Hack and slash game Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity has now surpassed three million units in sales. These numbers created a new record for the entire franchise.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is a prequel to the hit Nintendo title The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
This is a new record for the Koei Tecmo’s Musou franchise, noted Japanese magazine Famitsu, via Gematsu’s translation.
Hyrule Warriors set a single-game record
Hyrule Warriors is a unique take on the Zelda franchise. The game qualifies as a Musou title under Koei Tecmo.
Musou games are famous in Japan for offering hack and slash mechanics to different titles in the country.
Among their many titles, One Piece: Pirate Warriors comes to mind as a strong candidate. However, Age of Calamity is yet to overtake Pirate Warriors in sales over their lifetime. Even then, the game is poised to overtake the One Piece Musou soon.
“See Hyrule 100 years before the Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild game and experience the events of the Great Calamity,” says the game’s description.
“Join the struggle that brought Hyrule to its knees. Learn more about Zelda, the four Champions, the King of Hyrule, and more through dramatic cutscenes as they try to save the kingdom from Calamity. The Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity game is the only way to see firsthand what happened 100 years ago.”
Age of Calamity appeal comes from a niche genre
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is one of the much-awaited games of the holidays. Much like Dynasty Warriors, the game focuses on the hack and slash asymmetric warfare. The fights are large-scale, which are something players have asked for in ages.
The appeal of Age of Calamity comes from the niche appeal of Musou games. The champion’s hack and slash, combined with Zelda’s in-depth lore, creates a compelling title. The game can also be both casual and hardcore, depending on the player.
Hyrule Warriors still has a demo available, which is free to download. The game currently has a new update that resolves a few issues with the title.
The update acts more like a patch, resolving bugs and translation problems in-game.
Much of the game received positive critique across the industry. The game currently has a 79% Metacritic score and an equally impressive 8.1 user score.
Furthermore, both players and critiques agree with the game’s strengths and weaknesses overall.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is available for the Nintendo Switch. Players can buy the game from the eShop or as a physical copy from retail stores.
Featured image courtesy of Nintendo/Youtube Screenshot