I've pumped a fuckton of hours into the original WiiU Hyrule Warriors, and now that I've put a sizable dent into the astronomical amount of content in the 3DS version, I thought I might write some words about them.
Once again nicking some screenshots from Videogamer. Cheers.
The Zelda series is, rightfully, one of the most beloved series of all time, and as with most Nintendo properties, it's longevity is partly down to very strict control over it's usage. If a Zelda game is getting made, you can be damn sure it will be good, no matter the gimmicky controls Ninty has developed a habit of putting in things these days. Even spin-offs by other studios fall under this policy, ever since a certain deal with Phillips we all know too well. Minish Cap, Oracle of Ages/Seasons, and now Hyrule Warriors are all brilliant, and well deserving of the name they represent.
The Warriors series isn't for everyone, rather it's for those who see value in repetition and mindless, yet satisfying and pretty, mass murder. Combos aren't particularly difficult to pull off, everyone follows the same "press Y this number of times, then press X" combo scheme, the differences being in the attacks themselves and the areas they cover. The "Skill" in the core combat comes in trying to catch as many enemies in your attack range as possible, and positioning yourself accordingly. The deepest part of the games has always been knowing where you're most needed on the battlefield, be it on the front lines pushing important locations to move up your army, or taking key objectives deep in enemy territory, or defeating specific generals etc. But even that becomes instinct in time, even more so with the more clearly structured way battles are presented in Hyrule Warriors.
Keeps are more clearly defined, with "health bars" that decrease as you defeat enemies inside them, and levels are generally more structured affairs than other Warriors games. Lots of corridors and open spaces connecting perfectly square keeps. Which isn't to say they aren't as richly detailed or varied, far from it. The various locations from the franchise are all realised fantastically, if not "accurately" per-se. Creative liberties have been taken to make them better suited to large-scale battles, but nonetheless key landmarks and the basic layouts of the stages feel wonderfully familiar, and really do justice to their legacy.
As could be said for everything in these two games, frankly. Characters bring their signature flairs to the battlefield, the soundtrack adds a rock flair to beloved tracks while still remaining distinctly Zelda-like, even with the original tracks, and the campaign, while cheesy, makes excellent use of the different characters from the various eras. Though I do wish the 3DS version didn't make me play through the entire original campaign to get to the new Wind Waker content. The Linkle diversions were fun, but few and far between. Needed way more Linkle, basically. Hmm. Linkle.
In fairness, I can see why there isn't a save data transfer from WiiU to 3DS. There's been some serious progression changes. All the DLC characters from the WiiU version are included in the base game in Legends, unlockable through the first Adventure Mode map. It also includes all the DLC Adventure maps, unlockable by defeating the boss of the previous map, thus giving an actual reason to do so unlike on WiiU. Originally, the level requirements for the DLC maps were quite intense. As they were released I ended up with fewer and fewer characters who were strong enough to be used in them, which required more farming for rupees to level up characters, all to play levels that were still incredibly difficult anyway. The rebalancing means that even the final two adventure maps will only need you around level 50, rather than 150, and with a much steadier curve that's easier to manage should any character fall behind.
The new characters, maps and enemies are all wonderful additions, filling in that cell-shaded hole of the original release we all so desperately needed filled by the King of Red Lions. Hmm. Daphnes. Linkle's Dante/Bayonetta-like fighting style and charming character are a wonderful addition, and I hope she turns up in future Zelda stuff. The My Fairy feature is less cut and dry in terms of quality. It's very simple, a sort of Tamagochi which won't die if left unattended. Though the theme of dressing up and feeding little girls for your own amusement rubbed off on me the wrong way at first, uncomfortably reminding me of some of the Yakuza series' more questionable elements, though in the end it seems to be more reminiscent of raising a child rather than grooming a Japanese idol.
The whole feature feels like a way of compensating for the lack of enemies rendered at once on 3DS in a rather heavy-handed way, giving you a nuke option that can clear hundreds of enemies at once at the touch of a button. Otherwise, the lack of enemies available to kill at once might have made hitting the minimum requirements for A ranks on missions harder. That said, I'm only speculating. However it does basically nullify the use of the "berserk mode" other than or instantly sending bosses into a stunned state, as it will invariably get better results. So in that respect the fairies feel tacked on, but dressing them up is fun at least, so it's not all bad.
There is the issue of playing the Legends version on a standard 3DS, in that it's a terrible idea and you shouldn't do it. I've heard that some can tolerate it, but honestly if it's any worse than the New 3DS version when running in 3D I can't recommend it. Otherwise, when playing in 2D, the New 3DS version runs phenomenally well, to the point where I have no idea how they got it on there in the first place, so there's that.
So yeah, fanservicey goodness if you like the Warriors series, and definitely a highlight of Koei's own too.
Next week, I've been playing Far Cry Primal, so I think I'll talk about that for once, and how god damn Tripple Ayy it is.
Once again nicking some screenshots from Videogamer. Cheers.
The Zelda series is, rightfully, one of the most beloved series of all time, and as with most Nintendo properties, it's longevity is partly down to very strict control over it's usage. If a Zelda game is getting made, you can be damn sure it will be good, no matter the gimmicky controls Ninty has developed a habit of putting in things these days. Even spin-offs by other studios fall under this policy, ever since a certain deal with Phillips we all know too well. Minish Cap, Oracle of Ages/Seasons, and now Hyrule Warriors are all brilliant, and well deserving of the name they represent.
The Warriors series isn't for everyone, rather it's for those who see value in repetition and mindless, yet satisfying and pretty, mass murder. Combos aren't particularly difficult to pull off, everyone follows the same "press Y this number of times, then press X" combo scheme, the differences being in the attacks themselves and the areas they cover. The "Skill" in the core combat comes in trying to catch as many enemies in your attack range as possible, and positioning yourself accordingly. The deepest part of the games has always been knowing where you're most needed on the battlefield, be it on the front lines pushing important locations to move up your army, or taking key objectives deep in enemy territory, or defeating specific generals etc. But even that becomes instinct in time, even more so with the more clearly structured way battles are presented in Hyrule Warriors.
Keeps are more clearly defined, with "health bars" that decrease as you defeat enemies inside them, and levels are generally more structured affairs than other Warriors games. Lots of corridors and open spaces connecting perfectly square keeps. Which isn't to say they aren't as richly detailed or varied, far from it. The various locations from the franchise are all realised fantastically, if not "accurately" per-se. Creative liberties have been taken to make them better suited to large-scale battles, but nonetheless key landmarks and the basic layouts of the stages feel wonderfully familiar, and really do justice to their legacy.
As could be said for everything in these two games, frankly. Characters bring their signature flairs to the battlefield, the soundtrack adds a rock flair to beloved tracks while still remaining distinctly Zelda-like, even with the original tracks, and the campaign, while cheesy, makes excellent use of the different characters from the various eras. Though I do wish the 3DS version didn't make me play through the entire original campaign to get to the new Wind Waker content. The Linkle diversions were fun, but few and far between. Needed way more Linkle, basically. Hmm. Linkle.
In fairness, I can see why there isn't a save data transfer from WiiU to 3DS. There's been some serious progression changes. All the DLC characters from the WiiU version are included in the base game in Legends, unlockable through the first Adventure Mode map. It also includes all the DLC Adventure maps, unlockable by defeating the boss of the previous map, thus giving an actual reason to do so unlike on WiiU. Originally, the level requirements for the DLC maps were quite intense. As they were released I ended up with fewer and fewer characters who were strong enough to be used in them, which required more farming for rupees to level up characters, all to play levels that were still incredibly difficult anyway. The rebalancing means that even the final two adventure maps will only need you around level 50, rather than 150, and with a much steadier curve that's easier to manage should any character fall behind.
The new characters, maps and enemies are all wonderful additions, filling in that cell-shaded hole of the original release we all so desperately needed filled by the King of Red Lions. Hmm. Daphnes. Linkle's Dante/Bayonetta-like fighting style and charming character are a wonderful addition, and I hope she turns up in future Zelda stuff. The My Fairy feature is less cut and dry in terms of quality. It's very simple, a sort of Tamagochi which won't die if left unattended. Though the theme of dressing up and feeding little girls for your own amusement rubbed off on me the wrong way at first, uncomfortably reminding me of some of the Yakuza series' more questionable elements, though in the end it seems to be more reminiscent of raising a child rather than grooming a Japanese idol.
The whole feature feels like a way of compensating for the lack of enemies rendered at once on 3DS in a rather heavy-handed way, giving you a nuke option that can clear hundreds of enemies at once at the touch of a button. Otherwise, the lack of enemies available to kill at once might have made hitting the minimum requirements for A ranks on missions harder. That said, I'm only speculating. However it does basically nullify the use of the "berserk mode" other than or instantly sending bosses into a stunned state, as it will invariably get better results. So in that respect the fairies feel tacked on, but dressing them up is fun at least, so it's not all bad.
There is the issue of playing the Legends version on a standard 3DS, in that it's a terrible idea and you shouldn't do it. I've heard that some can tolerate it, but honestly if it's any worse than the New 3DS version when running in 3D I can't recommend it. Otherwise, when playing in 2D, the New 3DS version runs phenomenally well, to the point where I have no idea how they got it on there in the first place, so there's that.
So yeah, fanservicey goodness if you like the Warriors series, and definitely a highlight of Koei's own too.
Next week, I've been playing Far Cry Primal, so I think I'll talk about that for once, and how god damn Tripple Ayy it is.
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