Nerd Mentality

Zelda: Four Swords (Import)

Posted September 24th 2006 by Adrian DeHerrera.

Creating a 2D Zelda game in the vein of Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past during the era of expansive 3D worlds was the challenge Nintendo undertook with Legend of Zelda: Four Swords +. Bringing multiplayer Zelda to a console for the first time is a feat in itself, but Four Swords + also shines as a great single player quest. The main game, Hyrule Adventure, is a completely new 2D Zelda experience which showcases expansive areas with exceptional level design. Controlling four Link characters at a time, there are four available formations, which allow for more strength but also more vulnerability or a configuration of three Links simply following the lead Link, invulnerable but essentially useless. Since the level designs and puzzles are setup for multiplayer, Hyrule Adventure maintains an amazing amount of playability for a single player.The best experience of Four Swords +, however, comes from the satisfaction of multiplayer Zelda. Multiplayer requires GBA units and link cables for each player, furthering Nintendo's connectivity by allowing players to utilize GBA screens the track their character when moving off the TV display. This allows all the characters to continue the main action while individuals wander to explore other areas. The game is heavily cooperative as players are faced with all the traditional Zelda-esque puzzles and bosses, but also has a competitive element to test teamwork. Throughout the game, each player competes for rupees, utilizing any tactic to arrive first at every treasure. Any Link who loses his life drops his rupees, granting the others time to swipe them before the deceased Link is revived. All competition is nullified, however, the moment the next switch is hit and the next puzzle or boss appears. A great inclusion, upon every restart, the game allows for the selection of the number of players, allowing a single player to continue a multiplayer quest or vice versa so no time is wasted.

Besides the Hyrule Adventure, Four Swords + includes two other modes: Navi Trackers and Shadow Battle. Shadow Battle is a frenzied deathmatch, utilizing an assortment of weaponry and large stages. The limiting factor, however, lies in the fact that there are only five levels, with a meager (and disappointing) rearrangement of each being the sole unlockable features for this mode. Navi Trackers is a scavenger hunt themed in Zelda universe, using new maps but repetitive gameplay. This mode is, however, entirely voice-based, being a marked change from traditional Zelda formula of text scrolling. The mode requires extensive Japanese language recognition, and is very difficult to follow for long periods of time for those of us without such.

The graphics are, simply put, a GBA game overlaid with GameCube special effects. The field of vision zooms in and out to accommodate all of the Links, making the visible field often far larger than a single GBA or SNES screen. The presentation plays with 2D tradition and Gamecube capabilities throughout. The shadowy sprite effects on the GC screen highlight the feeling that the player has finally been allowed to take a magnifying glass to the intricacy of the 2D world. Tumbling and rolling, executing a colorful mixture of charge attacks, spinning the fire rod around your head, this game shines with every move a player makes. Overall, the game feels like an old-fashioned Gamecube title rather than a Game Boy game on steroids. The sound effects are well-done, with each Link shouting in his own set of pitches, causing unison events like pushing blocks to generate a four-part harmony of huffing and puffing. The music is, disappointingly, almost identical to A Link to the Past without much effort to rework for the updated power of the Gamecube.Overall, Four Swords + is a mixture of numerous ideas and seemingly unrelated modes that melds to form an exquisite game. Zelda is ever changing, and this iteration sees the dream of true connectivity come to fruition for Nintendo while bringing a fresh face to the series. A great import if only for the fact that Navi Trackers will be missing from the North American release, this game is a great acquisition for single player and multiplayer gamer alike. If you just can't wait, you can order The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords + here from our friends at Ahead Games.

This game gets an N-Philes score of A.

An excellent addition to the GameCube series.

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