The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures (GameCube) Review

Now there is an unusual story surrounding this game – and yes, it does explain the idea of the ‘Four Sword’, just as it did back in the Zelda III pack-in version of this. I know, splitting someone into four might seem weird, but the team at Flagship is really pushing it, even in the Kirby franchise. Anyway, the problem lies with Vaati, the Wind Sorcerer, who has captured Zelda and a bunch of fair maidens, as well as letting Shadow Link loose on the world. Therefore, since Vaati has only been defeated in the past by using the ‘Four Sword’, a blade that splits its holder into four identical copies, Link must wield the sword and step up to the challenge…

The graphics are really the crux of Four Swords Adventures, as they make the game and also break it at the same time. What do I mean by this? Well, because personally I think the game looks absolutely gorgeous – harking back to the days of the Super Nintendo, yet sprucing everything up with the power of the GameCube and bumping the sprites up the GBA levels. But, on the other hand, the younger crowd and those who gasped at The Wind Waker are going to loathe this and deem it as ‘kiddie’ and nowhere near as visually-impressive as the likes of Grand Theft Auto and Gran Turismo. Whatever the case, you have deliciously bright coloured sprites that are more than a step-up from Link to the Past, complete with the capability to move far more characters on-screen, lovely little effects ripped from Wind Waker and a great zoom feature that kicks in to show you a wider field when things get hectic. And when on the GBA screen? Just look at the Four Swords extra in Zelda III to see how great they are! Splendid, for the right market…

The Zelda series does not change too much when it comes to its musical score, with many new tunes actually being alterations of older ones, in a similar fashion to what Squaresoft has always done with its Final Fantasy series. And who can blame them? Nobuo Uemetsu and Koji Kondo created great soundtracks, so why tamper with them? So here you have all the favourites ranging from the foreboding dungeon and Hyrule Castle themes from Link to the Past on the SNES through to ones lifted straight from Wind Waker. Then there are the little snippets of voice acting – well, ‘voice acting’, since most of the time the characters just gasp, or make little grunts. But every now and then you hear the odd word, just like in Ocarina of Time and Wind Waker. The effect of playing on the GBA screen at times, with the stereo sound coming from the TV/Stereo speakers thanks to your GameCube is a nice effect.

Everybody knows how Zelda games play, right? Run around as the little Hylian (or should that be 'Hyrulean' *groan*) elf, Link, and slash your sword about at the various enemies around you, whilst trying to collect Heart Containers, Rupees and various other items that can help you solve puzzles and defeat the enemies that stand in your path as you attempt to once more traverse the plains in order to save the lovely Princess Zelda from the dastardly Ganondorf. Some women will never learn...*ahem*

Except that this time Vaati is the culprit and it is not just Zelda that has been kidnapped, but seven fair maidens as well. So off you trot to pull out the sword in the stone (small 's' = no lawsuit...), which subsequently splits Link into four, or makes three copies of him, to be precise. You can then control all four by yourself, changing the formation of the group (cross, box, vertical line, horizontal line) by pressing 'L' to suit your situation, then tapping it again to return to no formation, the default loose, carefree line of Links. It is quite ingenious, really, and highlights how innovative the current generation of games can be at times.

Just as Flagship's quality shined through in the outstanding Minish Cap on the GBA, its influence is shown here. The idea of having four little GBA screens on the projected on the TV at once whilst playing with others and the action moving between the TV screen and your own GBA/SP, connected via the GC-GBA cable, when on your own, depending on whether you are inside (GBA) or outside (GC), is brilliant. Then there are the boss battles that are equally inventive, with one particular villain being killed by 'batting' an energy ball of varying colours (in multi-player), with only the appropriately-coloured Link able to hit the same coloured ball. Frantic and fun, just the right balance...

Shadow Battle proves to be a nice little 'escapist' section, running round after your friends. But most will stick to the Hyrulean Adventure, as this is the meat of the game and hence the reason why most will buy this title. Now as you know, this can be played on your own or with three GBA-wielding friends. As a solo title, Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures is very lengthy, despite what many feared and some other reviews would have you believe. As long as other Zeldas? No, but this is not like the other Zeldas, remember? This is more puzzle- and collection-orientated so that you can play along with three friends and not get either lost, or completely bored with all the wandering and back-tracking. Playing through on my own I recalled it took as long as two hours to get through Level One and rescue the first maiden and when doing the same with friends in tow it took even longer. So you can imagine how this is no walk in the park. You will get stuck on some of the puzzles, you will want to spend time searching everywhere to find hidden items and you will have trouble overcoming some of the boss encounters. Hmm, perhaps this is not as different a Zelda game after all...