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| Home | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Four Swords Adventures | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Platform: Gamecube Release Date: 2004 Players: 1-4 GBA Connectivity |
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| When Nintendo and Capcom remade A Link to the Past for the GBA a surprise multiplayer mode was added. The Four Swords mode turned out to be an amazingly fun co-op/vs game that turned backstabbing a teamwork into a long quest for up to 4 Zelda fans to play. Nintendo took that mode and ran with it for a full blown multiplayer Zelda game for the GCN. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| You think your friend has a multiple personality problem? Well poor Link, after getting tricked by his evil shadow form, pulls the ancient 4 sword out of the stone and releases the evil Vaati while getting cloned into 4 versions of himself. Now in order to save the maidens that the wizard Vaati kidnapped Link and his copies must work together to get through the dungeons and traps set before them. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Wait, is that a Cheep Cheep? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Four Swords Adventures is a very unique game. In the multiplayer mode each player uses a Gameboy Advance hooked into the Gamecube as a controller. Of course other games such as Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles did this but not to the extent of Four Swords. Most of the time everyone will watch the TV screen but if someone falls down a hole or goes into a room, they will appear on their own little GBA screen. All sorts of puzzles are solved using the several screens layout and they are pretty cool. It is great that everyone can now run around where they want to without having to wait around for that last person or mess with the split screens. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| I'm guessing that isn't a good thing... | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Four Swords Adventures plays just like the SNES and Gameboy Zeldas and looks just like A Link to the Past. There isn't an overworld to explore like previous games but instead levels are chosen off of the map. This is great if you want to replay your favorite levels and allows you and your friends to jump right into the action. The main focus of the game is competing for force gems (think rupees). Whoever gets the most by the end of the level is crowned the winner and gets the bragging rights. Also Tingle can be found throughout the game and he has his own tower filled with many fun minigames. The best part about Four Swords is how it keeps adding new elements (horse riding, swimming, stealth) as you go along, never allowing the game to become dull. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Circle Formation Go! | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| All this talk about the multiplayer might make you think this is a 4 player game only but actually it is just as fun in single player. You don't even need a GBA when playing alone and instead a window pops up when you go into rooms. Link's copies always follow him and can be commanded to form certain shapes to solve puzzles. The boss fights tend to be much easier when alone since you don't have 3 other people to worry about. Each Link can also be detached from the group and go out on his own. While you can't do the minigames, Four Swords Adventures is great if you don't always have a group of friends. Be wary though if you want to play multiplayer everyone needs their own cable and GBA but that isn't much of a problem since the game includes a cable and GBA's are dirt cheap now. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gamers of the 16-bit age will get all nostalgic when looking at Four Swords. Many areas, monsters, and even bosses look very similar to A Link to the Past. All the characters are colorful sprites but all of the effects (such as explosions) are straight out of Wind Waker. At certain times there can be literally hundreds of monsters swarming the screen and it looks very impressive. All the characters are given the extra Nintendo touch and move smoothly and look alive. There is something that is always funny about watching your friend running around when on fire or his face when he is thrown into a pit. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| I wonder how much my friend will hate me if I throw him into the fire? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The dungeons really vary and are usually very extreme in design. There is a lave dungeon, forest dungeon, ice dungeon, and other climate related areas to explore. When you travel to the GBA the room instantly appears and looks great. Of course there is a graphics difference between the GCN and GBA but for something that is only being transferred in teh cables it is pretty astounding. Many times you will have to travel between the Light and Dark realms and it is neat to see the differences. While Four Swords in now way pushes the GCN to its limits, it still is a 2d fan's dream come true. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Four Swords Adventures seems to be really big on nostalgia which is why it is no surprise that many classic Zelda sounds are in the game. The chime sounds when a puzzle is solved, Link grunts and yells when swinging, bombs explode, ect. all sound like they did in previous games. Many Songs and themes from previous Zelda games make it in too. There is no music playing (ocarina) due to the focus on co-op action. The best way to describe the music is that it is the "best of" soundtrack of the series with a couple new songs. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| PWNED!!!!1!111! | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Clocking in at 15-20 hours, Four Swords Adventures is quite long for a multiplayer game. This is a game you and your friends will play for weeks before beating it. Each area takes 30-45 minutes to get through but you can't save during an area so you have to set aside the time before you play. Replaying the early areas is a great way to show some friends what the game is like before getting into the harder levels. It is nice that all the cool bosses, dungeons, and minigames can be replayed at any time which was one of my favorite parts of Majora's Mask. If you don't have the time to go through a dungeon with some friends then there is a versus mode. Think Super Smash Bros but more open. Each arean has little traps or tricks such as big bombs or swarming chickens to worry about. Using items from the story mode (bows, wands, bombs) each player fights until one is left standing. The matches tend to be hilarious and over the top and are a blast to play. If the single player is all you will play then you will still get a lasting game but multiplayer is where it's really at. |
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| Closing Comments | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Four Swords Adventures is a rarity nowadays with a focus on co-op play and ease of use. The Zelda experience can now be had with 4 people and it is not something to be missed. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pros -Old school meets new school graphics -4 player co-op -Play on the GBA and on the TV! |
Gameplay: 9.5/10 Graphics: 8/10 Audio: 9/10 Replay Value 8/10 Overall: 9.5/10 |
Cons -Expensive if no one else has a GBA -Getting your friend to stop throwing you! |
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