Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom prequel for Switch 2 is not what you think

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Nintendo’s first Legend Of Zelda game for Nintendo Switch 2 is another Zelda centric spin-off set before the events of Tears Of The Kingdom.

It was extremely unlikely that today’s Nintendo Direct for the Nintendo Switch 2 would feature the successor to The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom considering that game only came out in 2023.

However, Nintendo still had something for Zelda fans to chew on, especially ones who aren’t quite ready to say goodbye to this iteration of Hyrule just yet.

Announced exclusively for Switch 2, Tears Of The Kingdom is getting a whole prequel game and, much like Echoes Of Wisdom, it looks like it’ll put Zelda in the starring role… though it’s probably not what you’d expect.

Rather than a traditional adventure game, the prequel is also doubling as a follow-up to Hyrule Warriors: Age Of Calamity. So, that makes it another Musou spin-off in the same vein as the Dynasty Warriors games.

Titled Hyrule Warriors: Age Of Imprisonment, what little gameplay shown in the trailer promises a far smoother experience than the last game, which suffered from an inconsistent frame rate.

The brief trailer also confirms that it is set during the events of the Imprisoning War, which took place thousands of years before Tears Of The Kingdom. This means Link himself could be entirely absent from the game unless some more timey-wimey shenanigans take place.

As for who is playable, the trailer only confirms Zelda, Rauru, and Minoru so far, though it’s safe to assume that Rauru’s champions will be too. Maybe also Ganondorf as an unlockable character.

Zelda and Rauru striking battle poses in Hyrule Warriors Age of Imprisonment — Will Link be entirely absent in this game? (YouTube)

When does Hyrule Warriors: Age Of Imprisonment release?

Hyrule Warriors: Age Of Imprisonment is currently scheduled for this winter. Although this could mean it won’t drop until early 2026, Nintendo likely wants to try and have it available for the Christmas period.

Whatever the case, this makes the new Hyrule Warriors one of the Switch 2’s first exclusives from Nintendo alongside Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza.

Nintendo hasn’t provided pricing details for it, but if Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza’s prices are anything to go by, it won’t be cheap. The new Mario Kart will cost £74.99 physically and £66.99 digitally, while the Donkey Kong game is £66.99 physically and £58.99 digitally.

This wasn’t the only Zelda related announcement Nintendo had for the Switch 2. Both Breath Of The Wild and Tears Of The Kingdom will see dedicated re-releases alongside the Switch 2 when it launches in June, allowing for vastly improved visuals.

If you already own either game, you will need to pay an unspecified price to upgrade to the Switch 2 versions or subscribe to Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack to access them.