One of the ways developers and publishers reward franchise fans is by providing some in-game goodies. One of the easiest ways for developers to implement such rewards is through save data, which makes for a less cumbersome means of detecting franchise investment. With the upcoming Breath of the Wild prequel, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, Nintendo confirms returning players will be getting a neat little weapon in the musou action title.
With the recent information blow-out for upcoming Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, one of the smaller little details actually comes at the tail-end of the recent Tokyo Game Show trailer. Following confirmation of a digital pre-order item for Age of Calamity, if a player has a Legend of Zelda:Â Breath of the Wild save on their Switch system they will be granted the "Training Sword" to use in battle.
Not much is known about the powers hidden behind Link's new training sword but it will definitely be a sight as the Hero of Hyrule tackles the armies of Ganon with wood. The wooden sword may actually be a cute throwback to Breath of the Wild's weapon durability, a system some fans want removed or reworked in Breath of the Wild 2. Based on other wooden weapons from Breath of the Wild, it may only have a few good swings before it splinters.
One of the stranger little details found within the trailer is that Nintendo indicated that the item may not be exclusively gained through save data. The disclaimer at the bottom of the image notes that "This item may become available as paid DLC at a later time." So for any fans who might not have their Breath of the Wild save on either their Switch or Switch Lite, there may still be a chance to rock the wooden blade into battle after launch.
Save data bonuses have been a long-time reward system for returning players spanning back numerous generations. Back in 2010, a Perfect Dark HD save gave bonus items in Crackdown 2. The Yakuza series is well-regarded for heaping numerous rewards on gamers that have played through the catalog of titles. Even Nintendo has done similar instances of the promotion in the past as a means of giving those invested in a franchise some extra goodies.
With Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity's launch approaching to throw the land of Hyrule into utter chaos, returning Breath of the Wild players may not exactly find comfort with a swinging hunk of wood. Despite what appears to be a strangely useless weapon, it makes more sense than the Ladle players will get with a digital pre-order for Age of Calamity.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity launches on November 20, 2020, exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.
