This is one game which a lot of people would consider as obsolete at this point, but this is a game which gave me almost one hundred hours of fun and so I think it’s definitely worthy of praise.
I had Hyrule Warriors on the Wii U and I loved it. I’d definitely say that it was one of the best games that the console had to offer. I got the DLC and played through it extensively. When Nintendo announced a couple of years later, that the game would be coming to the 3DS, I was surprised. As much as I like the 3DS, I didn’t think that it was powerful enough to run a game like this, one which not only had very nice graphics, but also one which featured whole armies of characters running around on screen at once! Crazy.
But, somehow, they managed it and with all the DLC already pre-installed too. When I first played, the downgrade in graphics was quite jarring to me, but I think it was only noticeable because I was used to the HD beauty of the Wii U game. I don’t think that they look bad on their own and anybody who came straight to this edition would probably think it looks fine – I think it’s to the usual standard that the 3DS offers. After playing for a while, the graphics no longer looked bad to me.
The graphic reduction is really the game’s only downside. Obviously, the 3DS has two screens and the bottom screen gives you extra detail about the map and the ability to switch between characters at a quick touch – it makes a lot of things in the game a lot more convenient. There’s also the fact that the 3DS was a handheld console, while the Wii U was a home console, allowing the game to be played anywhere for the first time.
Beyond the technical benefits, the game also added a lot of nice new content. The story was extended to incorporate characters from The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, which I think is really cool. Toon Link and Tetra are two characters I was particularly pleased to see playable and King Daphnes is also a pretty cool bonus. However, most exciting of all is a side story about Linkle – the first female incarnation of Link. This is ground-breaking! Though her name is a bit stupid, she’s a really awesome character who I enjoyed playing as. I look forward to more female Links in the future of the series. Additionally, if you bought this game and felt disappointed that the new content was only on the visually inferior 3DS, you also got a special code with new versions of the game which allowed you to get all the extra content on your Wii U game too! A very nice bonus.
On top of all of the pre-installed new additions to the game, more DLC was also released to coincide with this version of the game (though it was available to purchase for both versions). Although the main story was not extended or added to in any way, several new characters and new missions were added. These included Marin (from The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening), Toon Zelda (from The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks), Ravio and Yuga (both from The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds) and, frankly, I love all these choices, especially Toon Zelda and Marin. They’re all very unique compared to the other characters and it’s nice to see Marin in full 3D.
It’s no exaggeration to say that this one on of my favourite 3DS games and definitely one of my most played. Since then, Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition on the Nintendo Switch has usurped it, but Hyrule Warriors Legends was a brilliant game and I’m really glad I got the chance to play it when it was relevant. If you don’t have a Nintendo Switch and want to try this game, this could be the best way to go!
Rating: 9.4/10
