Nintendo's action-adventure game Hyrule Warriors has received rave early reviews after its release date in Japan on August 14 last week.

Hyrule Warriors is a mash-up of the popular Zelda and Dynasty Warriors franchises.

The storyline revolves around the delicate balance of the Triforce which has been disrupted, and Hyrule Kingdom being torn apart by the evil legion led by Sorceress Cia.

Many characters from the original The Legend of Zelda games are playable, including Link, Princess Zelda, Impa and Midna.

Moreover, the latest Nintendo Direct presentation revealed that Ganondorf will also be a playable character, as well as Skyward Sword's Fi, and Zant from Twilight Princess.

Japanese magazines and gaming pundits are starting to weigh in.

Each of Famitsu's reviewers have given the game a score of 9 out of 10, resulting in a combined rating of 36 out of 40.

These review excerpts were translated from Japanese by Nintendo Everything:

"Seriously. It's 'Warriors' and 'Zelda.' You got the action of 'Warriors' and the charming worlds of 'Zelda,' and it sounds too fun! The foundation of the gameplay is definitely 'Warriors"-based, and although there is a lack of puzzle-solving, the two works are fused together so nicely and truly became a top-quality means of entertainment," a reviewer named Yoshida commented.

Another reviewer said, "While not destroying the world of Zelda, the action has been modeled after the "Warriors" series and it is exhilarating."

According to Nintendo's official website, the game will support local co-op but not likely online.

"Two warriors are better than one: Battle armies with a friend using local co-op mode, with one person playing on the TV and the other on the GamePad, providing each player with his or her own screen."

Japanese Nintendo Wii owners received the amazing "Treasure Box," a special edition with a bundle of goodies in it.

Hyrule Warriors is scheduled for a US release date on September 26 and September 16 for Europe.