The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures

Voices of: N/A
Developer: Nintendo
Directed by: Toshiaki Suzuki
Rating: E
Genre: Action Adventure
System: Nintendo Gamecube
2004

Times Completed:
Tim: 1

Summary: Link splits into four copies of himself, and the four work together to defeat Dark Link, an the shadowy controller operating behind him.

Review:
Tim: The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures, the 11th game in the franchise, feels like a bit of an oddity. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, as any adjustment to the typical formula breathes new energy into this long-running series. The game is really a sequel to the 2002 Gameboy Advance's Legend of Zelda: Four Swords, and a major improvement over that game.

There's a lot of elements here that feel unique in the broader series. This is the first main game to have different, clearly defined areas, of which contain three stages each. The stages are replayable, although that's not really necessary. I found it interesting that the game treats each stage individually- there's much less of a sense of building strength as the game goes on. Your abilities are reset at the beginning of each level- your hearts go back to their original number, and the items you collect disappear at the end of each stage, too. Another quirk here is that you can only hold one item at a time. I didn't so much mind this- it added an interesting strategic element to the game. The progression is fairly linear, though- so it's usually quite obvious when you need to switch an item out. Still, there were a few moments when I did debate if I needed to retain the bombs, or switch out for the bow (for example). The other main element here is that Link has to collect Force Gems throughout each level- so much of your time will be hunting these down.You have to collect a specific number (2000) in each stage to be strong enough to break the seals at the end. This isn't challenging- I never had an issue on any stage, except for the penultimate one, when I got stuck with one of those bad guys that sucked up all my gems.

That's another aspect of the game that is worth exploring- it's not especially difficult. I felt like this was both good and bad. The nature of each stage feeling individual and less connected to the broader journey focused your attention on one stage at a time. Each stage has a mix of expected puzzles to figure out, plus a number of bad guys to defeat, and several boss battles. None of these were that difficult, and I ended the game with over 50+ force fairies (that revive you when you die). I wouldn't say the game was "easy"- it throws just enough of a challenge that it holds your attention and forces you to pay attention. But, most of the puzzles are pretty obvious and any skilled player won't have much of a challenge against the various bosses. With the fairies being so plentiful, there's very little penalty to being killed in combat- you just pop right back up. So, it's interesting to see a game that's not hard in the least, but was still total fun to play. That's a good way to describe most of this game- fun. It was enjoyable to not be overly challenged, to just move through each level, complete the puzzles, and move on. Yes, a few times I did get stuck and have to look online- I'll absolutely admit to getting stumped several times. But, for most levels, you breeze right through. For me, it ended up me doing 1 stage at a time. It felt like a good investment of time, I felt a sense of accomplishment, and then I paused and did something else. You could obviously finish the game faster and a few days I'd do multiple levels, but I found it enjoyable to tackle mostly just 1 stage a day. That prolonged this fairly short game and it kept me interested and invested. It felt kind of nice to play a Zelda game that felt easier and more accessible- it never felt a chore making your way through this game. Yes, the game does sacrifice some of the broader narrative and the sense of building momentum by resetting each stage, but there's always a sense of progression as you complete one- whether that's freeing a trapped maiden, collecting the Royal Jewels, or just moving closer to the end of the stage, there's plenty to celebrate as you move further on the map and into the game.

Nintendo knows how to build great games, so this one is as fun and engaging as you would expect. While it can feel repetitive at times, it throws a lot of different challenges at the player, so it keeps you engaged. I thought the music and the sound effects were especially good. The art style works, not cutting edge, but worthwhile Gamecube graphics.

As a whole, I doubt many people would put The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures in their top tier of Zelda games. That being said, I really loved playing the game and had so much fun with it. In a series that I do think is at risk for feeling too repetitive at times, it is well represented on the Nintendo Gamecube. The Wind Waker felt like a wonderful departure from the normal formula, and Four Swords Adventures does, too. Nintendo continues to innovate and subvert expectations with their gameplay and that works here. This might not be a heavyweight game, but it's a completely well-made, enjoyable one.



Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: N/A



If You Enjoyed This Game, We Recommend: The Legend of Zelda, The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap