These days, Nintendo is a lot like a modern artist, or that weird kid in class who used to pluck his eyebrows in the back row. The big N isn’t concerned with popularity or a large market share, and is seemingly content to put forth quirky titles that manage to be a lot of fun to play. To put it more simply, there are three kinds of Nintendo games: The big-name masterworks, such as the massive Mario, Zelda or Metroid titles that come out every four years or so; the “filler” (the Pokemon or Mario Party games that come out every fifteen minutes); and the novelty titles – the ones that are far from epic, but are a lot of fun to play.
The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures, in addition to having a mouthful of a title, most definitely falls into the third category, sitting right next to Mario vs. Donkey Kong and DK: King of Swing. If you’re looking for the next epic Zelda adventure, you’re going to have to wait until 2005, because Four Swords does for Zelda what Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles did for Final Fantasy.
Consider this game a beefed-up version of A Link to the Past’s connected multiplayer component – a series of hack ‘n slash adventures all strung together in one fun campaign. The beauty of this concept is that it integrates connective play (made possible by the GCN/GBA link cable, the same as in Crystal Chronicles) with the thoughtful puzzle-adventure gameplay that gave The Legend of Zelda its rightful place as one of the best series of all time.
Four Swords Adventures is comprised of two gameplay modes: The Hyrulean Adventure mode, and Shadow Battle. Shadow Battle is a simple out-and-out death match for two to four players, in which players battle it out in a variety of arenas (both side scrolling and top-down) using the weapons and tools from the game. The winner is the last man standing. It’s a fun little diversion, for the most part, but the real joy of the game comes from the adventure.
The Hyrulean Adventure is a tale for one to four players (each using a GBA as a controller). The story is classic: Vaati, an evil wind sorcerer, has escaped and kidnapped Princess Zelda and six maidens, imprisoning them in crystals (sound familiar? One word: Agahnim). Link, responding to a distress call, hurries to the Four Sword Sanctuary, resting place of the weapon that defeated Vaati in the first place, and seals him in his extra dimensional prison. Link draws the Four Sword and is split into four separate entities. This, of course, breaks the seal on Vaati’s prison. The pudding hits the fan, and they’re off on their adventure.
The game is deliciously retro. That’s right, deliciously so. It evokes all the nostalgic memories I have of my favourite Zelda game and gives it a very GCN twist. All the fire, wind, and smoke effects are drawn from Wind Waker, lending buttery smooth animation to the crisp 16 bit-styled graphics. While the overall presentation may not be as high-tech as anything else you might see nowadays, it is doubtlessly effective and easy on the eyes.
All the action is accompanied by a soundtrack that seems like the next evolution of the Super NES’, with variations on classic Zelda themes. The combat and enemy noises are clean, crisp, and retro, which can be seen as either a good or a bad thing – on the one hand, the soundtrack is a heart-warming throwback to the so-called good ol’ days of 16 bit gaming, but on the other, it’s hardly taxing the potential of modern sound design. Would the game have been better with a fully orchestrated soundtrack? Perhaps, and perhaps it would not.
The game plays out a lot like Crystal Chronicles. Players travel from stage to stage, with three stages to a level, killing monsters, solving puzzles, and using all the tools at their disposal to defeat the boss and destroy the dark gate. There is nothing to buy in the game, so Rupees have been abolished. Instead, the reward for victory is a certain number of Force Gems. These Force Gems are used to return the shine to the Four Sword and give it the power to vanquish evil and, consequently, destroy the dark gate. This means that players must collect a grand total of 2000 force gems. This is a far easier feat than it seems, as Force Gems literally rain down from the sky during most levels.
A single player can control all four incarnations of Link. There are five possible configurations, each with its own use. The default configuration is the “snake” – three Links following one Link. This is advantageous when you need to navigate winding, thin paths. There is a vertical and a horizontal line, in which the four Links walk four abreast, which is great for cutting wide swaths through grass or enemies. There is a box formation, which is easy to defend and is a good for concentrating a lot of firepower on one enemy. Finally, there is the cross formation, in which all four Links stand back to back in a diamond, which, while being the weakest in terms of defence, is perfect for when the enemies start to swarm. A touch of the L button brings up a menu of the formations, making it easy to change on the fly – a necessary skill in the later levels when the action gets hairy.
Teamwork is essential in every level. Not only are there situations in which each player must work together to solve a puzzle – for instance, in pushing a humungous block or lifting a huge log, but boss battles and even defeating swarms of weak enemies are almost impossible feats for a single Link.
Speaking of Boss Battles, the end foes in each level are suitably spectacular, and each has a certain weakness. Few of the bosses have any new tricks – most of the bosses are modernizations or adaptations of classic bosses from previous Zelda games, but there are hints scattered around the levels and even in the Boss’ arenas themselves for astute players.
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.
