Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment's Real Winner May Be…

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment has some fans scratching their heads at the announcement of a game based on a relatively underdeveloped side of Tears of the Kingdom’s story. However, the lack of development in the story of the imprisoning war might be exactly what allows Age of Imprisonment to stand out, especially in regard to Queen Sonia, whose importance in Zelda’s story is betrayed by her lack of screentime in the previous title.

The Hyrule Warriors subseries has been a surprise hit for Nintendo, serving as a crossover between the Zelda games with Omega Force’s Dynasty Warriors series. Age of Imprisonment is even confirmed to be canon to the Legend of Zelda franchise, showing that Nintendo has faith in the game. Set to follow Zelda’s adventures during the events of Tears of the Kingdom, this Warriors outing will focus on the imprisoning war and Zelda’s role in helping to seal Ganondorf away. An important part of Zelda’s time in the past was spent growing close to Queen Sonia. It’s clear that Sonia and Zelda developed a mother-daughter-style relationship, but most of that development happens off-screen. But, with Age of Imprisonment set to focus on Zelda’s story, Queen Sonia seems set to have a much larger role in this game than in Tears of the Kingdom.

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By Tyler Shipley

What Role Will Queen Sonia Play in Age of Imprisonment

Queen Sonia is put in an unusual position going into Age of Imprisonment. Her bond with Zelda will no doubt be an important character moment for the princess, and so, should be explored to its fullest potential. But, as Tears of the Kingdom fans know, Sonia dies at the very beginning of the imprisoning war. Obviously, that means that she’s likely to be absent from most of this game’s story as well. However, it’s been suggested that she might be a playable character, helping to round out Age of Imprisonment’s mysterious roster. If she is playable, it may imply that either the story will start well before the imprisoning war fully breaks out, or that Sonia’s story might not be what it seems.

Tears of the Kingdom’s Mysteries Can Inform Sonia’s Story

Tears of the Kingdom tells two separate stories: one following Link, and the other following Zelda. While Link’s story is a typical one for Zelda games as he searches for the Princess and assists the sages, Zelda’s focuses on Hyrule’s distant past. With players seeing less of Zelda’s story, it led to several plot holes and unsolved mysteries in Tears of the Kingdom. At the time of release, fans hoped to see some of these questions addressed through DLC, but now, it appears that they might be addressed in Age of Imprisonment. Fans have been longing to learn more about the hero of the ancient era and the statues at the bottom of the depths, among other plot inconsistencies, and some of these answers may be found in the story of Queen Sonia.

By far the largest plot mystery left in Tears of the Kingdom regards the identity of Sonia and Rauru’s child. It’s made clear early on that Zelda is a direct descendant of the king and queen of Hyrule, meaning that the two must have a child who can carry on their family lineage. But, in Tears of the Kingdom, no such child is seen or made reference to. It might be possible that this mystery child is elsewhere in ancient Hyrule, perhaps serving as the mysterious ancient hero, but a fact like that would probably have been mentioned. One possible answer might be that Sonia’s story doesn’t end the way fans believe it does; perhaps she isn’t actually dead, and still has time to bear a child after Zelda’s dragon transformation.

Tears of the Kingdom and Age of Imprisonment are two sides of the same coin, telling a story in two parts that forms one grand epic. Plot elements left out of cutscenes in Tears of the Kingdom may find their way into Age of Imprisonment, furthering the lore and legends of the characters introduced in the first game. In this way, the current version of Queen Sonia’s story might just be scratching the surface.

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