on these Adventure maps. But he biggest thing added to this mode is the ability to buy item cards with rupees. Rather than waste time replaying a mission to get one item, you can just buy it and be done as long as you've unlocked the item before (I'm pretty sure this wasn't in either version before). There's just two or three downsides to this version compared to my Wii U experience. Just like on 3DS, there are more materials to find meaning more materials to grind for to upgrade characters where on Wii U there were less materials and it was easier to upgrade more characters. Another thing is amiibo don't seem to give higher ranking items until you've unlocked the higher ranked version in game. I recall on Wii U being able to get higher level items with amiibo easier. Also the Link amiibo isn't used to unlock the Spinner weapon anymore, which is good as it's an in-game unlock now, but the Young Link amiibo doesn't get you items for Young Link in-game, it gets you stuff for regular Link. In fact it doesn't seem like the other Zelda related amiibo, like the Guardian or Bokoblin, got any special functions and they just act as regular amiibo; would of been nice if this gave rare materials more often or something. And finally... THERE'S STILL NO PLAYABLE GROOSE! TL;DR Looks better, plays better, includes all previous content and plenty of quality of life improvements all around with barely any negatives.

As someone who was a big Zelda fan but not really into Dynasty Warriors, I was kind of skeptical of Hyrule Warriors for a while. A bit later, I tried someone else's copy of Fire Emblem Warriors for the Switch, and while I could see the potential in the style of gameplay, it was not enough to convince me to buy it. When a Switch port of Hyrule Warriors was announced, I decided to give it another shot, and the way it appealed to the Zelda fan in me was enough to convince me to go for it. Gameplay-wise, it is still Dynasty Warriors, but Hyrule Warriors tries hard to weave Zelda gameplay, items, lore, and other references in wherever it can. It will certainly not feel exactly like a Zelda game, but if you already kind of enjoy the Dynasty Warriors but are into Zelda, the Zelda content could be enough to make you enjoy the game as much as I do. Performance-wise, the game runs great while you are playing it (though, in some cases, at the cost of graphical fidelity). Oddly, frame rate stutters occur mostly during cutscenes—nothing new, if you played the Wii U version, but so far it looks like none of the stutters from the Wii U version have been fixed. Even so, those are fairly infrequent, and as I said, I have not experienced any lag issues during normal gameplay. In terms of the amount of content, I have no complaints. As the “Definitive Edition” title suggests, this game includes all the content from both the Wii U and 3DS versions of Hyrule Warriors and a bit more, including the main story, the original game's cast of great characters from across all the best Zelda games, extra characters from the 3DS version such as Linkle, an additional mode that lets you play levels inspired by the original Legend Of Zelda world map, and new skins for Link and Zelda based on The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild. All in all, even if the gameplay is still very Dynasty Warriors, they went all-out to make this feel like part of the Zelda universe.

Generally musou/warriors games follow a very linear gameplay style, which is endless grind into acquiring a state of godliness. This is no exception to the rule but it does bring with it some new elements to test the waters of what was to come. Firstly, I acknowledge this game is a time piece that was used to further expand the title of Fire Emblem Warriors. When comparing the two it's easy to see that FEW is superior in every aspect of gameplay to Hyrule Warriors. That is because HW was a stepping stone to test and tune the elements to provide just that. If you want the best musou/warriors experience i suggest you try out FEW. Although people bash on it for it's lack of creativity within the weapon kits and abilities, it does provide familiarity between characters and allows the player to pick a character to their liking. Comparatively in this game leveling up multiple characters just does not seem that practical and is extremely expensive/time consuming. This becomes a problem because when you get to adventure mode, most tiles on the board are locked behind playing a certain hero and sometimes even a certain weapon for that certain hero. It's problematic because if you're like me you have a main you ace most of these on so you can acquire your higher tier weapons ASAP.

I put over 200 hours into this game for WiiU, and I was excited to play the additions in the 3DS version but it was so choppy it was hardly playable at times. Now, we get both packages combined at 1080p 60fps on the Switch? YES PLEASE! Dynasty Warrior games are fun but the characters always kinda blended together for me. (Same with Fire Emblem Warriors) However, Zelda plays nothing like Midna who plays nothing like Fi, and so on and so forth. And all of their movesets are related to their characters in their respective games. If anyone tells you this is a button mashing game, they really haven't played enough. It's part strategy part fighting game. Knowing when to move on, when to hold back, when to fight, and when to run is all an important part of many of the harder missions. The story mode is basic and just "okay" and reasonably long but not too much. Where this game shines is the challenge maps called "Adventure Mode." This mode forces you to play the other characters sometimes and you may end up loving a character once you get a taste like me with Zant. I highly recommend this game for anyone who hasn't played the originals.

Hyrule Warriors is a dynasty warriors style game with a stylish Zelda makeover. If that was all it was it would be hard to recommend but the devolpers took their time and really made something special. The game has references in characters, skins, and weapons that will have even the most hardcore fans in shock and awe. The best part of this game its not just aesthetic. The game is one of the better examples of a warriors game in the last few years. Dynasty Warriors 8 was just ok and 9 was a train wreck. Being a definitive edition port from the wii U expect all the DLC and more already packed into this game. If you like completing games 100% this game is about 600hrs of content. Is it repetitive? Yes... but in the thats never stopped the Warriors series before because the combat is just too fun. PS: the game has couch co-op so play this game with a friend or loved one to tackle some of of this games harder challenges.

I've never really been a fan of the Dynasty Warriors games, or any of the other one's for that matter. But when I played the game on WiiU when it originally released I quickly became super addicted. I skipped the DLC and the 3DS version so I never experienced all of the content until I bought the Definitive Switch Version. And Definitive it very much is. This game is improved so much over the WiiU and 3DS versions it's amazing. Every single piece of content is in this game, the visuals have been beefed up and it's been optimized to run perfectly on Switch. The power of the Switch allows for so many more enemies to be rendered in which makes the game all the more fun. Overall it's a very addictive game worth playing for any Zelda, or Warriors fan.

If you're a fan of the Musuo games, also known as Dynasty Warriors, then this is a fantastic choice. If you're ALSO a fan of Zelda games, then this is a love letter for you. There are so many characters, abilities, and inclusions from the Zelda franchise that it's nearly unbelievable! If you're just a fan of Zelda games but not the Musuo genre, then this is probably something you can pass on. I'm in this camp. The gameplay is straight out of a Dynasty Warriors title, which doesn't exactly spark joy for me, but all the animations are worth it whenever I'm in the mood. It's Zelda-fied enough for me to appreciate, even when it's not the kind of game I'd normally play. That's pretty impressive!

I enjoyed this game a lot although I was able to beat the main "Legends" mode on Normal difficulty with all branching paths in 3 days/14 Hours and upgrade 5 of the characters half way through their skill trees. I haven't tried the other modes yet. Graphics, cut scenes and music are well done and does justice to the Zelda name. Controls are tight and responsive. Definitely an upgrade over the 3ds version. I do feel that the Fire Emblem Warriors game has more substance and a harder difficulty that require more strategy and character switching to complete objectives which might be a better value. I recommend picking this up on sale for $40 which is what I did