GameCube

The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures

I have always been a loyal fan of the Zelda series since the good old NES days. I remember when I first saw The Legend of Zelda for the Nintendo Entertainment System. I was blown away by the fact that you could save your progress, and it was also a cool gold cartridge. Today it may seem a bit primitive in terms of graphics, but the gameplay still stands up as some of the greatest, even by today's standards. Today the Zelda series still stands as one of the leading game icons in the world. We were all blown away by the Zelda video that was show by Nintendo at E3 this year, and while we wait for the new adventures of Zelda to grace our GameCube, Nintendo has given us a little something to quench our thirst. The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures has arrived, and though it may not be the Zelda that we are waiting for, it is a great addition to the GameCube library and it is also a great game that will take you back to the SNES days.

The way this game has been put together makes for a very unique Zelda experience. If needing three friends each with a GBA and link cable to really get the most out of this game is not an issue, the game is a must-have.

When Nintendo first announced that its Game Boy Advance port of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past would include an additional four-player cooperative adventure mode, it was difficult to tell whether or not the series' classic blend of action, adventure, and RPG gameplay mechanics would make for an enjoyable multiplayer experience. Of course, after its release and numerous positive reviews, it was clear that with Four Swords Nintendo had been able to cleverly blend both cooperative and competitive gameplay with all the puzzling and combat that makes a game feel undeniably like Zelda. And yet, I couldn't help but feel a bit skeptical when The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures was nearing release on the GameCube.

I could go on for pages about the features and nifty little tricks Nintendo has managed to put into this game, but suffice it to say this: Four Swords Adventures is not an epic adventure, it’s not a classic Zelda game, but it is a fast-paced, fun multiplayer experience that manages to be visceral, exciting, and thoughtful all at the same time. If you and your crew have beaten Crystal Chronicles and are looking for a new co-operative gaming experience, you could do a lot worse than The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures.

While competitive online and offline gaming is alive and well, games with cooperative modes are still a rarity. Chalk it up to the fact that as gameplay and enemy AI are becoming more complicated, it's tough to balance a game so that it's fun to play alone and still challenging enough with multiple players. Outside of a few recent experiments like Resident Evil Outbreak, co-op gaming has been low on many developers' lists. Most cooperative games seem to take the guise of dungeon hack'n'slash RPGs with randomized levels and a focus on stats building -- which is why Nintendo's little four-player experiment is so refreshing. Like the GBA link-up quest it's based on, The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures is a unique take on the action adventure genre.

When it gets down to it, there are two ways to look at The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures. You can either look at the title as a mildly exciting single-player experience or a much better multiplayer game. Fans of Zelda rejoice. This is multiplayer Zelda at its best, and it shouldn’t be missed.

The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures is a clever, addictive, and sometimes frustrating adventure. No one who starts a game will willingly quit, but they might give up because the goal isn't always clear. That can be pretty aggravating, but it wasn't enough to detain me. I kept coming back for more, lost a ton of sleep, and found myself engrossed in a 2D Zelda game that was designed for a next-generation console. How can such a blasphemous thing be justified? Play the game and you'll understand. It may not be as technologically advanced as The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, but it's still worth every rupee you'll spend on it.

2D landscapes, 3D effects and exquisite animation all make for an extremely aesthetically pleasing experience, though, especially for fans, who will find themselves rewarded with familiar graphical motifs, musical references and the odd character from Zelda games past. Indeed, if you're a fan and have enough fellows to play with, you can bump this game's score up to a 9 owing to the extra enjoyment it will offer you. If, however, you're not a follower of the Zelda series, this will be somewhat more difficult to get into and it is advised that the score possibly be revised to a 7. Four Swords essentially ends up with an 8 because it is so very subjective; with the right friends, the right equipment and the right attitude, this is as sprawling and brilliant a multiplayer adventure as you're ever likely to find.

Four Swords Adventure offers a unique gaming experience. A living room is jammed with four gamers huddled around a TV set with the surround sound blasting out of the speakers, while they occasionally divert their attention to a mini, handheld gaming system - and back to the TV again. Sometimes they even shout at each other. Imagine having to explain this one to grandpa?

First things first: don't let the word "Adventures" mislead you. The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures is all about puzzles and battles, and nothing more. If you're looking for an epic trek across Hyrule, look elsewhere, but if you're looking for the Zelda game with the best puzzle design since A Link To The Past, you've found your match. Without a doubt, FSA offers the most satisfying, multiplayer experience available on the market. While you won't have the thrills of sabotage and organized mayhem that the multiplayer game gives you, solving the puzzles and finding the limited secrets will offer countless hours of enjoyment. Four Swords Adventures is yet another fantastic multiplayer experience for a system already known for its excellent multiplayer games. So grab a few GBAs, pick up a copy of the game and get to it, soldiers. You've got a lot of chaos to wreak.

"The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures" took us fully with surprises! Not only by its simple and addictive gameplay but also the ability to use four Links, solve puzzles with teamwork, magnificient areas and recognisable tunes this title is a worthy successor to the previous Zelda games. While some of you will dislike its 2D engine with just a minimum of cel shading and Wind Waker effects, its the adventure that will keep you gaming on and on. Besides the huge adventure mode, players can also use their GBA with a link cable for multiplayer mode and experience the same Zelda feel on their own GBA.

Legend of Zelda: Four Swords is packed to the hilt with clever puzzles and some innovative uses of the GBA, and like all good games, seems to get better the more you play. Yet despite its faithfulness to the series, its rousing music, the throwback visual style, and inclusion of familiar characters such as Epona and the owl, the game’s narrow scope nonetheless elicits a twinge of disappointment. It would have been great to build stats over time, explore an interconnected overworld, and acquire powered-up weapons and items that don’t instantly disappear the moment you complete a level. But that sense of regret is to be expected when looking back at the impossibly high standards set by one of Nintendo’s most cherished series. Don’t let the shift in focus keep you from missing out on this addictive game.

In the end, the most important thing to consider about Four Swords Adventures is that it's not Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles (Editor's Note: Thank goodness). Without a doubt, FSA offers the most satisfying, multiplayer experience available on the market. While you won't have the thrills of sabotage and organized mayhem that the multiplayer game gives you, solving the puzzles and finding the limited secrets will offer countless hours of enjoyment.

While Zelda advocates will find solace in the inventive puzzles, archetypal boss battles, and familiar story arc that runs through every inch of gameplay, the main attraction and allure of this game is quite out of character for this hallowed franchise. As the name so cleary implies, this adventure shines the most with four people playing at once. Granted, you will get a sizeable charge marching through the dungeons by your lonesome, but this title is designed with the intent of having players communicate to solve puzzles and get rowdy as the competition rises.

Adoptant une nouvelle approche de la série Zelda, Four Swords sur GameCube n'a certes pas la prestance d'un Wind Waker et n'est pas aussi attendu que le prochain volet de la série, mais il mérite pourtant que l'on s'y attarde pour bien des raisons. Malgré un côté "old school" qui pourrait, à tord, en rebuter certains, ce Four Swords fait office d'hommage à l'épisode SNES, A Link to the Past, tout en intégrant une nouvelle façon de jouer, prônant la convivialité. Passionnant aussi bien à quatre qu'en solo, Four Swords est une valeur sûre sur GameCube, un jeu sur lequel on a plaisir à revenir sans jamais se lasser.

Four Swords Adventures is not really a traditional Zelda game. Rather it's a refined interpretation of the formula that has been stripped of some of its clunkier aspects like multi-item inventory systems and streamlined in such a way that a group of players can co-operatively explore and excite themselves tearing it apart. And, yes, that is "refined" rather than "dumbed down"; double-D derision is best kept for something that's been stripped of its soul for the sake of mass-market appeal, whereas the inherent shrewdness of the Four Swords design demonstrates it's quite the opposite.

Four Swords Adventures is a creative, fun use of connectivity just don’t mistake it for the next Wind Waker. Looking for a reason to drag out all those link cables you bought for Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles You should check out The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures, a weird, cool party/puzzle/adventure game that’s much more entertaining and creative than a GameCube update of a GBA mini-game has any right to be.

Es macht unwahrscheinlich viel Spaß, zu viert durch die Landschaften von Hyrule zu stapfen, jede Menge Gegner zu beseitigen und Rätsel zu lösen. Die Kleinkriege um die vielen Kristalle sind einfach genial. Im Alleingang ist das Hauptspiel ebenfalls interessant, zumal die Kontrolle der Truppe gut umgesetzt wurde. Die GC-GBA-Connectivity ist in dieser Form auf dem GameCube absolut einzigartig und funktioniert wirklich vorbildlich.

Bref, Four Swords Adventures, c’est du bon, mangez-en. Pour peu que vous ne viviez pas en autarcie et que vous ayez des amis, le jeu vous procurera une bonne tranche de fun, du moins le temps de boucler l’aventure principale (une bonne quinzaine d’heures, sans compter qu’on peut la recommencer à volonté), car le mode Shadow Battle s’avère finalement peu intéressant (le concept du deathmatch s’adapte mal à Zelda). Dommage cependant que le mode Navi Trackers ait été amputé de la version Japonaise, à cause paraît-il de difficultés d’adaptation du système vocal.

There's no question that The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures handily trumps Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles as the best example of Nintendo's connectivity plan and serves up some fun multiplayer gaming. However, the required use of the GBA for multiplayer does limit the play potential. Provided you have the friends and the hardware for it, though, these Four Swords have one bright future.