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 shown by Nintendo at E3 2004, 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.
I could be here all day talking about this game and how great it is. I will try and break down the most important things of the game. As you all know with The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures, the game features Game Boy Advance connectivity. We all had some great fun with Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles and its connectivity options, but as it turns out this game has the best Connectivity game to date. The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures comes in a cardboard box and it includes the Zelda game and also the Game Boy Advance/GameCube connection cord, which will allow you to connect your Game Boy Advance and your GameCube for connectivity.
The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures has many things to offer you in terms of gameplay. You can play with three other friends using the Game Boy Advance. Or if you want to go it alone, you can play with the GameCube controller or the Game Boy Advance as the controller. Either way, you will not miss a beat, because if you use the GameCube controller you will see all the Game Boy Advance screens on a pop-up screen on your TV. You will still have the GameCube game on screen, but a block will pop up showing what you might call a large Game Boy Advance screen, complete with the words “Game Boy Advance” at the bottom of the block.
Single Player mode spans over eight large lands searching out the Evil Link. During your journey, you will have the help of three other Links, each dressed in different colored clothes. This will be useful in various areas of the game, where you might have to use the green Link to push a green block that is in your way. You will be able to use one Link or all four Links at a time. Using all four Links will result in more power against enemies because you will be able to use four times the weapon’s power. You can also link the Links up in various orders. You can form a line of four, form a square, or form a diamond shape to battle in all four directions. You can also use one Link and go to various places while the other three Links hang out.
You can click a button and the other three will rush to join you, even if you are on the other side of a cliff. And speaking of cliffs, you can pick up a Link and throw him to the other side. So yes, now we have “Link Tossing” in the game. Link can also swim and dive under the water (to avoid enemies or just to do it for the hell of it). Speaking of enemies, there will be times when there are a ton of enemies on screen at once (with no slowdown whatsoever). And yes, you will be able to have the four links ride a horse during the game. There are also various weather climates, such as rain and snow during different levels. So this game has it all baby!
When you collect an item, such as a fire rod (which is the coolest weapon!) then all four Links will be able to use this weapon. You can torch a whole forest with the Fire Rod. Just make sure you are not standing in the forest. This is a great and easy way to get Force Gems, which I will talk about in a bit. You will also be able to get items like shovels to dig for items. And the Pegasus Boots return! And like other Zelda games, you can replenish your health with hearts as well as fairies that completely replenish you. If you loved the Zelda games of old for the NES and the SNES then you will feel right at home with this game.
As I said earlier, you must hunt down this dark Link figure. You will need to hunt him down like he was Bin Laden. You will collect Force Gems during the game. You will need to get as many Force Gems as you possibly can. You can find these Force Gems by burning or slashing grass and shrubs with your sword. You can also find them in bottles. I found that you will need to collect as many as possible because I had reached the end of the second level and I could not go on because I did not collect the number of Force Gems that I needed.
But you will need to do more than just slashing enemies and collecting Force Gems. You will have to solve puzzles, talk to people, and use the other members for help as well as other cool things. The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures is packed with gaming goodness.
Multi-Player Zelda:
Multiplayer mode is a treat, especially if you have four people going at it at once. You can do various things during the game to help the other three players; you can stab them in the back. Either way, it is a very fun and exciting experience and it shows what fun and potential the GameCube/Game Boy Advance Connectivity has to offer. The real treat is Shadow Battle. Think of a Zelda version of Bomberman and you will see how this mode plays.
Your object is to be the last Link standing. You can do various things to your opponents, and it gets downright dirty at times. Even when you are down and out you can still get the best of your opponents by crawling over to detonators and booby-trap buttons on the floor to set off bombs as well as other deadly things that will harm you. This mode will have you and your friends laughing for hours on end.
Graphics:
Do not let the graphics of the game on the back of the box fool you; The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures has the looks and feel of the “Legend of Zelda: A Link to The Past” SNES game, but it takes advantage of the Nintendo GameCube’s graphics power as well. The game takes you back to the 2D link, and it plays like a charm. Link may be small, but he is very detailed. You might also notice some enemies of past Zelda games. The game is full of nice details. While Link is swimming in the water, you will see very nice effects of the water rippling. There are great fire effects as well as some beautiful rainbow effects at waterfalls. You can see the reflection of the clouds in the water.
This game may look mediocre at first glance, but it is quite an amazing, beautiful game. The game also has the look and style of the last Zelda GameCube game, Wind Waker. When something explodes you get this cool cell-shaded fire look to things (as with the GameCube Wind Waker game). I guess you could say that this game is the result of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to The Past for the SNES and The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker for the GameCube clashing together. It is a very nice mix of the two in terms of how the game looks.
The game zooms in and out as well. Many people have whined in reviews about the fact that some of the graphics look a bit blocky at times when zoomed in too close, but it does not take away from the fun. And the game still looks beautiful no matter what. It may not win any awards for groundbreaking graphics, but it fits the Zelda world to perfection. I am totally in love with the looks of the game because for one I am a die-hard old-school fanatic. Sitting back and playing this game takes me back to my days in high school, when I would play The Legend of Zelda for the SNES for hours on end (and doing a red-eye in school the next morning).
This game has something that many games this day in age do not have. It has feeling and style that takes those who remember back to a time when 8 and 16-bit gaming was on fire and fun as hell to play. There are some very cool and innovative styles to the graphics as well. One example is when you enter a small place like a cave or a house, if you are using your Game Boy Advance then you will see the inside of these places on your Game Boy Advance screen. If you are using the GameCube controller then you will see a Game Boy Advance screen pop up on your television screen, showing you the inside of the cave or house.
Sometimes when you enter a place like a cave, the screen will show Link in a side-scrolling scene. This is much like when Link would enter a place in the old NES Zelda game. Overall, the graphics are sharp and detailed. It takes old-school graphics to a whole new level.
Music and Sound:
The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures has the sounds of the original SNES Legend of Zelda: Link to The Past game. It does not feature anything new, but the midi music works with the style of the game. I would have loved to hear a new orchestrated version of all of our favorite Zelda songs, but I guess we are going to have to wait for the new Zelda game for that.
Link also makes many grunts and sounds as well. And there are some characters (like Tingle) that also make grunts here and there. Overall, it has the noticeable Zelda tunes that we all know and love. It may sound very midi, but it fits the old-school feel of the game. The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures has a solid sound that rounds out a very solid game.
The Bottom Line:
The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures is an awesome game for the GameCube. It revisits one of the greatest 2D Zelda games ever made (Legend of Zelda: Link to The Past for the SNES) and takes the graphics, and the gameplay and adds a whole new twist (the Game Boy Advance connectivity option). While it is not a deep and long journey, The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures has enough great options to keep you coming back for more.
It is a great game that will tide us all over until the mother of all Zelda games is released for the Nintendo GameCube. So go and grab this great game, grab a few of your friends who own Game Boy Advances, and go at it. It is well worth the $50 and you will have a great time playing The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures! If you own a GameCube (or are a fan of the Zelda series), you MUST own this title! Nintendo has done it again by releasing yet another five-star title!
Nintendo asks the question “Who Are You?” I know who I am, and I know that I love this game!
NOTE: Original Review Date June 23rd, 2004 for nlgaming.com
Review Score:
- Beautiful old-school 2D graphics and animation
- Fun as hell old-school gameplay
- Great use of connectivity
- Connectivity cable comes with game
9.3/10
