For fans of The Legend of Zelda, the highlight during the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct was the announcement of Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment. The followup to 2020’s Age of Calamity, we will experience Age of Imprisonment through the perspective of Zelda as she is sent to ancient Hyrule, and attempts to aid Rauru and Sonia in defeating the armies of Ganondorf. Coming this winter, Zelda fans are very excited for the opportunity to experience more of Hyrule’s past.
The major discourse around this announcement however, is whether the game will actually be canon. Nintendo claims it will, explicitly using the word “canon” in their press release. But, the plot twist of Age of Calamity frayed the trust of many Zelda fans, to the degree that they are struggling to take Nintendo at their word.
For the uninformed, Age of Calamity retold the story of the titular Calamity, originally conveyed through the memories of Breath of the Wild. It more or less faithfully followed the original story up to the point of the death of the champions, which prompted a massive detour, as the original character Terrako opened portals to another timeline, and summoned Riju, Yunobo, Sidon, and Teba into the past.
They worked together with the Champions to defeat the Ganonblights, and then take down Ganon proper, averting the Calamity and preventing the apocalypse. This ending was massively controversial with fans, many of whom felt lied to by the marketing that advertised Age of Calamity as a proper retelling of the events of the Calamity, not an alternate universe what-if story. It was a combative choice, to be sure.
Thus, it is understandable when theses same people come into Age of Imprisonment from a point of distrust, and even direct reassurance from Nintendo is not enough to win back that trust. Many worry that Nintendo is simply trying to fool us twice, and Age of Imprisonment will see the same story-breaking plot twist occur as a way to bring the descendants into the past as playable characters. This deep skepticism is understandable.
Opinion isn’t universally skeptical, however. Many fans such as myself believe the developers (as well as Nintendo) have learned from their mistakes, and that mentioning the canon status of the story in the press release is a specific attempt to convey the lessons they’ve learned. Others believe that the narrative of Age of Imprisonment precludes any Terrako-sized plot twists, such as this excellent video by The Legend of Zelda YouTuber, Kokiri Theory. There is a contingent of fans who are still very excited for the title, and are willing to give the developers some grace, even considering the prior infraction.
Both sides of the debate have merit, and while I do fall into the camp of people who believe Nintendo learned a hard lesson with Age of Calamity, I have a hard time judging those who are still skeptical.
What about you? Is Nintendo truly attempting to get one over on us a second time? Or will Age of Imprisonment genuinely be canon the second go-around? Let us know in the comments below!
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