We all kind of expected it, but it was still nice to actually see it in the end. During Nintendo’s Switch 2-focused Direct presentation, we got a look at some of the games coming to the console, including Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment. It’s not quite a mainline entry; instead, it’s another Warriors-style game developed in collaboration with🔥 Omega Force.

The trailer itself showed off the classic Warriors-style gameplay we all know and love. Most notably, however, it looks like Zelda herself will be the star of the game instead of Link, as most may have expected. Age of Imprisonment serves as a prequel of sorts to Tears of the Kingdom, and it’s meant to take us through Zelda’s story and the events leading up to the critically acclaimed open-world title.

If Age of Imprisonment is anything like its predecessors, you can expect fun hack-and-slash action combat, along with major upgrade trees for your characters and weapons. I’d be curious to see who makes the cut for the character roster too, aside from Zelda.

The first Hyrule Warriors originally released in 2014 before getting a port on Switch, and Age of Calamity re♈leased in 2020. The latter was a huge improvౠement over its predecessor, featuring even more complex combos and character development options.

Anyway, while Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment might not be the big TOTK follow-up fans may have been hoping for, it’s still going to have a tie-in to the mainline story and that’ll be exciting to see.

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment is set to release this winter. For more on the Nintendo Switch 2, check out the rest of our coverage right here on Destructoid, including our guide on how to pre-order the console.