Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonmentis coming to the Switch 2, but where does it fit into the widerZeldatimeline?Age of Imprisonmentwill bethe third entry in theHyrule Warriorsseries, which mixesZeldaconcepts and characters with classicWarriors-style gameplay. Announced aspart of the April 2 Nintendo Direct, it’s expected to be released for the Switch 2 this winter.
TheZeldatimeline is complicatedenough on its own, but adding theHyrule Warriorssubseries to the mix only muddles things even further.Hyrule Warriorsis notorious for focusing on underrepresented slices of theZeldacontinuity- it’s mostly made up of sequels and prequels that explore the reasoning behind major events in the mainline canon, or even visit alternate universes that take the timeline in a whole new direction. Thankfully, while we don’t know too much aboutAge of Imprisonment’s story just yet, it seems to have a pretty straightforward place in theZeldacanon.
Age Of Imprisonment Takes Place Within TOTK’s Timeline
Well, Sort Of
In a way,Age of Imprisonmentseems to be set alongside the most recent mainlineZeldagame,Tears of the Kingdom- specifically, around the time of the Dragon Tear Memories flashbacks that Link can discover throughoutTOTK. It only makes sense; just asAge of Calamityserves as a prequel toBreath of the Wild, its successor,Age of Calamity, is a prequel toBOTW’s successor TOTK.
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The signs are clear in the trailer forAge of Imprisonment: we can clearly see the Zonai King Rauru engaging in battle alongside a shorter-haired Zelda in a white gown. We even see him and Sonia bestowing Zelda - in her more modern getup - with a Secret Stone, a scene directly out ofTOTK. It seems, then, thatthe newHyrule Warriorswill follow Zelda’s journey back in time during the events ofTOTK.
How Hyrule Warriors: Age Of Imprisonment Fits On The Zelda Timeline
A Long Time Ago
The title itself is our biggest clue as to when the newHyrule Warriorsgame is set. “Age of Imprisonment” likely refers to the Imprisoning War, an ancient event in theZeldacanon. In short, the Imprisoning War takes place thousands of years before the events ofTOTK- shortly after the founding of Hyrule. It involves a group of sages fighting against Ganondorf, and ends in his imprisonment - that all lines up with what we see in the trailer. Therfore,the newHyrule Warriorsalmost certainly takes place during the Imprisoning War, very early on theZeldatimeline.
However, when exactly the Imprisoning War took place isn’t totally clear. The same event is used as the backdrop for bothA Link to the PastandTears of the Kingdom, and their exact placement on the timeline - as well as the particulars of the war itself - are notably different. SoAge of Imprisonmentcertainly comes beforeA Link to the Past, but beyond that, it’s impossible to say.
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TheZeldatimeline is deliberately confusing; the series is conceived as a collection of legends, an oral history that changes and contradicts itself over time. It’s easy to placeAge of Imprisonmentrelative toTOTK, but beyond that, its timeline placement is very complicated, even more so at this early stage. We’ll likely be able to tell more onceHyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonmentcomes out, and we’re able to experience its story for ourselves.
