It’s been very satisfying to see Nintendo take more risks with The Legend of Zelda franchise and attempt something unique. Hyrule Warriors takes the Zelda universe and combines it with the musou-style action that caters to hordes of enemies.

Related: 10 Games To Play If You Liked Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild

Hyrule Warriors was incredibly successful for Nintendo, so it’s not surprising to hear that a sequel that acts as a prequel to Breath of the Wild, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, is set to be released this year. Hyrule Warriors is a highly polished package, but there are elements from the game that will hopefully be both carried over and improved upon in its follow-up.

10 Need To Return: The Bazaar

Legend Of Zelda Hyrule Warriors Bazaar Goron

Something that makes Hyrule Warriors such a satisfying experience is the level of customization that it allows the player. Sometimes hack-and-slash style action games can be generalized to have simplistic and repetitive gameplay, but the Bazaar in Hyrule Warriors actively fights against this.

Rupees that are collected throughout gameplay can be applied in numerous ways, whether it’s to create new weapons, craft potions or badges that will boost stats in battle, or even just spend currency to increase Link’s level. Hopefully Age of Calamity’s Bazaar will be even more thorough.

9 Needs Update: Treasure Chests

Legend Of Zelda Hyrule Warriors Link Opens Treasure Chest

There’s a lot to unlock in Hyrule Warriors, with much of that coming in the form of different weapons, materials, and items. A lot of these are found via treasure chests, much like in the regular Dynasty Warriors series.

However, the random and inconsequential nature of what shows up in treasure boxes can often be frustrating and feel punishing in a way that's reminiscent of how gatcha games or microtransactions work. This element tows a fine line, but there's still more that could be done to make treasure chests feel more exciting than daunting.

8 Need To Return: DLC Support

Legend Of Zelda Hyrule Warriors Boss Pack DLC Ganon Fight

Nintendo’s reputation with DLC material has been sporadic over the years, but the work that they did on Hyrule Warriors’ additional content shows that it’s possible for them to commit to the idea. Nearly ten robust DLC packs were released for the game, which feature numerous beloved characters, but also incorporate new features like a Boss Challenge mode.

Related: Zelda: Breath Of The Wild 2 NEEDS To Make These Feature Changes

DLC support for Hyrule Warriors ensured new content for the game for years after its initial release and it’d be a real disappointment to not see Age of Calamity offer something that’s comparable.

7 Needs Update: Amiibo Support

Legend Of Zelda Hyrule Warriors Link Finds Link Amiibo

There are plenty of cutting edge pieces of technology that Nintendo has incorporated into their video games that have seen various levels of staying power. Nintendo’s Amiibo haven’t been a perfect experiment, but they’re still desirable and continue to be incorporated into games.

It’s been confirmed that Age of Calamity will feature Amiibo support and that more of the Champion Amiibo will be released. Hyrule Warriors used Amiibo, but for incidental things, like extra weapons and items. Amiibo is still polarizing, but it’d be nice to see it put to better use and feel like more than an extra.

6 Need To Return: Local And Online Multiplayer

Legend Of Zelda Hyrule Warriors Co-Op Play Split Screen Link Zelda

The Legend of Zelda is a series that’s primarily featured games that cater towards single-player adventures. However, over time the Zelda series has slowly opened itself up to multiplayer concepts in various capacities. Hyrule Warriors is an exciting experience going solo, but it’s the type of chaotic gameplay that truly benefits from multiplayer support. The first Hyrule Warriors featured co-operative play, both in a local and online capacity.

This seems to be returning in Age of Calamity, but hopefully it won’t be compromised or feel like a step backwards from what the original game delivered.

5 Needs Update: Gold Skulltulla Quest

Legend Of Zelda Hyrule Warriors Link Finds Gold Skulltula

It’s typically not a bad thing when additional content is included for no extra charge, it’s just hopefully not something that feels like a waste of time. Hyrule Warriors' 100 Gold Skulltula challenge scatters tokens throughout Adventure and Legend mode after enough enemies are defeated, which will in turn unlock additional character artwork.

Related: 5 Ways Breath Of The Wild Is The Best (& 5 Things Other Zelda Games Do Better)

The extra quest is a nice idea, but the payoff could be better and there could be more involved with the idea than simply the elimination of enemies. More thoroughly hiding these tokens and providing a greater incentive for them could make a huge difference.

4 Need To Return: Diverse Characters And Gameplay

Legend Of Zelda Hyrule Warriors Giant Cucco Battle

Perhaps the most enjoyable thing about Hyrule Warriors is how deep it digs into the lore of the Zelda series. The game features basically every character that fans could possibly want, some of which are surprisingly niche appearances and others are just fun and crazy, like the ability to play as a Giant Cucco.

Hyrule Warriors features over 30 characters, all of which actually feel distinct and offer unique gameplay styles. That’s a hard precedent to top, but hopefully Age of Calamity will also broaden its focus and not just purely look at Breath of the Wild lore.

3 Needs Update: Leveling Up System

Legend Of Zelda Hyrule Warriors Character Select Link Stats

To be clear, the leveling up system in Hyrule Warriors is a fantastic concept and it’s never a bad idea to incorporate more RPG elements into a title of this nature. However, the level system could be pushed more and turn a good idea into something great. Hyrule Warriors allows characters and weapons to level up and grow stronger, but this could come into play beyond simply boosted stats.

The level system could go further with ideas like new abilities being learned or even new characters that can be accessed upon reaching a certain level, not unlike an evolution system.

2 Need To Return: Adventure Mode Map

Legend Of Zelda Hyrule Warriors Adventure Mode Map Filled Out

The main campaign that's featured in Hyrule Warriors is experienced in the game's Legend Mode, but that's just one of several gameplay modes that the game makes available. Adventure Mode is arguably the most complex and fulfilling, with it taking an approach that's not unlike the challenge board from the Super Smash Bros. series.

Adventure Mode translates Hyrule Warriors' gameplay to an objective-based map that brings a lot more strategy into the game. It's a fresh spin on the game that's packed with extra content and honors the aesthetic of the original Legend of Zelda in a clever way.

1 Needs Update: Challenge Mode

Legend Of Zelda Hyrule Warriors Challenge Mode Link Defeats Horde 8-Bit Sword Shield

Hyrule Warriors offers a very experience right from the start, but the game's Challenge Mode is something that got incorporated later. The new mode adds plenty to the game, but it still feels flawed in its execution. The main principle behind Challenge Mode adds the extra element of rupee collection into the hack-and-slash action.

There's a lot more that could be done in this area than purely the hunt for rupees. Taking more of the objective-based ideas from Adventure Mode would make Age of Calamity's Challenge mode more challenging.

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