Age of Calamity | AT-AT Madness

(Ahhh! Which one of youse featured this?! -points- it it! Rawr)

Age of Calamity Spoilers Follow!

What is this, another review? Oh my god do I have a tale for you.

Koei Tecmo's attempt at a Legend of Zelda spinoff, Age of Calamity takes place a few years before the events of Breath of the Wild. Much like the original Hyrule Warriors, the player isn't alone but rather fighting in major battles involving AI soldiers and heroes.

The Plot

The game begins in the timeframe of Breath of the Wild but a small sheikah robot stumbles through a portal and travels back through time to a point where the Hyrule Kingdom is being assailed by forces of darkness.

Zelda encounters the alien traveller and sets upon a quest to find out how it got there and what secrets did it hide. All the while Link, a squire in training s her royal guard as they embark on the quest. Though malicious lieutenants and other agents lurk.

My views

Age of Calamity was certainly a break from the usual exploration of traditional zelda games; Instead of cracking open secrets and completing dungeons, I travel across the game's levels, completing objectives and clearing out Strongholds in a adaptive tug of war against hordes of common monsters including Bokoblins and Lizalfos.

There is also an RPG element where you can fuse and find higher level equipment to arm your characters with, who can also gain XP to grow stronger.

In my opinion, its really quite fun running around and turning swarms of enemies into dust, with a simple sword swing and taking on and defeating tough "officer" enemies with staggering and finishing moves.

With the different characters in your roster, each one has their own attack methods, finishers and special moves. Some of which enact widespread destruction, which is really satisfying.

Though what really shines Age of Calamity from its successor: The Divine Beasts.

All Terrain Ass Thrashing

In Breath of the Wild, the Divine Beasts acted merely as dungeons and served little other purpose but assist in defeating the final boss.

In Age of Calamity, the game offers you the opportunity to get behind the wheel of these mighty war machines and enact widespread carnage and destruction over your enemies.

When I took Vah Ruta for a spin, I felt like an invincible AT-AT from Star Wars; Marching through a valley drenched in enemies. Cackling as the armies of Calamity were blown away like leaves from her missiles and mighty trunk.

The best of all was how she unleashes an incredible laser beam, sweeping across them with unprecedent power and badassry.

Long have my desires for power and godlikeness been fulfilled when driving a gigantic vehicle and destroying my enemies with it, is without doubt an unforgettable experience.

Though, I felt the lack of screenshake when doing a destructive move was what failed to deliver the sheer power of these behemoths. Watching the screen shake immensely from Ruta's trunk attack would have really made it more intense.

Final Note

I haven't gotten much into the game but by given a taste of the divine beasts' power has really got me into this game. There are three more to drive and I look forward to them. This aspect of gameplay should really be explored; Providing an exciting and satisfying means to sate one's crave for destruction and power rather than the usual run-and-gun mechanics.

Enjoying the on foot experience however, it was a great change instead of sneaking past powerful enemies and the slow pace gameplay of Breath of the Wild. Where you have AI Buddies to assist you in liberating Hyrule from the evil tyranny of the calamity.

This game has quite a unique experience that puts it on a different level than its peers and I highly recommend to give it a try.

Stabil out. o/