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Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity Co-op Play Guide and Performance Analysis
Provides information on how to play co-op in Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity (split screen, game share, game chat), the performance of each mode, player permissions, and progress sharing. The abundance of single-player-only missions may disappoint those expecting a complete co-op experience.
1. 🎮 Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity - Getting Started with Co-op: Split Screen, Game Share, Online Game Chat
- ✅ You must complete the tutorial section to enable co-op mode.
- ✅ To start co-op, press the left pad on your controller to open the multiplayer menu.
- ✅ Split Screen: Two players can play on the same console with a horizontal split screen. Just connect a second controller.
- ✅ Game Share (Local Play): New to Switch 2, a second player can use another Switch console (Switch 1 or Switch 2) to play without split screen. Only Player 1 needs to own the game.
| Mode | Requirements |
|---|---|
| Split Screen | Two controllers, one console |
| Game Share (Local) | Two Switch consoles (Player 1 owns the game) |
00:00 - 01:28
1. 🎮 Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity - Getting Started with Co-op: Split Screen, Game Share, Online Game Chat
- ✅ You must complete the tutorial section to enable co-op mode.
- ✅ To start co-op, press the left pad on your controller to open the multiplayer menu.
- ✅ Split Screen: Two players can play on the same console with a horizontal split screen. Just connect a second controller.
- ✅ Game Share (Local Play): New to Switch 2, a second player can use another Switch console (Switch 1 or Switch 2) to play without split screen. Only Player 1 needs to own the game.
| Mode | Requirements |
|---|---|
| Split Screen | Two controllers, one console |
| Game Share (Local) | Two Switch consoles (Player 1 owns the game) |
01:29 - 02:48
2. 🎮 Setting Up Online Co-op (Game Chat) and Considerations
- ✅ Game Share (Game Chat): This is the mode for online co-op. Only Player 1 needs to own the game.
- ✅ Both players need a Switch 2 system and a Nintendo Online membership.
- ✅ In the Game Chat group, Player 1 selects the Game Share option to send an invite to Player 2.
- ⚠️ A black bar will appear on the screen and cannot be removed.
- ⚠️ Quality depends on the connection between players and internet stability. Player 2 is streaming the game from Player 1.
| Mode | Requirements |
|---|---|
| Game Share (Game Chat) | Two Switch 2 consoles, Nintendo Online membership (Player 1 owns the game), Game Chat group |
02:49 - 03:55
3. 🎮 Performance Analysis: Single Player, Split Screen, Game Share (Local), Game Share (Game Chat)
- ✅ Single Player: Smoothest experience, stable 60fps.
- ✅ Split Screen: Stable 30fps, still great and playable.
- ✅ Game Share (Local): Around 60fps, slightly lower resolution.
- ✅ Game Share (Game Chat): Lowest quality, resolution drops and frame rate drops (around 30fps).
- ✅ All options are playable, unlike the performance issues at launch with Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity.
| Mode | Performance |
|---|---|
| Single Player | 60fps |
| Split Screen | 30fps |
| Game Share (Local) | 60fps (lower resolution) |
| Game Share (Game Chat) | 30fps (resolution drops) |
03:56 - 04:12
4. 🎮 Progress Sharing: Saved to Player 1's System
- ✅ Since only Player 1 owns the game, all save data is stored on Player 1's system.
- ✅ Player 2 doesn't need to worry about losing progress.
- ✅ Character leveling, acquired gear, or upgrades are all saved to the same file.
04:13 - 05:26
5. 🎮 Player Permissions and Single Player Only Mission Issues
- ✅ In the menu, Player 1 has all the permissions, but Player 2 cannot interact.
- ✅ During combat, both players have equal permissions. They can freely switch characters, access inventory, pause the game, and use the same abilities.
- ⚠️ Some missions or segments are single player only. This happened 4 times out of 8 story missions.
- ⚠️ There is no advance warning for single player only missions.
05:27 - 07:30
6. 🎮 Final Thoughts: Reconsider Purchasing for Co-op
- ⚠️ If your main goal is co-op, it's recommended to reconsider purchasing.
- ⚠️ Performance is much smoother than Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, but it's far from a complete drop-in/drop-out co-op experience.
- ⚠️ It takes a long time before co-op is allowed, and the fact that there are many missions where co-op is not possible is disappointing.
- ✅ Combat and performance are great.
- ✅ The black bar during Game Share or Game Chat sessions may not be a big deal.
- ⚠️ Overall, initial co-op impressions are disappointing.