Age of Calamity Developers Discuss Pulse of the Ancients DLC
Posted on June 23 2021 by David Lasby
Warning: The following article contains spoilers for Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity and for the DLC Pulse of the Ancients. If you’re trying to avoid spoilers, please bookmark our story to enjoy at a later date!
Recently Azuki Shinanogawa, a writer for the Japanese video game site Dengeki Online, spoke with the developers of Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity regarding the behind-the-scenes development of the main game and the expansion DLC. Sinanogawa spoke with Mr. Yōsuke Hayashi, Mr. Masaki Furusawa, and Mr. Ryōta Matsushita at length, and Zelda Dungeon will be covering this expansive interview by individual topics over the coming days.
Regarding the first wave of the Expansion Pass, Pulse of the Ancients, Producer Hayashi and Development Producer Furusawa explained that the scope of the content focuses on Purah and Robbie’s research at the Royal Ancient Lab; the developers hope that fans of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild will understand the research work being done and take delight in the role it plays in the history of the Calamity.
In terms of the move to create and release the Expansion Pass, Development Producer Furusawa gave a somewhat surprising answer, noting that the positive reception to the game was what finalized the decision and that the development was last-minute. Furusawa explains: “It was a pretty quick turnaround from release. The positive reception we got after the game released was the deciding factor. That was a big opportunity for us to take a step forward.”
When asked about the patch released with the DLC, Director Matsushita noted that an unlockable skill tree was used “so as not to negate the efforts of those who have sharpened their action game skills and worked hard with the available strategies up to this point.”
Furusawa also noted that the patch included changes to the camera controls, allowing players increased options. He notes “We added the option to separate the aiming and camera controls. Also, you can now toggle the setting for the camera to automatically reset behind the character in use. Those were both commonly voiced points of concern…” These changes support the notion that Koei Tecmo Games and Nintendo care about the players’ experience with Age of Calamity and are committed to the game’s long term success.
Pulse of the Ancients also grants players a new playable character, the Battle-Tested Guardian. Matsushita observes that “the Guardians are a strong enemy faced countless times in Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity. They serve an essential role in emphasizing the intensity of the War of the Calamity by coming at you with their power and sheer numbers. However, the Guardians themselves were originally created to defend Hyrule. So I’d like you to play with the feeling of protecting our Hyrule.” Hayashi noted that it’s a kind of “Special Edition Guardian.” The idea that players can use the Guardians as they were originally intended certainly adds to the rich lore and history of Hyrule, allowing players to imagine how the Sheikah machines might have saved the kingdom 10,000 years prior.
Perhaps the biggest surprise of the first wave of the Expansion Pass is the inclusion of the Master Cycle — not as a weapon for Link, but as a powerful offensive force for Princess Zelda. With regard to the play style of the Master Cycle, Matsushita explains, “We’re bringing it in as a Warriors-style weapon, but I also wanted to preserve its character as a bike. We aimed to make it play so that you’d be tempted to skip out on the battle for a joyride…” Anyone that has unlocked the Master Cycle in Age of Calamity will note that this goal has been thoroughly achieved.
Finally, Matsushita discussed the unlockable Guardian Flail, the latest weapon available to Link. He explains that it was “was inspired by the body structure of the Guardians. [Link] fights using its claws and extendable arms…combining whip-like speed with a wide attack range…” Matsushita also discussed the Guardian Flail’s special attack, which steals and replicates enemy weapons, noting that developers wanted to replicate the feeling of discovering new weapons and engaging in creative attacks, for which Breath of the Wild had so much success.
Tell us what you think! What aspects of the Expansion Pass, Pulse of the Ancients, have you most excited? Is there anything you wish was included with this first wave of DLC? Share your reactions in the comments below.
Source: Dengeki Online
Translation by Dark Isatari
I’m a life-long fan of video games and have been playing since I got my NES in the 1980s. The Legend of Zelda, Super Smash Bros., Aliens, and Halo are some of my favorite game franchises. I write for several sites, including Zelda Dungeon, Boss Rush Network, and The Mighty. Find me on Twitter to check out my other content!
