Recently, the Nintendo Switch 2 was hacked for the first time. This let dataminers access the files for various Switch 2 exclusives, including Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment.
And that made us wonder something. How much does the game have left unused in its files? Is there any more evidence of a playable Ganondorf or cut story content? What other insane things does Age of Imprisonment have hidden away?
Let’s find out!
Before we do though, here’s this article in video form if you’d prefer to listen to the text rather than read it:
If not? Keep reading and learn even more about the game.
Colgera
Starting with Colgera. Yeah, there’s a model for Colgera in Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment.
No, not Grimgerra. This is the Tears of the Kingdom boss, not its Archfiend counterpart.
Which in turn raises a few interesting possibilities. Most notably… were the Archfiends always meant to be the main antagonists here?
Because there’s a distinct possibility, they weren’t. That Nintendo and Tecmo Koei originally planned to reuse the dungeon villains from Tears of the Kingdom before deciding that some newer, more human-like designs would work better.
It’d make some sense at least. Colgera is not a character that works well in a Hyrule Warriors title, and it’d be incredibly difficult to translate its battle into something fitting for this game.
Hence why Grimgerra took its place here.
Alternatively, it’s just a left over from Tears of the Kingdom, or a reference meant to help them design its Archfiend counterpart. Those possibilities are plausible too!
Undead Ganondorf
There’s also a model for Ganondorf’s mummified form in the game too. Again, based on the one from Tears of the Kingdom.
Again, it’s hard to be sure what it’s doing here, but there are some theories.
First, it’s possible the model was meant for an earlier version of the game’s intro. In the final game, the footage from Tears of the Kingdom is a video file, just like it was in that game.
But in development? Hmm, maybe it wasn’t. Maybe Tecmo Koei had plans to actually recreate this footage in engine, before falling back on a video when time got low or priorities changed.
Alternatively, it could have been used for any number of in-game purposes. Perhaps there were scenes flashing forward to the events of Tears of the Kingdom. Perhaps Ganon’s mummy form appeared in certain Age of Imprisonment specific cutscenes.
Or perhaps it was used as an alternate playable character or boss model at some point. Unlikely sure, but nothing says a postgame Ganondorf couldn’t have had this design as one of his alts.
Shrine of Resurrection
Another unused model depicts the Shrine of Resurrection from Breath of the Wild and Age of Calamity.
It’s hard to know where this could have fit in, so our guess is that it was a leftover from the previous game. The two definitely use the same engine and many of the same assets, so it wouldn’t be that surprising to see AoC content end up in AoI too.
Sheikah Slate Icons
Same with the Sheikah Runes, which also have icons in the files of Age of Imprisonment. There’s almost certainly no in-game use for them, but they could have easily been leftovers from Age of Calamity as well.
It’s also possible that the original plan was to use Tears of the Kingdom’s Zonai abilities for counters in the same way the runes were in Age of Calamity, until the team realised how much of a nightmare this would be in-universe, and how awkward it might be gameplay and animation wise. Recall would work great as an in-universe counter, and Ultrahand could be made to work there, but Ascend and Fuse would just be better implemented in the way they are in the actual game.
Room of Awakening
Another interesting model in the game is of the Room of Awakening, where Link wakes up after the intro in Tears of the Kingdom.
And at a glance, this seems like it’d have to be another random leftover. I mean, the Great Sky Island didn’t exist in Age of Imprisonment’s time. It was still where the Great Plateau is in the modern day.
But nothing necessarily says the Room of Awakening wasn’t already there. In fact, it could have been much more convenient to access during the events of the Imprisoning War.
Unused Spring
The cave near the Spring of Courage can also be found in Age of Imprisonment too. In Breath of the Wild it held a shrine, but it’s basically meaningless in the other games. Neat it’s present though!
Miso’s Palanquin
The palanquin used by Miso in Tears of the Kingdom can also be found here as well. In that game it was used to store rare armour and weapons (like the Fierce Deity set), but it’s unknown what it could have been for in Age of Imprisonment.
It could have been a way to find rare items in missions, but it’s more likely it’s just a leftover from the previous game.
Construct Head
There’s also a reference to an unused Zonai device in game too. Indeed, among the game’s text files you can find mention of a ‘Golem Head’, or ‘Construct Head’ as its called in English.
In Tears of the Kingdom, these were used to automatically aim Zonai devices and attacks towards nearby enemies, and were rather useful for things like planes or drones.
But they’re not in Age of Imprisonment, and given there’s no English name for this unused device, they clearly got cut early on too.
Cut Voice Lines
There are also unused voice lines calling for Ganondorf, Sonia and the Forbidden Construct, just like there were for Astor in Age of Calamity. Take a listen:
Zelda’s Unused Lines
Rauru’s Unused Lines
Aggraston’s Unused Lines
Calamo’s Unused Lines
Yeah, those sound a lot like the ones heard when one character switches to another, don’t they?
And it seems like just about every character in the game has them too. So, it’s unlikely the idea was cut early on.
So, yeah. We now have definitive proof that Sonia, Ganondorf and the Forbidden Construct were indeed planned for Age of Imprisonment at some point. Or at the very least, considered by Nintendo and Tecmo Koei.
Scrapped Enemies
We also have evidence of cut enemies too. Why? Because in the text files, there are references to dozens of Tears of the Kingdom monsters not found in Age of Imprisonment.
Like Wizzrobes…
- Fire Wizzrobe
- Fire Wizzrobes
- Fire Wizzrobe and its allies
- Ice Wizzrobe
- Ice Wizzrobes
- Ice Wizzrobe and its allies
- Electric Wizzrobe
- Electric Wizzrobes
- Electric Wizzrobe and its allies
- Meteo Wizzrobe
- Meteo Wizzrobes
- Meteo Wizzrobe and its allies
- Blizzrobe
- Blizzrobes
- Blizzrobe and its allies
- Thunder Wizzrobe
- Thunder Wizzrobes
- Thunder Wizzrobe and its allies
Like Likes…
- Like Like
- Like Likes
- Like Like and its allies
- Fire Like
- Fire Likes
- Fire Like and its allies
- Ice Like
- Ice Likes
- Ice Like and its allies
- Shock Like
- Shock Likes
- Shock Like and its allies
- Rock Like
- Rock Likes
- Rock Like and its allies
Training Constructs…
- Training Construct
- Training Constructs
- Training Construct and its allies
Battle Taluses…
- Battle Talus
- Battle Taluses
- Battle Talus and its allies
Gleeoks
And yes, the other Gleeok types too:
- Flame Gleeok
- Flame Gleeoks
- Flame Gleeok and its allies
- Frost Gleeok
- Frost Gleeoks
- Frost Gleeok and its allies
- Thunder Gleeok
- Thunder Gleeoks
- Thunder Gleeok and its allies
- King Gleeok
- King Gleeoks
- King Gleeok and its allies
In fact, we know the game was meant to have the other Gleeok types in it right until late in development, since there are even unused missions where you fight them:
Unused Missions
Flame Gleeok:
While in Hyrule Field, Calamo and his bud are attacked by a Gleeok that spews scorching flame. Knowing the threat posed by such a beast, they set off to eliminate it.
Frost Gleeok:
Another Frost Gleeok has appeared in the skies above Hyrule Field, posing a serious threat to those on the surface. Strike down this enemy and restore order to the skies!
Thunder Gleeok:
With thunderstorms plaguing one particular area of Hyrule, Calamo and his bud decide to do a little reconnaissance. When they discover a lightning-clad Gleeok, they vow to end the creature and restore beautiful skies once more.
King Gleeok:
A King Gleeok has appeared in the skies above Hyrule. Facing this foe half-heartedly will only lead to failure, so be sure you’re well-prepared before challenging it!
Heck, it even seems like optional sky battles were considered at one point in general, given how many references there are to them:
A new monster horde even more powerful than the last has appeared in the skies above Hyrule Field. Soar like the wind as you shoot down the enemy forces!
With a monster horde preparing a massive assault from the skies above Hyrule Field, Calamo and his bud set off to deal with the threat.
After hearing that monsters are forming up in the skies above Death Mountain, Calamo and his bud set out to eliminate the threat and restore peace to the Gorons’ home.
Add this to Gleeok and Like Like parts being listed in the files, unused character icons for them that would clearly have been used in missions and a ton of missions seemingly left on the cutting room floor, and it seems clear to us that a lot of the game got the axe due to a rushed development cycle.
Unused Enemy Parts
- Flame Gleeok Horn
- A crown-like, fire-imbued horn of a Gleeok. It releases flames when disturbed.
- Frost Gleeok Horn
- A crown-like, frost-imbued horn of a Gleeok. Its sharp edges are freezing to the touch.
- Thunder Gleeok Horn
- A crown-like, lightning-imbued horn of a Gleeok that continues to discharge latent energy.
- Like Like Stone
- A round stone made from the crystallized inner fluids of a Like Like.
- Fire Like Stone
- A round stone that remains hot even after being removed from a Fire Like’s blazing body.
- Ice Like Stone
- A round stone that remains cool even after being removed from an Ice Like’s freezing body.
- Shock Like Stone
- A round stone that retains electrical power even after being removed from a Shock Like’s body.
- Bubbul Gem
- A strange crystal left by a defeated Bubbulfrog. Its eerie blue glow may entice you to… collect even more.
Unused Icons
Is That All?
Which as far as we can tell, is every piece of unused content within the files of Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity. No, there’s no Ganondorf evidence of a Ganondorf player model or attacks here. No map showing the inside of Rauru’s Castle as a cut level. No text file providing evidence of DLC.
Wait what?
DLC
Nah, just kidding. There is actually evidence of DLC here, in the form of unused text saying ‘Downloadable Content’ and ‘Purchased Downloadable Content’.
They literally had plans for DLC all along.
Clearly Nintendo and Tecmo Koei had a lot of faith in this game, that’s for sure!
Regardless, that’s all the unused content on the disc. However, we’re not done yet.
Since well, it also let us confirm one more thing.
The Knight Construct is indeed this game’s version of Link.
Seriously, he’s named that in the files. So, if you ever thought he felt suspiciously similar to Link, that’s because the devs used his Age of Calamity version as a base for the robot.
Either way, that’s everything piece of unused content we could find in Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment. Hopefully you found our look at the game’s unused content interesting, especially given how insane some of the stuff on the cutting room floor actually was.
Regardless, what are your thoughts? Do you wish many of these cut characters, enemies and missions made it into the final game? How likely is DLC given the game’s turbulent development?
Leave your thoughts in the comments below, or on our Discord server today!