This game is a successor to 2014's Hyrule Warriors, and similarly acts as a crossover mixing the characters and universe of Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda series with the gameplay of Koei Tecmo's Dynasty Warriors franchise. Unlike the first Hyrule Warriors, which was set in its own separate universe, Age of Calamity is part of the The Legend of Zelda canon, taking place 100 years before The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and depicting the Great Calamity, a war frequently mentioned in the original game. This makes Age of Calamity the first The Legend of Zelda game to act as a direct prequel to another entry in the series. In the story, Link and Princess Zelda must gather allies from all across Hyrule to fight the forces led by the evil Calamity Ganon, who is attempting to revive himself and destroy the kingdom.