Review
«Tears of the Kingdom» review: a masterpiece of epic proportions
by Domagoj Belancic
"Hyrule Warriors: Chronicle of the Sealing" tested: an action spectacle for hardcore fans
4.11.2025
Translation: machine translated
Pictures: Domagoj Belancic
The Legend of Zelda spin-off series "Hyrule Warriors" returns with "Chronicle of the Sealing". The chaotic hack-and-slash game is particularly interesting for hardcore fans of "Tears of the Kingdom" - but only if you can get to grips with the chaotic gameplay.
How time flies. It's been two and a half years since I lost myself in the huge game world of «The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom». I still look back fondly on all the epic adventures I had in the open-world masterpiece.
I wish I could travel back in time and experience it all again.
Obviously Nintendo has read my mind, because «Hyrule Warriors: Chronicle of Sealing» sends me literally back in time. In the spin-off, I travel with Princess Zelda to ancient Hyrule and experience what she got up to during the plot of «Tears of the Kingdom».
Like the idea? Then this spin-off could be something for you. But beware - the chaotic and sometimes obtuse hack-and-slash gameplay has little to do with «Tears of the Kingdom». Below you can find out how «Chronicle of the Sealing» differs from the main game - and whether a trip to Hyrule's past is worthwhile for you.
What the hell is «Hyrule Warriors» anyway?
If the «Hyrule Warriors» series means little or nothing to you, you don't have to be ashamed, even as a «Zelda» fan. The spin-off series has always had a shadowy existence compared to the main games.
It all started in 2014 with the first «Hyrule Warriors» on the Wii U. This was followed by two expanded versions for the 3DS (2016) and the Switch (2018). In 2020, «Hyrule Warriors: Time of Devastation» was released, based on «Breath of the Wild». And now, «Chronicles of the Sealing» is the latest spin-off - exclusively for the Switch 2.
The series combines elements from the «The Legend of Zelda» main games with the gameplay concept of the long-running hack-and-slash series «Dynasty Warriors». That name doesn't ring a bell either? No wonder. The chaotic action games from Koei Tecmo are particularly popular in Japan and have yet to catch on in the West.
The gameplay of «Dynasty Warriors» is simple. Against the backdrop of historical battles in ancient China, I fight as an overpowered soldier against hundreds of opponents at the same time.
For the «Hyrule Warriors» games, the China context was exchanged with the world of «The Legend of Zelda» and the chaotic gameplay was adapted to the characters from Nintendo's fantasy universe.
What is the game about - and do you need to have played the predecessors?
«Hyrule Warriors: Chronicle of the Sealing» expands on Princess Zelda's story from «Tears of the Kingdom». It's worth brushing up on the history of the «Breath of the Wild» and «Tears of the Kingdom» sagas before starting the game so that you can fully enjoy the storytelling in «Chronicle of the Sealing».
A little refresher in case you don't remember Zelda's story arc: The princess travels back in time 10,000 years due to an attack by the mummified Ganondorf. There she meets Rauru and Sonia - the first king and queen of Hyrule.
The princess desperately searches for a way back to the future to help Link fight Ganondorf - without success.
Trapped in the past, she witnesses the Demon King gaining power and terrorising Hyrule. Together with Rauru and other allies in the kingdom, she fights against Ganondorf's henchmen and witnesses first-hand how the villain is finally sealed away for 10,000 years - hence the name «Chronicle of the Sealing».
The story is told with elaborately produced cutscenes with excellent soundtracks. They are the highlight of the game for me. It warms my Zelda heart to be able to immerse myself in this unique world again and see so many familiar and new faces in iconic locations from «Tears of the Kingdom».
And then there's that epic music. And all the little sound effects that have been burnt into my brain through hundreds of hours of playing «Breath of the Wild» and «Tears of the Kingdom».
The nostalgia centre of my primate brain is rewarded non-stop. Marvellous.
According to Nintendo, the story is officially part of the «Tears of the Kingdom» canon. In contrast to the «Hyrule Warriors» predecessor «Time of Devastation», which caused confusion with a time-travelling story and alternative timelines.
However, I am sceptical about playing the game. Not least because the «mysterious construct» plays a major role in the plot. It looks like Link, moves like Link and behaves like Link. The thing was never mentioned in «Tears of the Kingdom». Is this another «What if» story without consequences?
After watching the game's epic finale, I can give the all-clear. The inconsistencies are explained in a surprisingly emotional way and embedded in the overarching lore of «Tears of the Kingdom».
Some unanswered questions remain for me, however. I'm already looking forward to the several hours of theory videos that I'll dive into after launch to understand everything.
How does «Chronicle of the Sealing» play compared to «Tears of the Kingdom»?
In terms of gameplay, the new «Hyrule Warriors» has very little to do with «Tears of the Kingdom». I'm not exploring a coherent game world. There are no puzzles, no quests, no dungeons. Instead, I navigate an overview map through dozens of mass battles that last between five and 30 minutes and liberate occupied areas from Ganondorf's henchmen.
Before each battle, I choose up to four characters, between which I can switch freely during the fight.
Between battles, I always unlock new abilities for my characters on the overview map or upgrade their weapons. I pay for the upgrades with resources that I collect during the battles.
In comparison to «Tears of the Kingdom», I don't have to worry about my weapons breaking at some point - yay!
The gameplay loop - fight, collect resources, buy upgrades, fight - requires a lot of grunt work. At times, the game feels like working through a to-do list, where I only make slow progress - sometimes even regressing when areas that have already been conquered are attacked again and lost.
This is not a criticism, on the contrary. For me, repetition even has something meditative about it. However, if you don't like busywork in games, you won't be happy with «Chronicle of the Sealing».
And how does the battle system work?
Each character attacks with normal attacks (Y button) and strong attacks (X button). Depending on the character and the weapon equipped, I trigger different attacks with different attack combinations.
I love experimenting with the characters' playstyles and finding out which combos work best for which character with which weapon.
I love shooting light energy with Princess Zelda and killing monsters from a distance. Or drilling my way through hordes of enemies like a battering ram with King Rauru and his spear. My favourite, however, is the goron Pastos, who hurls enemies metres through the air with his huge two-handed sword. The fact that he keeps shouting «CRUSH YOU!» and I understand «FUCK YOU!» is a nice bonus.
In general, the character selection is very well done. All the major races of Hyrule are represented as playable characters. Humans, Sonau, Gorons, Orni, Zora - even a cute little Krog has made it into the line-up. Conquering metre-high Hinox with the tiny tree creature just looks damn funny.
The attack combos are supplemented with the use of various Sonau components that I recognise from «Tears of the Kingdom». For example, I can burn enemies with the flamethrower or freeze them with the frost thrower. Some characters also have the ability to synthesise, which means I can combine certain items with weapons to deal even more damage.
It's also great that the physics sandbox concept from «Tears of the Kingdom» has been adapted. If I use the lightning launcher in the water, I shock all the enemies in the area. If I combine fire with the orni's vortex attacks, devastating fire tornadoes are created that sweep across the battlefield. Awesome
While I'm beating up opponents, a special attack bar and now also a synchronised attack bar fill up. With the first, my character performs a powerful solo attack. The second triggers an even more powerful attack in conjunction with another character that is currently in the vicinity. Here, too, there are countless possible combinations that I can experiment with.
Most of the enemies on the battlefield are easy to sweep away with a few attacks. However, larger chunks keep getting in my way - these are the moments when the combat system shines the most. The mini-bosses have a block bar that I have to break through so that I can cause a lot of damage with devastating smash attacks.
To penetrate their defences, I use my entire moveset and arsenal. I give them no time to counterattack, no time to breathe. Flamethrower here, special attack there, synchronised attack there. There's so much happening on the screen and yet I'm still able to keep track of it all. I'm in a state of flow with tunnel vision until the bastard is on the ground.
Despite the many options and possibilities in combat, I start to feel a bit tired as the game progresses. Yes, it all looks super cool. But no matter which battle, no matter which map, I always do the same thing: beat up hundreds of bokoblins, moblins and other muck. Over and over again.
Unfortunately, the game is far too easy for my taste, even on the highest difficulty level. As the game progresses, I regularly feel overleveled and rarely get into the flow state described above, in which I have to give everything to defeat difficult bosses. My brain switches to autopilot and I don't make any more effort. Too bad.
«Chronicles of Sealing» is a Switch 2 game - does it look good?
Overall, the game is a big disappointment visually - this is not how a Switch 2 exclusive title should look. The picture quality suffers from a low resolution and extreme edge flickering in places. The game environments look bleak with washed-out textures, angular objects and few details. In addition, the game disappoints with its poor foresight - enemies and allies constantly appear out of nowhere or disappear again.
Especially compared to the crisp Nintendo Switch 2 editions of «Breath of the Wild» and «Tears of the Kingdom», the new «Hyrule Warriors» looks drab. To be fair, there are never that many enemies on the screen at the same time in the main games.
At least the game runs smoothly at 60 FPS. In local split-screen mode for two players, I have to make do with 30 FPS. Co-op would also be possible via Gameshare and online - I have not tested these functions.
«Hyrule Warriors: Chronicle of Sealing» is available from 6 November for the Nintendo Switch 2. The game was provided to me by Nintendo for testing purposes.
In a nutshell
A must-play for hardcore fans
"Hyrule Warriors: Chronicle of the Sealing" is a successful dessert after a sumptuous "Tears of the Kingdom" main course. Was the sweet, nostalgic conclusion absolutely necessary? No - and I still enjoyed my time with the chaotic hack-and-slash spin-off.
The game is particularly interesting for big Zelda fans who want to delve even deeper into the world and lore of Nintendo's fantasy universe. But beware: in terms of gameplay, the chaotic action game has little to do with "Tears of the Kingdom". To enjoy the title, you have to be able to get used to the repetitive game structure and the poor graphics. If you do, you can expect epic battles with an extensive combat system.
Pro
- Excitingly staged story
- Extensive combat system
- successful character selection
- Clever adaptation of gameplay elements from "Tears of the Kingdom"
Contra
- Repetitive game structure
- Too low level of difficulty
- poor graphics
Header image: Nintendo
Domagoj Belancic
Senior Editor
Domagoj.Belancic@digitecgalaxus.chMy love of video games was unleashed at the tender age of five by the original Gameboy. Over the years, it's grown in leaps and bounds.
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