The Legend of Zelda Anniversary Four Sword Review

Calendar week 8 of theFable of Zelda Rewind Reviewis here, and that means it'southward time to visit the 8th game in theLegend of Zeldaserial:Iv Swords for the Gameboy Advance and Nintendo 3DS!

The Legend of Zelda: 4 Swordswas a game that was arranged together withA Link to the Past.An ceremony edition of the game was likewise released for the DSi and 3DS in 2011. This was the first multiplayerLegend of Zeldaexperience, and withTriforce Heroescoming to the 3DS after this calendar month, what better time to review i of the previous multiplayerLegend of Zeldainstallments?

As with all Rewind Reviews, The Legend of Zelda: 4 Swords volition undergo a review process through the optics of a modern critic.No nostalgia spectacles, no excuses, no rationalizing hardware limitations, and no sparing myself from angry fans and readers. Cipher will alibi this game from anything that we - every bit modern gamers - would expect to run into in the genre today.

With that said, let'southward have a personality crisis and split into four heroes inThe Legend of Zelda: 4 Swordsfor the Gameboy Accelerate, DSi, and 3DS!

The Plot

Unlike every otherFable of Zeldagame to engagement,The Legend of Zelda: Iv Swordsdoesn't really take a fleshed out story. Instead, the game focuses on a competitive-cooperative multiplayer experience surrounding a blade known simply as the "Four Sword".

What little story nosotros do get fromIv Swordscan be summarized in as follows:

• A Wind Sorcerer named Vaati once terrorized Hyrule earlier a hero came and sealed him inside the Four Sword.
• The Four Sword was and so placed in a sanctuary to preclude information technology from beingness released.
• Zelda senses the seal of the Four Sword is breaking, and after she and Link go far at the chantry the seal breaks.
• Zelda is kidnapped (large surprise).
• Link so takes up the 4 Sword - effectively separating into four Links - and proceeds to hunt after Vaati.
• Hillarity ensues...

Okay, so the last role was my improver to the story. Yet, I would imagine it to be a valid plot-signal considering 99% ofFour Swordsplaythroughs have accept two or four friends effectively trolling the life out of ane another while scavenging rupees and solving puzzles.

Other than these plot points there's really zilch to add together, since the game itself doesn't actually have a story outside of the opening and closing cutscenes. It'southward non that the story premise is bad, it's just that it's... at that place. And it really doesn't need to exist.

The Gameplay

The Bad:

I'm going straight to the bad. I know. You'd think that since there'due south an ceremony edition of the game it would be somewhat decent. However,The Legend of Zelda: Iv Swords is a terrible game for multiple reasons...

The first is that it plays only like one would expect a multiplayerLegend of Zelda would play. While this might seem similar a adept thing at first, the issues is that it has very trivial strategy or puzzle-solving involved. Thanks to the fact that there are ii Links involved - and that the puzzles aren't exactly difficult to compensate for this - many of the puzzles feel like early dungeons in a regularLegend of Zeldachampionship. Instead of making proper use of the multiple Links at your disposal, many times you experience like you are merely doing the aforementioned affair you would exercise in a regular game. The catch is that this time, you lot need to look for your incompetent friend to grab upward.

Get ready for classic Legend of Zelda puzzles like pushing obstacles, but this time you get to practise it cooperatively with iii friends!

The second problem is that the game itself is not particularly difficult at all. Many of the puzzles - as previously stated - have been simplified to recoup for the multiplayer attribute. It makes the game feel oddly unsatisfying, even at its most difficult sections. Even the game's concluding dominate - Vaati - is fairly easy to defeat. Information technology's a disappointment, and although I must keep in mind that this is the first experiment with multiplayerLegend of Zeldagameplay, information technology lacks any redeeming features.

Vaati's dominate battle is comprised of two parts: throwing bombs at his tornadoes, and playing ping-pong with your allies until yous smack him featherbrained in his color-coded weak points with the right character...

The third is the competitive nature of the game. While you need to cooperate to progress throughFour Swords, the game rates you at the end of each phase (yes, stage, not dungeon) based on how many rupees you collected. While this tin can be fun, it detracts from the focus on puzzle solving and combat that the series is known for.

The last problem is a physical one. Regardless of whether yous are playing the GBA, DSi, or 3DS versions of the game, you will see one major upshot: finding other players who have the game. Unlike its successorFour Swords Adventureson the Gamecube,Four Swordshas no single role player manner. As a consequence, the game is literally unplayable without friends. Furthermore, the game is most enjoyable when there are at least four players present, equally the puzzles arrange to the number of players, and 4 thespian puzzles are much more challenging.

Every bit such, you need at least 3 other people with either theLegend of Zelda: A Link to the Pastcartridges for the Gameboy Advance (and plenty link cables to link four Gameboys) or 4 3DS or DSis with the game installed in lodge to fully enjoy the game. It'south simply not a reasonable effort for a game that is barely 3 hours long.

The Presentation

The Legend of Zelda: Iv Swordssuffers in terms of fine art style. While other GBALegend of Zeldagames have looked great on the handheld, for some reason the art direction seems a chip off with this game. I suppose I shouldn't hold it to the aforementioned standard asMinish Cap,which came out 2 years later, only there'southward just...something...about this art design that irks me. Possibly it's the flatness of the textures? Something odd about the sprites against the perspective? I have no clue. It'south simply wrong, and I don't know why.

As for the sound pattern... it's... alright? It'south by no means the greatest in theLegend of Zeldalineup, simply it'due south listenable.  It probably didn't assistance that the sound is compressed considering this title shared a game cart withA Link to the Past. Existence a 4-histrion real time game didn't much help my enjoyment of the music either. At least the Link sword-swing shrieks aren't equally bad.

The Verdict

The game isn't broken. That's near all I tin say that's positive nearlyThe Legend of Zelda: Four Swords. It's playable, but it's not enjoyable in the least. Even with three friends, the game is not hard at all, and nearly of the enjoyment comes from making the gameplay into a living hell for your friends. The music isn't memorable, the gameplay is not innovative in the least, and it's simply... not good.

If you have this game - and three friends who have it as well - give it a shot. Otherwise, don't get out of your way to play it. It's not worth your time. I'm usually the beginning guy to sayLegend of Zeldagames are bang-up, but at that place's just no redeeming qualities to thisLegend of Zeldaspin-off.

I'yard closing Week 8 of theLegend of Zelda Rewind Reviewearly with this one. In that location'south zippo skillful I can say nearlyIv Swordson the GBA. Maybe I'm incorrect, only if I am it'southward up to y'all - the readers - to prove it! What do you lot call back of this game? Is there practiced qualities I missed? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below!

As well, be sure to check back on this article or the GameSkinny front end page for future reviews, too as swords and sorcery action every bit we make our way from the original 1986 release of The Fable of Zelda on the NES to the 2013 release of A Link Between Worlds on the 3DS!

Reviews in this Serial:

• The Legend of Zelda (NES)
• The Hazard of Link (NES)
• A Link to the Past (SNES/GBA)
• Link's Enkindling/Link'south Enkindling DX (GB/GBC)
• Ocarina of Time/OoT 3DS (N64/3DS)
• Majora'due south Mask/MM 3DS (N64/3DS)
• Oracle of Ages/Oracle of Seasons (GBC)
• Four Swords (GBA)
• The Air current Waker (GC)
• Four Swords Adventures (GC)
• The Minish Cap (GBA)
• Twilight Princess (GC/Wii)
• Phantom Hourglass (DS)
• Spirit Tracks (DS)
• Skyward Sword (Wii)
• A Link Betwixt Worlds (3DS)
• Tri Force Heroes (3DS)

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Source: https://www.gameskinny.com/l2ea0/rewind-review-the-legend-of-zelda-four-swords-gba

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