Hyrule Warriors

Hyrule Warriors is a Zelda spin-off made with Koei Tecmo, mixing the characters and places of The Legend of Zelda with the big-battle action of the Dynasty Warriors series. Instead of solving dungeons, you cut through armies of hundreds of Bokoblins and Moblins at a time, capture keeps, rescue allies and bring down giant bosses like King Dodongo and Gohma. It came out on Wii U in 2014, then as Hyrule Warriors Legends on 3DS and Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition on Switch.

The story is its own side tale, outside the main Zelda timeline. The sorceress Cia, who watches over the balance of the Triforce, is twisted by the spirit of Ganondorf and opens the Gate of Souls, letting monsters from across Hyrule's history pour in. Link, a young trainee in Hyrule's army, joins Impa, Princess Zelda and the new sorceress Lana to stop her, and the battle takes them to the worlds of Ocarina of Time, Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword, where heroes like Darunia, Midna and Fi join the fight.

How It Plays

• Warriors: play as Link and 28 other characters from across the series, each with their own weapons and moves. See all the warriors.
• Keeps and morale: battles are won by capturing keeps, protecting your base and allies, and finishing the mission goals.
• Zelda items: Bombs, the Bow, the Hookshot and the Boomerang open new paths and are the key to beating the giant bosses.
• Special attacks and Focus Spirit: fill the gauges to unleash a warrior's signature move, such as Link's Spin Attack.
• Modes: the story in Legend Mode, any unlocked scenario with any warrior in Free Mode, and Adventure Mode, a grid of battles laid out like the map of the original Legend of Zelda.
• Collectibles: Heart Containers and Pieces of Heart for each warrior, and Gold Skulltulas that unlock artwork.

The three versions differ quite a bit: Legends adds two new stories and five warriors, and the Definitive Edition brings everything together. Our Versions & DLC page explains what is in each one.