'Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity' is an excessive Zelda spin-off that mostly works

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is a modern masterpiece whose influence can be felt in several big-name video games that have come in the nearly four years since its release. Its open world, physics-driven sandbox was equal parts scenic, meditative, and full of chaotic wonderHyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, the last launch in an unusually quiet holiday season for Nintendo, is none of those things.

It is, however, an extravagant and excessive way to revisit one of the most memorable worlds in recent gaming history. The product of a collaboration between Nintendo and Dynasty Warriors developer Omega Force, Age of Calamity tries to marry the inherent silliness of barreling through thousands of monsters at a time with a serious narrative about attempting to stave off the apocalypse that sets up Breath of the Wild.  Read more...