The upcomingHyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonmenthas now detailed its setting and characters, and it appears we’re far from finished withThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the WildandTears of the Kingdomtimeline.Age of Imprisonmentis set to expand on theTotKlore, much likeAge of Calamityand itstime-traveling storydid forBotW.
Shown during the Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase livestream onNintendo of America’s YouTube page,Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonmentwill feature Zelda being teleported from theTears of the Kingdomtimeto the Imprisoning War in the same timeline, and will fight alongside King Rauru and Queen Sonia in a canon story leading up to the events ofTotK.Additionally, it seemsAge of Imprisonmentwill tie other elements of pastZeldasinto its narrative.
Age Of Imprisonment Is A Canon Prequel To TotK
Not Exactly Like Age Of Calamity
The new trailer gave a solid look at prevalentTotKcharacters and their fight against Ganondorf. Thesix sages fromTOTKwill be returning, and themain story will tie directly into the events of that game. Zelda has been transported back in time to the Imprisoning War via her Secret Stone, which was introduced inTotK, and will assist all the sages in their battle.
It’s a little unclear when, duringTOTK,Zelda gets transported back to the Imprisonment War, but it appears thatAge of Imprisonment, unlikeAge of Calamity, is part of theestablishedTOTKnarrativeandnot an alternate timeline or universe. There is a possible hint that Fi fromSkyward Swordwill play a role as well; what sounds like her theme song from that game is briefly played near the end of the trailer.
Our Take: Age Of Imprisonment’s Narrative Choice Is The Right One
The Zelda Timeline Is Already Confusing Enough
DespiteThe Legend of Zeldagames often intentionally being difficult to place in a canonical timeline, it seems like tyingAge of ImprisonmenttoTOTKand making it adirect event in that game’s narrative is the right call here.Age of Calamity’s big twist createdanother timeline split, one of which ends with theBotWevents not happening in one timeline but still occurring in the other.
This time, however, it seemsAge of Imprisonmentis more organically weaving itself into theTotKstory, while also giving fans a chance to experience the war that led to theTears of the Kingdomstoryline.Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonmentstill does not have a release date, but fans are likely eager to jump back into theTOTKtimeline all over again.
