Sales Slump Meets Hardware Bump: Can the Switch 2 Rescue Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment?

The honeymoon period for Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment appears to be over—at least commercially. Recent data from Nintendo Life indicates the title has slipped out of the top ten in the UK charts, signaling a potential drop in mainstream interest. This dip comes at a pivotal moment, coinciding with the release of the game’s Nintendo Switch 2 enhancement patch. The question now is whether the massive technical upgrade can reignite interest in a game that many fans feel is weighed down by repetitive design and "safe" storytelling.

The Musou Fatigue Factor

The sales drop-off isn't entirely surprising. While the Zelda brand carries immense weight, the Warriors gameplay loop—capture keep, kill commander, repeat—has a finite shelf life for casual players. Feedback aggregated by HappyGamer suggests that while the initial rush of power is intoxicating, the mid-game grind in Age of Imprisonment is particularly punishing. Players are reporting that the resource economy for upgrading weapons feels artificially padded to extend playtime.
However, the arrival of the Switch 2 version addresses the biggest barrier to entry: performance. MobileSyrup’s review of the updated build notes that the game finally feels like the product fans were promised. The eradication of slowdown during Special Attacks changes the visceral feel of the combat. It turns a sluggish grind into a high-octane power fantasy, potentially offering a "second launch" for the title.

Story as a Double-Edged Sword

While the gameplay is sharper, the narrative hook is proving divisive. Deep-dive theories from CBR and frustrated editorials from TheGamer highlight a dichotomy in the player base. Hardcore lore hunters are engaged, fiercely debating whether this game’s dark "Imprisonment" era validates the downfall timeline.
Conversely, players looking for character progression are hitting a wall. The criticism regarding Link and Zelda’s stagnant relationship suggests that emotional investment is tapering off. If the story refuses to move the characters forward meaningfully, players are less likely to endure the repetitive combat loop required to see the ending. The "lore tease" is effective for marketing, but it might not be enough to sustain long-term engagement if the payoff remains ambiguous.

What This Means for the Future

The divergence between the game's chart performance and its critical reception on new hardware is telling. It suggests that Age of Imprisonment is shifting from a mass-market hit to a cult favorite for enthusiasts who own the latest hardware and care deeply about Hyrulean history.

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment is currently the best-looking game you might have already stopped playing. The Switch 2 update makes it a technical marvel and an essential download for early adopters of the new console. However, unless Nintendo supports the game with DLC that addresses the grind—and perhaps offers some narrative closure on the romance front—it may struggle to climb back up the charts. It is a spectacular display of what the new Switch can do, trapped inside a gameplay loop that feels decidedly last-gen.