The Legend of Zelda franchise has come a long way since the first game came out in 1986, over three decades ago. Since then, there have been a ton of games that fans have loved, including spin-off games like Hyrule Warriors in 2014. Just a few days ago, fans got a game in that style, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, for the Nintendo Switch.
Not many video game franchises have as long and successful a history as The Legend of Zelda does, and even people who've never picked up a The Legend of Zelda game can often recognize the long green cap belonging to the iconic warrior Link. Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity has already proven itself to be successful and received well among many fans, which has led some in the fan community to point out that sometimes deviating from the established formula isn't a bad thing. In The Legend of Zelda's case, breaking free from the same old genre and gameplay format may be exactly what the franchise needs.
Dynasty Warriors
While some people are unclear on where Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity falls into the general The Legend of Zelda storyline and how it contributes to the lore as a whole, largely favorable reviews, sales, and fan reactions have proven the game's success so far. It's already the bestselling Dynasty Warriors game of all time, meaning that the franchises' crossover has been extremely beneficial for both parties.
Dynasty Warriors hasn't been around for quite as long as The Legend of Zelda has, but among video games series, it's one of the older ones. Koei has not shied away from frequent cross-overs and spin-offs with Dynasty Warriors, and has included other popular series like Persona, Fire Emblem, and even anime like One Piece. Clearly, crossovers have served Dynasty Warriors well financially, and for many players, combining this franchise with The Legend of Zelda is the best of both worlds.
Theoretically, some fans familiar with The Legend of Zelda's traditional gameplay style of exploration and communicating with NPCs and nature might find themselves jarred with Age of Calamity, as it's solidly in the hack-and-slash genre. Of course, action and combat are an important part of The Legend of Zelda games, but hack-and-slash games focus most of the game on combat. For The Legend of Zelda fans who love fighting best, Age of Calamity is perfect as it combines Breath of the Wild's stunning visuals with tons of melee, magic, and bow-shooting. Simply put, combat is what many video game fans love best, and many of these fans are what's making Age of Calamity sell so well. Not everyone likes exploring an open world for hours with long periods of climbing and puzzle-solving.
Cadence of Hyrule
The Legend of Zelda has crossed over with other franchises before Dynasty Warriors, and one notable example is Cadence of Hyrule, the lovechild of The Legend of Zelda and Crypt of the NecroDancer. This rhythm game did positively in terms of both critical response and fan reaction, and was even the bestselling Switch game in Japan during its first week of release. It earned a nod at both the 2019 Game Awards and the 2019 Golden Joystick Awards for Best Score/Music and Best Audio, respectively. Music has always been an important part of the The Legend of Zelda games to fans, even beyond the obvious examples like Ocarina of Time.
Music in The Legend of Zelda games is often diegetic, meaning that it isn't just a background score to arouse emotion, but often has a direct impact on gameplay. It can be used to solve puzzles and move players through the game, such as the melodies granting access to different temples in Majora's Mask. Making a The Legend of Zelda rhythm game was a great choice as it honored an incredibly important part of the franchise. There are many other elements of The Legend of Zelda games that are incredibly important to the game, so why not honor those as well and expand? Maybe Link's bow and arrow that serve him so well in many games could make an archery game. Maybe the animal riding, taming, and befriending aspects could lead to a My Pokemon Ranch-style game. The possibilities are limitless here.
The Future of the Franchise
Part of Age of Calamity's success and the reason it's performing even better than the original Hyrule Warriors game is because it uses the gorgeous visuals that people came to love in Breath of the Wild (and are going to see again in the upcoming Breath of the Wild 2). Age of Calamity plays like a Dynasty Warriors game using the characters from The Legend of Zelda lore and the visuals from Breath of the Wild specifically, and for many people, it's a perfect mix of the familiar and the new/exciting.
Clearly, people love The Legend of Zelda. It's not showing any sign of going stale or losing people's interest, but that doesn't mean Nintendo should play it safe and make the same game over and over. Popular cross-overs have already shown that people enjoy playing different types and genres of games within the beautiful world of Hyrule. Some people will always prefer the classic The Legend of Zelda games, and that's okay. There's no reason Nintendo should stop making those and jump completely into the deep end of spin-offs. But given how diverse the fandom is and how many types of gamers there are, innovating more could both draw in new fans and reward old fans who like certain elements more than others.
The devs should certainly focus on what people know and love and not deviate so much from the formula that a future game isn't even recognizable as The Legend of Zelda. But the sales numbers and the community reactions have proven that a little innovation isn't a bad thing. The Legend of Zelda is a series with a ton of variety and tons of lore and elements, some of which could be expanded on and deserve their own games.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is out now on Nintendo Switch.