Zelda’s Official Switch 2 Debut Has Left Gamers Split

Since its inception back in 1986, The Legend of Zelda franchise has been one of the most successful in gaming history, with the beloved Nintendo franchise still welcoming new installments to this day. With over 30 mainline entries, remakes, ports, spin-offs, and remasters, The Legend of Zelda has become a household name, and its popularity shows no signs of dwindling.

However, with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and its sequel, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, marking the start of a new generation of Zelda titles, there is one Nintendo Switch 2 release which leaves fans feeling divisive to this day: Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment.

Is This The Zelda Game Switch 2 Gamers Wanted?

Released in 2025 for the Nintendo Switch 2, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment is a hack-and-slash entry in The Legend of Zelda franchise developed by Koei Tecmo’s AAA Games Studio. Acting as a crossover which combines the world and characters of The Legend of Zelda with the gameplay of the Dynasty Warriors franchise, Age of Imprisonment takes place during the Imprisoning War depicted in Tears of the Kingdom.

Despite receiving generally favorable reviews, fans have never quite settled on their thoughts and feelings for Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment and, as a result, discussions regularly take place over on Reddit. With a 79 Metascore, and 8.5 User Score over on Metacritic, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment was by no means a failure, but for The Legend of Zelda fans, it was a combination of excitement and eventual disappointment.

According to one user over on r/HyruleWarriors, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment was “incredible, but disappointing”. In a short review, the user wrote, “I just finished Age Of Imprisonment and let me start with that I still find it great. If you love Age Of Calamity, you will love Age Of Imprisonment. It’s still a Hyrule Warriors game that I enjoyed a lot despite my gripes with it.” The user claims that their disappointment stems from the game’s “pathetic” character roster, “slow” and “tedious” gameplay, and a “boring” and “uninspired” setting.

“I’m sure there were things to improve, and personally, I would have liked if it actually continued the AOC timeline, but I’m happy with the story we got regardless. AOI is still a great game and here I only list the negatives I think about the game, but I still enjoyed the game and can’t wait for DLC.”

When Is The Next Mainline Zelda Set For Release?

At the time of writing, the next mainline entry in The Legend of Zelda franchise has not been officially announced. However, if Nintendo follows the same development cycle as previous installments, we can expect it to launch around 2028/2029. Additionally, with this year celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Zelda franchise, it could just mean that Nintendo is set to surprise us with a big announcement. Surely, right?

What the game will be, however, is a different question entirely. Will it be a brand-new story, or a continuation of the Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom worlds? It remains to be seen, but with Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment leaving a lot to be desired for some fans, Nintendo has some making-up to do.