Breath of the Wild prequel Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is coming to Nintendo Switch in November

Nintendo has announced Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, a new Nintendo Switch exclusive releasing on November 20.

The game features a story set 100 years before the events of the Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, which Nintendo says will transport players “to the time before the Great Calamity happened, participating in epic battles against a backdrop of familiar locations in Hyrule before they were destroyed”.

Nintendo says the title features fast-paced action gameplay with a focus on performing combos and over-the-top special abilities, as well as environmental puzzle solving, material crafting, and unlockable weapons and skills.

It will also star recognizable characters from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild like Link and Zelda, as well as other characters like the four Champions, who will be playable for the very first time in the series.

Speaking during a video published on Tuesday, the game’s Koei Tecmo producer Yosuke Hayashi said the company had worked more closely with Nintendo on this title than it had previously.

“Perhaps it’s the same for everyone here, but for someone like me, who has been playing Zelda fame for a long time, [Breath of the Wild] was an extraordinary experience, he said. “So this is a new special title for me.”

“Unlike the previous Hyrule Warrior games, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity was developed by working closely with the Zelda team in every step of the process, including gameplay direction, graphics, world, and all dialogue,” he added

“And while we maintained the distinct gameplay style of the Warriors series, with exciting ‘1 versus 1,000’ battles and a wide variety of playable characters, this will be the only game that lets you experience the world 100 years prior to the events of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild first-hand.”

Speaking in the same introductory video for Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, Legend of Zelda series producer Eiji Aonuma said fans will need to “wait a bit longer” for Nintendo to provide new updates on The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2.